The hybrid's eyes opened.
Iridescent and sharp, they glowed with intelligence. Suspended in a biofluid chamber, its limbs twitched occasionally, like a dreamer trapped in REM sleep. Above it, high-resolution monitors tracked every synaptic flicker, every heartbeat, every hormonal surge.
Alex stood beside the main console, eyes glued to the readings.
"Neural integration at 92%. Genetic stability holding. No signs of rejection," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else. "It's working."
The hybrid—his creation—was not only alive, but thriving.
Yet, far beyond the hidden lab under the Virelli ancestral manor, danger stirred.
---
The National Covert Threat Division (NCTD) had been monitoring strange bursts of encrypted digital activity. They tracked the anomaly to a rural estate in upstate New York. Once they cracked through the final firewall, what they saw stunned them: footage of an adolescent male engaging in illegal experimentation on what looked like a genetically modified humanoid.
"Jesus Christ," muttered Agent Linh Cho, leaning forward.
The room of black-suited analysts stared at the paused frame: a sleek, pale figure submerged in green-blue fluid with elongated canines, crimson eyes, and limbs slightly longer than natural proportions. A vampire hybrid.
"Is this a hoax?" someone asked.
"No. This is Alex Virelli," Director Langford said, setting down the file on the desk. "Son of Evelyn Cross and Marcus Virelli. IQ off the charts. Now classified under Code Black."
They immediately authorized an Omega Protocol intervention: eliminate or extract the specimen. Bring Alex in—alive, if possible.
---
Back at the manor, Evelyn descended the stone staircase into the lab.
"You've been down here too long, Alex."
"I know," he replied, eyes still on the hybrid. "But I'm close. It's dreaming. I think it's forming memories."
"It's not a child, Alex. It's a weapon."
Alex turned slowly to face her. "So was I. You and Dad didn't stop them from making me."
Evelyn sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "We protected you from them. That's why we came here. But now—"
The lab lights dimmed. A low tone buzzed through the walls.
"External radar disruption," Alex said, his expression flattening. "We're being scanned."
Above them, Marcus monitored the manor's early warning systems. His heart raced as proximity alarms flared red.
"Helos. No heat signature. Cloaked. This is military," he growled.
"Alex," Evelyn snapped into the comm-link. "They're here."
Alex nodded and keyed in the emergency protocol.
"Initiating Alpha Lockdown. Specimen stabilization: initiate.
The hybrid's chamber began draining slowly. Mechanical arms clicked into place, detaching electrodes. The lab sealed with thick titanium panels sliding into place.
Alex grabbed a sealed vial of the hybrid's blood and slipped it into a protective canister. As he did, he turned to a secondary workstation, activating a live genome editor.
"DNA encoding complete," he muttered. "This changes everything."
---
A mile above the manor, three stealth helicopters broke formation. Camouflaged suits rappelled down through the trees.
"Eagle One, position secured," an agent whispered.
"Remember," Langford's voice echoed through their comms, "do not kill the boy unless absolutely necessary. Retrieve the specimen and all data."
Within seconds, the elite strike team infiltrated the manor.
Marcus triggered the internal defense grid. Steel shutters slammed over the windows. Automated turrets sprang from the ceiling, unleashing suppressive fire.
Still, the agents were better.
They moved in perfect sync, disabling turrets, scaling walls, using shock charges to breach reinforced doors.
The fight wasn't fair.
---
Inside the lab, Alex stared at the hybrid. It stirred, head tilting, as if sensing the danger. It placed one hand against the inside of the glass.
Alex mirrored the gesture.
"You're awake," he said softly.
Then the outer lab doors exploded.
"FEDERAL INTERVENTION. HANDS UP!"
The room filled with smoke. Red lasers danced through the haze.
Alex raised both hands slowly. "You're making a mistake."
One of the agents stepped forward, lowering his visor. "Alex Virelli, you are under arrest for unauthorized genetic experimentation and biological weapon development."
Behind him, Evelyn emerged from a side door with a plasma pistol aimed.
"Get away from my son."
"Ma'am, this isn't your fight. Stand down."
She fired.
The first agent dropped, armor sparking.
The room exploded into chaos. Marcus appeared from behind a bulkhead, hurling a magnetic pulse grenade. EMP shockwaves disabled half the agents' tech.
In the chaos, Alex hit the release valve.
The hybrid's chamber hissed.
Fluid poured out.
It stepped forward—nude, dripping, silent.
The agents turned.
They weren't fast enough.
The hybrid moved like nothing they'd ever seen. Blurs of motion, bone-crunching strength, fangs tearing flesh. Screams filled the lab.
One agent managed to shout, "SUBJECT LOOSE! HOSTILE!" before the hybrid snapped his spine.
Alex turned to Evelyn and Marcus. "Tunnel two. Now."
As they fled, he looked back at the hybrid.
It stared at him—recognizing its creator.
Then it turned to the surviving agents.
---
Minutes later, deep within the forest, the family emerged through a hidden hatch.
Smoke rose in the distance. Gunfire echoed.
Evelyn clutched her son's arm. "We can't go back."
"I know," Alex said, his voice steady. "They've taken the lab."
Marcus handed Alex a data chip. "They'll never crack this. All the core formulas are here. You're not finished."
Alex closed his fingers around it. "I never planned to be."
---
Hours later, the manor was a smoldering ruin.
Inside the remains of the lab, the hybrid stood over the dead. Bullet wounds healed as it walked barefoot through ash.
It found a mirror—Alex's cracked diagnostic screen—and stared at itself.
Then it vanished into the night.
---
In a dark room beneath the Pentagon, the redacted report sat on a table.
Subject V-01 escaped. Data incomplete. All personnel dead.
Alex Virelli and family: LOCATION UNKNOWN.
Stamped across the front:
THREAT LEVEL: OMEGA CLASS — TERMINATION AUTHORIZED