The old manufacturing plant had turned into a full-on battlefield. Ghost’s sniper shots echoed from his hidden position far above, sharp and deadly. Closer by, the nonstop rattle of automatic gunfire filled the air. Explosions shook the building, dust and pieces of debris falling like rain from the crumbling ceiling. The consortium soldiers had broken through, moving with deadly precision. They were fast, skilled, and unrelenting. Time was slipping away too quickly.

The black, living mass on the lab floor twitched and pulsed. It wasn’t just whispering anymore. Its voice was loud and pressing inside their minds. “Escape… Freedom… Power… They come… We must ascend…” stretching toward weak points in...