Chapter 151: The Chamber of Ascension
Chapter 151: The Chamber of Ascension
The tunnel felt colder after Dominic said those words.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Our footsteps slowed instinctively, like our bodies had sensed that whatever waited ahead was far worse than we had imagined.
Elena finally broke the silence.
“Okay,” she whispered, “I officially hate the phrase Ascension Protocol.”
Aidan’s voice remained steady.
“Explain it.”
Dominic exhaled slowly.
“The Ascension Protocol is the final stage of the hybrid program.”
My stomach twisted.
“What does that mean exactly?”
Dominic looked at me with an expression I couldn’t fully read.
“It means the Creed has stopped experimenting.”
The tunnel lights flickered faintly above us.
“They’re ready to create another hybrid.”
The words echoed down the narrow corridor.
Elena muttered under her breath.
“You mean another Roxanne.”
Dominic nodded.
“Yes.”
Aidan stopped walking.
“Then the kids…”
“They’re candidates,” Dominic said grimly.
\---
My chest felt tight.
“They’re using children to recreate me?”
Dominic hesitated.
“Not exactly.”
That answer somehow made it worse.
“What do you mean not exactly?” Elena demanded.
Dominic’s voice dropped.
“The process that created Roxanne was unstable.”
Rhea’s voice crackled through the earpiece from the other team.
“That’s an understatement.”
Dominic continued.
“The survival rate was… almost zero.”
Silence swallowed the tunnel again.
Callum’s voice came through the comm.
“Define almost.”
Dominic answered quietly.
“Out of forty-three subjects…”
He paused.
“Only Roxanne survived.”
The weight of that number hit me like a physical blow.
Forty-three.
Forty-three people had died so I could exist.
The walls of the tunnel suddenly felt too close.
Too suffocating.
Aidan noticed.
“Roxanne—”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly.
But the truth was…
I wasn’t.
\---
Ethan’s voice returned through the comms.
“I’m pulling up additional facility data.”
The faint tapping of keys echoed through the channel.
“Okay… this is weird.”
“What?” Elena asked.
“There’s a section of the compound that isn’t on the official blueprint.”
Dominic stiffened.
“Where?”
“Directly below the central building.”
My heart skipped.
“The Ascension Chamber,” Dominic whispered.
Aidan frowned.
“You’ve been there before?”
Dominic nodded slowly.
“Once.”
“And?”
Dominic’s expression darkened.
“It wasn’t finished yet.”
Elena groaned.
“Please don’t tell me it’s finished now.”
Ethan answered.
“…It’s finished.”
\---
We reached a steel ladder that climbed up toward the surface.
The maintenance tunnel ended here.
Above us lay the compound itself.
Aidan turned to the group.
“Once we’re up there, we move fast.”
Echo’s voice came through the earpiece.
“Security remains offline for now, but patrol rotations will notice soon.”
Callum added, “Translation: we’re on a timer.”
Elena looked up the ladder.
“Well.”
She sighed dramatically.
“Let’s go ruin another secret cult experiment.”
Aidan climbed first.
I followed right behind him.
\---
The hatch above opened into a dim storage room.
Dusty crates lined the walls.
Fluorescent lights flickered overhead.
For a moment, everything seemed quiet.
Too quiet.
Aidan scanned the hallway outside the room.
“Clear.”
We slipped into the corridor.
The compound looked nothing like the ruined laboratory we destroyed the night before.
This place was active.
Clean.
Organized.
Cold.
Security cameras hung from the ceiling—but Ethan had disabled them.
Medical carts sat outside sealed doors.
Computer screens glowed inside glass observation rooms.
Every part of this place felt clinical.
Purposeful.
Dangerous.
Dominic led the way down the hall.
“The Ascension Chamber is below the central facility.”
“How far?” Aidan asked.
“Two levels down.”
Elena whispered, “Let’s hope they haven’t started yet.”
Dominic didn’t answer.
\---
We reached a stairwell.
Footsteps echoed from somewhere above.
Voices.
Guards.
Aidan signaled for silence.
Two Creed soldiers walked down the hallway toward us.
They wore dark tactical uniforms marked with the familiar silver crest.
The symbol of the Creed.
They hadn’t seen us yet.
Aidan moved first.
Quick.
Silent.
His hand struck the first guard before the man could react.
Dominic grabbed the second one.
The struggle lasted less than five seconds.
Both guards collapsed unconscious.
Elena stared at them.
“Nice.”
Callum’s voice came through the comm.
“Everything good up there?”
Elena replied.
“Just redecorating the hallway with unconscious cult members.”
\---
We continued down the stairwell.
The deeper we went, the colder the air became.
A strange mechanical hum vibrated through the walls.
Low.
Constant.
Like a massive machine running somewhere beneath us.
Dominic slowed his pace.
“We’re close.”
My heartbeat had begun to quicken.
Something inside me felt… strange again.
That same energy from the laboratory.
Like the building itself was reacting to my presence.
Or maybe…
Recognizing it.
\---
We reached a massive reinforced door.
Unlike the others in the facility, this one looked brand new.
Thick steel.
Multiple biometric scanners.
A red security panel glowed beside it.
Ethan’s voice came through the earpiece.
“Give me a second.”
The panel sparked.
The lock clicked.
The heavy door slid open slowly.
And the sight beyond it made all of us stop.
\---
The Ascension Chamber.
It was enormous.
A circular room built like an underground cathedral.
Massive glass tanks lined the walls.
Each filled with glowing liquid.
Dozens of scientists moved around computer stations and medical platforms.
At the center of the chamber stood a raised metal platform.
And on that platform…
A child lay strapped to a medical table.
My chest tightened.
She couldn’t have been older than twelve.
Tubes ran into her arms.
Machines surrounded her.
Bright white light poured down from overhead lamps.
And standing beside the table—
Marcus Hale.
\---
Even from across the chamber, his presence was unmistakable.
Tall.
Broad shouldered.
His dark hair was streaked with gray now.
But his posture still carried the strength of the warrior he once was.
Marcus studied the machines calmly.
Like a man overseeing construction.
Not someone about to experiment on a child.
Elena whispered beside me.
“That’s him?”
Dominic nodded.
“Yes.”
My hands clenched.
Marcus suddenly looked up.
Directly at me.
His eyes widened slightly.
Then he smiled.
Not surprised.
Not angry.
Almost… pleased.
“Well,” he said, his voice echoing across the chamber.
“I was wondering when you’d arrive.”
Aidan stepped forward slightly.
Marcus ignored him.
His gaze stayed locked on me.
“You’ve grown stronger,” he said calmly.
The machines around the child began to power up.
Energy hummed through the room.
Marcus gestured toward the girl on the table.
“Perfect timing.”
My stomach dropped.
“What are you doing?”
Marcus’s smile widened slightly.
“Finishing what your parents started.”
The machines surged louder.
Lights flashed across the chamber.
And Marcus spoke the words that froze my blood.
“The Ascension begins now.”