The scorching sun over the Nevada desert blazed like molten gold, spilling over the cracked earth. The modified Humvee kicked up a long trail of dust behind it. The air was dry and searing, and even Evelyn's augmented body could sense an unsettling "silence" in the environment. It wasn't the absence of sound—there was the distant whisper of wind and the occasional roll of gravel—but rather a void, as if life itself had been drained from the area.
According to the navigation system, the secret Icarus launch base was hidden within the jagged mountain range ahead, its peaks resembling the skeletal remains of some ancient beast. However, as they approached the mountain pass, Evelyn's biosensors triggered an alert.
"Abnormal air composition… unknown microbial spores detected… concentration rising…" Her synthetic voice carried a note of caution. "Additionally… multiple slow-moving biological signals detected… thermal imaging characteristics… atypical."
Dr. Carter immediately donned a portable respiratory filtration mask. "Unknown spores? Related to the 'Eye's' spores?"
"Unlikely." Evelyn analyzed the data. "Energy signatures differ. These appear to be mutations of local organisms induced by extreme environmental conditions or unknown radiation. However, they seem to be guided by some force, converging toward the base interior."
The Humvee cautiously entered the pass. The sight that greeted them silenced both occupants. The road leading into the base was largely buried under sand and debris, with twisted fragments of metal littering the sides—remnants of vehicles or equipment. More unnerving were the vast patches of dark purple, moss-like growths covering the surrounding rocks and sandy ground. These pulsating organisms emitted a faint, sickly-sweet odor, the source of the abnormal spores in the air.
Scattered among the growths were animal skeletons, their bones entangled with fungal filaments of the same hue, as though their life force had been siphoned away.
"It seems the base 'incident' had far more severe consequences than reported," Dr. Carter murmured. "These mutated plants… they appear to be reshaping the local ecosystem."
Evelyn said nothing, instead sealing the vehicle's external circulation system and activating the energy shield. She could sense an energy fluctuation emanating from the purple growths, carrying traces of low-level psychic interference, luring nearby organisms to approach—and then consuming them.
They parked the Humvee in a relatively open area with fewer patches of the moss and proceeded on foot toward the core of the base. Evelyn's optical camouflage worked flawlessly in this environment, while Dr. Carter relied on his heavy protective suit and keen sensitivity to energy fluctuations to keep pace.
The entrance to the Icarus base was disguised as a rocky outcrop, now partially open due to years of disrepair and geological shifts, revealing a pitch-black corridor beyond. Inside, the walls were similarly covered with the eerie purple moss, and the air grew thicker with moisture, stickiness, and the pungent smell of decay.
"Watch your step," Evelyn warned. Her sensors detected small, fast-moving creatures lurking beneath the moss—aggressive, mutated insects or reptiles likely symbiotic with the growth.
They avoided the moss-covered areas, hugging the cleaner edges of the walls. From deeper within the corridor came the sound of dripping water and a low, rhythmic echo reminiscent of large, breathing creatures.
Suddenly, several points of crimson light flared in the shadows ahead! Moments later, several sleek, panther-sized monsters emerged silently. Their bodies were encased in dark purple exoskeletons, with razor-sharp bone spurs protruding from their joints. They moved with incredible speed and agility, their compound eyes gleaming with predatory malice, droplets of corrosive saliva dripping from their jaws.
"Base experiments gone wrong? Or mutated local wildlife?" Dr. Carter exclaimed, raising his energy pistol.
"Hybrids!" Evelyn assessed instantly. These creatures bore both biological traits and unmistakable signs of genetic modification and mechanical augmentation! They were the runaway products of Icarus' failed experiments, further warped by the base's environment!
Evelyn dropped her invisibility, her Omega-enhanced body launching forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. She opted for close combat, foregoing ranged energy weapons. With her newfound biomass integration, her strength, speed, and reflexes had reached unprecedented levels.
She dodged the slashing claws of one creature with ghostly precision, her arm transforming into sharp blade-like claws. With an impossible angle, she sliced through the monster's vulnerable neck. Dark purple blood sprayed out, its corrosive nature sizzling as it hit the ground.
Another creature lunged from the side, its massive maw lined with serrated teeth snapping toward her waist. Evelyn didn't flinch. She thrust her left hand forward, fingers fused into a high-frequency oscillation blade, piercing the creature's upper palate with surgical precision and destroying its brain in an instant.
The battle ended in seconds. Seven or eight ferocious mutants lay defeated, their bodies crumbling like paper before her. Standing amidst the corpses, Evelyn's liquid-metal skin secreted a neutralizing agent, dissolving and expelling the corrosive blood. She even felt a faint trace of energy being absorbed from the creatures' biomatter—a vestige of the biomass fusion's… devouring trait?
Evelyn frowned, suppressing the unfamiliar impulse. She refused to become like these monsters.
"Seems the 'welcome committee' isn't very friendly," Dr. Carter remarked, approaching cautiously as the moss quickly began to envelop and decompose the fallen creatures. "The hangar housing 'Hermes' is on the lowest level. We need to hurry."
They pressed onward. The deeper they went, the stronger the energy fluctuations grew, with the purple moss spreading further and the psychic interference becoming nearly dizzying. They encountered several waves of mutated creatures: swift fliers, camouflaged ambush predators, and even a giant worm capable of releasing acid and toxic gas.
Evelyn's superior abilities and newfound powers allowed her to neutralize these threats without much difficulty, though at the cost of significant energy. She also noticed a pattern: these creatures instinctively guarded the path leading to the lower hangar.
Finally, they arrived at a heavy blast door made of special alloy—the last barrier protecting the base. The door was scarred with claw marks and melted traces from energy weapons but remained firmly shut. A complex biometric and password input panel sat above it, nonfunctional.
"We'll have to force it open," Evelyn said, her right arm morphing into a focused energy cannon.
"Wait!" Dr. Carter stopped her. "Forcing it might trigger internal defenses or… alert whatever's inside. Let me try."
The elderly man approached the door, pulling out a multifunctional interface tool and connecting it to the defunct control panel. His fingers flew across the virtual keyboard, bypassing physical locks and attempting to access the system directly.
"This system… it's ancient, but the encryption is strange… almost like… Evelyn's original work?" He furrowed his brow.
Minutes later, a soft click echoed as the massive blast door slid open, revealing what lay beyond.
It was an enormous underground chamber, large enough to house several aircraft. At its center rested a sleek, silver-white aerospace plane of futuristic design, its lines flowing with aerodynamic elegance. Larger than a standard space shuttle, its wings featured a unique variable-sweep design, and its surface was coated with radar-absorbing and optical-camouflage materials. Even beneath layers of dust, its imposing presence was undeniable.
This was the "Hermes."
However, the hangar's interior was chilling. The floor, walls, and even ceiling were blanketed in thick, carpet-like layers of pulsating, dark purple biomass. These organic masses writhed and throbbed like a colossal living organ. Countless vein-like tendrils extended from the biomass, some connecting to the hangar's power conduits and control systems, others… coiling around the Hermes itself!
The entire hangar had been transformed into a massive alien hive, with the Hermes serving as its "heart" or "energy core."
"My God…" Dr. Carter whispered, horrified. "Spores… no, this is worse! This is complete ecological erosion and transformation!"
Evelyn's expression turned grim. She could sense an energy fluctuation emanating from the biomass—similar to the black crystal core from Blackstone Base but far larger and more active. Moreover, deep within the biomass, she detected five faint but distinct energy signals matching the frequency of the spores dropped by the "Eye."
The three missing spores… they were here too! Drawn by the base's own mutating environment and seemingly merging with the biomass!
Worse still, the tendrils wrapped around the Hermes were slowly penetrating its interior, attempting to erode and take control of its core systems!
"We have to stop them!" Evelyn assessed the situation gravely. "If they fully control the Hermes and use this energy field to complete the fusion, the consequences will be catastrophic!"
But how? The entire hangar was covered in this bizarre biomass, and attacking any part of it risked triggering a violent reaction from the entire hive. Moreover, the Hermes was entangled within it, and attacking the biomass could damage the spacecraft.
"The cockpit and engine sections seem less infiltrated," Dr. Carter pointed out. "If we can reach the cockpit and activate the ship's energy core, perhaps… we can use its energy field to purge the biomass."
"The risks are high," Evelyn evaluated quickly. "Activating the core might accelerate the biomass's erosion or provoke a violent counterattack."
"But we have no other choice!" The old man glanced toward the hangar entrance. "I can feel it… the creatures outside are being drawn by the energy fluctuations. They'll swarm us soon! We have to start the ship before they arrive!"
Evelyn looked at the silver-white spacecraft, now ensnared by countless tendrils, resolve flashing in her eyes. "Alright. You head to the cockpit and try to activate the main control system. I'll… clear a path and cover you."
She took a deep breath, her Omega core accelerating, and the newly acquired biomass energy surged through her veins. She could feel her body reacting strangely to the hostile yet familiar biomass around her—a mix of repulsion and yearning.
"Let's move!"
She dropped her invisibility, surging forward like a streak of silver lightning, charging straight into the carpet of pulsating biomass!