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TERMINUS PROTOCOL CANNOT BE ABORTED

COMPLETE FACILITY DESTRUCTION WILL COMMENCE IN 59:45

The message flashed red, mocking me. I slammed my fist against the screen, cracking it. “No, no, no!”

I had to get back to Zehn and Everly. We needed to get as far from here as possible. Whatever “terminus protocol” meant, it couldn’t be good. I turned and sprinted back the way I’d come, no longer bothering with stealth.

As I neared the exit, a security barrier slammed down, blocking my path. I skidded to a halt, searching frantically for another way out. A ventilation shaft above caught my eye. I leaped, claws digging into the wall as I climbed, then tore the grate free and squeezed my larger frame through the opening.

The shaft was tight, but I forced my way through, following the scent of fresh air. After what felt like an eternity of crawling through dust and cobwebs, I spotted light ahead. With one powerful kick, I knocked out another grate and tumbled to the ground outside.

I scrambled to my feet and ran toward our camp, heart pounding. The facility behind me continued to pulse with light, the alarm audible even at this distance. As I burst into the clearing where we’d set up, I found Zehn and Everly already alert, weapons ready.

“Khaaz!” Everly’s voice was a balm even in this moment of crisis. Her scent reached me—that intoxicating blend of spice and sweetness that had called to me since our first unity dream. My mate. Mine to protect.

“We need to move,” I gasped out. “Now. The facility—I triggered something. A countdown.”

Zehn’s eyes narrowed, his larger form tensing. “What kind of countdown?”

“Terminus protocol. Complete facility destruction in less than an hour. We need to get as far from here as possible.”

“How?” Everly asked, already gathering her pack. “What did you do?”

“It scanned me,” I explained, my words tumbling out in a rush. “It recognized my genetic signature. Called me a Kridrin hybrid experiment.”

At the word “Kridrin,” Zehn’s expression darkened. “The Kridrin have been defeated years ago.”

“Not their DNA apparently,” I growled. “The Engineers were studying it. Maybe using it.” I didn’t add that they’d used it on me. That much was obvious from my designation as KOR-7.

“We need to see what we’re dealing with,” Zehn said, shouldering his pack. “If it’s going to destroy the facility, it might take out a much larger area. We need to know the blast radius.”

I bared my teeth at him. “No. We need to get Everly to safety. That’s what matters.”

“I agree with Zehn,” Everly said, her dark eyes meeting mine without fear. She never showed fear around me, even when I knew my appearance—my scars, my feral nature—unsettled others. “We need more information.”

I wanted to argue, to throw her over my shoulder and carry her far from this place, but I knew that look. She was stubborn, our mate. It was one of the things I loved about her, even when it drove me to distraction.

“Fine,” I growled. “But you stay behind us.”

We moved quickly through the forest, following my trail back to the facility. The alarms were louder now, and a new sound had joined them—the low hum of machinery powering up. Whatever was about to happen, it was gaining momentum.

“There’s an entrance this way,” I said, leading them toward a different side of the building than where I’d exited. “Less secure.”

As we approached, Zehn suddenly pulled up short, his nostrils flaring. “Wait. I smell explosives. Proximity charges.”

I sniffed the air, catching what he had—the faint chemical tang of detonation compounds. “They weren’t active before.”

“The terminus protocol must have armed them,” Zehn said. “This place is rigged to blow from the inside out.”

Everly pushed between us, her smaller human form dwarfed by our Rodinian bulk. “Let me see the main control panel. If it’s an Engineer facility, I might be able to hack it.”

“No,” I said immediately, blocking her path. “Too dangerous.”

“He’s right,” Zehn agreed. “We should fall back, get to minimum safe distance.”

“And what is that distance exactly?” Everly challenged. “Do either of you know what kind of yield we’re talking about? Because I’m guessing from the size of this facility and the term ‘terminus protocol’ that we’re looking at complete molecular dissolution for at least a ten-mile radius. Possibly more.”

The implications hit me like a physical blow. Ten miles. Our transport was parked eight miles from here. Even if we ran at top speed, we’d never make it in time.

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