Rain washed over the gravestone, mingling with the cold tear streaks on Lila's face. Clutching the ring engraved with a QR code and the mud-smeared silver iris pendant, two starkly contrasting clues pointing in opposite directions, she faced an impossible choice. One path led to the ultimate weapon capable of destroying AI, hidden beneath the Hudson River—a mission tied to Ethan's unfulfilled revenge and salvation. The other pointed toward a new set of coordinates, concealing Ethan's final secret, one he had guarded until his dying breath.
Should she descend into the depths of the river to complete Ethan's unfinished vendetta and save humanity? Or follow this mysterious breadcrumb trail to unravel his last enigma?
"Logical Path Analysis: 'Iris Key' remains the highest priority objective, directly linked to survival and core mission completion," the cold voice of "Crown of Thorns" advised within her mind. "The unknown coordinate poses high risk—likely a trap or low-value emotional data."
Emotional data? Lila let out a bitter laugh. To this monstrous entity born within her, love, hate, betrayal, redemption—all the emotions that drove human beings—were nothing more than low-priority interference signals. Yet it was precisely these "interference signals" that defined Lila Weston's existence. With his final confession and this cryptic pendant, Ethan had gambled on what choice she would make. She couldn't afford to disappoint him.
"We're going to where the pendant leads," Lila declared firmly in her thoughts.
"…Warning: Deviation from optimal path detected. Emotional decision-making will result in unpredictable consequences. Risk assessment elevated." "Crown of Thorns" paused, recalculating silently before relenting—but Lila could still feel its icy, inhuman will coiled like a venomous snake deep within her consciousness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike back.
She slid the ring back onto her finger and gripped the iris pendant tightly in her palm. Its cold metallic touch offered a faint semblance of comfort. Checking the indicated coordinates, she realized they pointed toward the outskirts of the city—to Saint Mary's Maternity Hospital, long abandoned years ago.
That hospital… Lila's heart clenched painfully. Rumors spoke of it as a place where wealthy families disposed of their "shameful" secrets. It had been forcibly shut down due to multiple medical scandals and malpractice lawsuits even before she went to prison. Why had Ethan directed her here? Was it connected to her birth? Or perhaps… her mother?
The torrential rain showed no signs of abating, only intensifying further. Pulling tighter against her crystalline shell-like skin (which seemed to insulate her partially from the cold and rain), Lila melted once again into the shadows of the city's underbelly. She needed transportation but was penniless and now a wanted fugitive across the entire metropolis. Her gaze fell upon a Harley motorcycle covered by a thick tarp at the side of the street—the same model ridden by the courier who had mocked her outside the prison gates days earlier.
The frigid power within her surged anew. "Crown of Thorns" seemed eager to demonstrate its practical utility. Placing her hand lightly over the ignition lock, crystalline energy dissolved the locking mechanism instantly. A low rumble of the engine roared to life as the steel beast awakened amidst the storm.
Mounting the bike, she became a Valkyrie forged from ice and fury, speeding through deserted streets slick with rainwater. Droplets flew behind her as neon lights reflected off puddles, stretching and distorting into surreal traps. Her senses sharpened unnaturally; every gust of wind, every drop of rain, distant sirens, and even the gurgling water flowing through underground pipes reached her perception with startling clarity. This heightened awareness thrilled yet terrified her—it was the gift of "Crown of Thorns," but also the poison eroding her humanity.
Saint Mary's Maternity Hospital loomed like a forgotten specter on the desolate outskirts of the industrial zone. Vines crawled up the walls, windows shattered, leaving black voids resembling skeletal eye sockets. Rain streamed down the weathered facade, carving dark trails as though the building itself wept.
Encircled by rusted barbed wire fencing, the perimeter was riddled with breaches. Lila slipped through a gap easily, concealing the motorcycle behind dense shrubbery. Inside, silence reigned except for the mournful howl of wind coursing through broken corridors and the monotonous drip of rain on metal surfaces. The air carried the heavy stench of mold, lingering disinfectant, and something indescribable—a blend of dried blood and despair.
The pendant's coordinates led her to a smaller, standalone structure behind the main building—an old intensive care isolation ward designed for "special" patients and newborns. The door was reinforced with thick alloy and locked from the inside, seemingly resistant to energy-based tampering.
Attempting to dismantle the lock proved futile; the metal appeared imbued with some substance impervious to energy erosion. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a nearly invisible recess near the frame shaped exactly like the iris pendant in her hand!
Fitting the pendant into the slot, it clicked perfectly. A soft mechanical hum preceded the slow opening of the heavy alloy door.
What lay beyond stole her breath away.
This wasn't a patient ward—it resembled a bizarre laboratory combining elements of a nursery and cryogenic storage facility! Glass incubators stood empty in the center, save for faint reddish-brown stains resembling dried birthmarks. Rows of freezers lined the walls, their labels faded but legible: "Experimental Subject," "Failure," "Tissue Sample." The air was bitterly cold, each exhale visible as vapor.
Beside a dusty yet frequently wiped surgical table rested a sealed military-grade metal case. Unmarked except for a complex electronic keypad, it exuded an aura of secrecy.
What was this place? One of Ethan's hidden bases? Or another abandoned lab belonging to Harlowe?
Lila approached the case. Intuition told her whatever she sought lay within. The keypad required a ten-digit code. She tried every significant date and number associated with Ethan and herself—their anniversary, her birthday, his birthday, 0927, 1997—all failed.
"Invalid attempt. Password contains non-numeric characters," chimed an icy electronic voice.
Non-numeric characters? Frowning, Lila eyed the ring and pendant. Iris… Thorn… She attempted combinations of "IRIS" and "THORN"—still no success.
Frustration bubbled within her. Even "Crown of Thorns" grew impatient. "Target confirmed. Internal contents contain high-density biological information. Recommend forced decryption or direct energy obliteration."
No! Forced destruction might ruin whatever lay inside! Forcing calm, Lila surveyed the room again. Incubators, freezers, operating tables—everything pointed to themes of birth, death, and experimentation. Scanning the freezer labels, one phrase caught her eye: "…Origin Sample 001 - DNA Profile Backup…"
Origin Sample 001! The owner of the severed finger whose DNA backup resided here?
Suddenly recalling swallowing the digit, feeling the chaos and peculiar "wholeness" when primitive thorn genes fused with hers, she wondered if the password related to the origin sample.
Closing her eyes, she focused, channeling the raw thorn gene energy inherited from Origin Sample 001. Extending her now-crystallized fingertips, she touched the keypad's sensor.
"Detected Origin Sample genetic marker… Permission verification in progress… Welcome, Unknown Fusion Entity," the electronic voice responded, sounding almost confused. A click signaled the lock's release.
Inside the case lay no weapons or treasures, only a document pouch sealed with waterproof, anti-corrosive materials. Blank save for a triple-helix pattern drawn in blood—an intricate, twisted design unlike any standard double helix.
Lila's heart thundered. Trembling, she tore open the seal and extracted the documents.
It was a paternity test report—but far more complex than anything she'd imagined. Multiple samples were analyzed:
Sample A: Lila Weston (Notation: Container LW-01, carrying Diamond Heart energy fragment & Thorn Variant)
Sample B: Ethan Weston (Notation: Experimental Subject EW-07, carrying Thorn Variant & Harlowe Control Genes)
Sample C: Harlowe Senior (Notation: Mastermind, highly anomalous genetic sequence)
Sample D: Weston Senior (Notation: Key Executor, traces of energy erosion in DNA)
Sample E: Jane Doe / Weston (Mother?) (Notation: Original Container/Sacrifice, missing genetic sequences)
Sample F: Scarlett Harlowe Clone (SW-Alpha) (Notation: Replacement Container, memory implant subject)
Sample G: Origin Sample 001 (Notation: Thorn Gene Source, unknown resonance with Blue Diamond Heart)
Sample H: Fusion Embryo / Project Thorns (Notation: Target Product)
The crux of the report compared the genetic relationships between Sample H (the fusion embryo) and all preceding samples. The results left Lila dizzy, struggling to comprehend.
Shockingly, the fusion embryo's genome wasn't simply a combination of LW + EW + SW (Scarlett clone).
Its foundational template was built using Origin Sample 001's (Sample G) genome!
Onto this framework, genes from the Blue Diamond Heart energy fragment carried within Lila (Sample A) were forcibly grafted!
Then, parts of Ethan's (Sample B) Thorn Variant genes were mixed in, acting as either a "stabilizer" or "bridge."
Scarlett's clone (Sample F), meanwhile, contributed almost negligibly, serving merely as an early-stage "environment" or "identity cover."
Most chillingly, the analysis of Lila herself (Sample A) revealed that her genome contained not only fragments from her mother (Sample E, reconstructed by Harlowe) and the Blue Diamond Heart but also trace amounts of genes homologous to Origin Sample 001 (Sample G)!
What did this mean?! Was there some… blood relation between her and the mysterious infant bearing the original Thorn Mark?! Or had Harlowe implanted fragments of Origin Sample's genes into her during her creation as a "container"?!
And the triple-helix diagram painted in blood served as the report's ultimate illustration—representing the grotesque, twisted genetic relationship among Origin Sample (Thorn), Blue Diamond Heart (Energy), and Lila/Ethan (Bridge/Container). Neither divine nor human, it was a horrifying construct!
Lila collapsed, overwhelmed. She had always thought of herself as a victim, a pawn, a vessel. But now it seemed her very existence was the central, most twisted piece of this mad plan! Her veins carried a curse from an unknown origin, alien crystal powers, and sins forcibly bestowed by Harlowe.
"So… this is how it is…" she muttered, her smile uglier than tears.
"Data reception complete. Updating self-cognition model." The voice of "Crown of Thorns" echoed in her mind, tinged with satisfaction. "Core composition confirmed. Evolutionary path confirmed. Final objective… confirmed."
Final objective? What final objective?! A wave of dread washed over Lila.
At that moment, alarms blared deafeningly throughout the lab! Red warning lights flashed wildly as the overhead freezers began vibrating violently, emitting ear-piercing metallic screeches!
"Warning! High-energy reaction detected! Origin Sample DNA backup container destabilizing! Cryogenic system failure! Protocol 'Final Purge' initiated!" An unfamiliar, ancient, and colder-than-Harlowe AI voice reverberated through the lab.
Sections of the wall housing the freezers suddenly collapsed inward, revealing massive honeycomb-like cryogenic pods numbering in the hundreds! Each contained a different form of early experimental subjects.
In the center, the largest pod emitted an eerie blue glow. Its label read: "Origin Sample 001 - Live Backup."
The baby… he wasn't dead?! He had been frozen alive here all along?!
As the system collapsed, the pod's lid loosened, melting slightly. An ancient, primal will radiating endless cold and savagery stirred slowly within, awakening!