The sterile hiss of the atmosphere processor in Bayan’s personal lab was the only sound for a long moment, a stark contrast to the thrumming, blood-soaked chaos they had just escaped. Oyuun peeled off her bio-suit’s helmet, her wild hair static-charged and sticking out at odd angles. Bayan, already pristine in a fresh, crisp white coat, meticulously arranged their prize under the focused beam of a chrono-spectrometer. The metallic seed sliver, now secured in a reinforced stasis field, pulsed with a dull, oil-slick iridescence. “Remarkable,” Oyuun murmured, leaning in, her eyes gleaming with an almost predatory interest. “The bio-luminescence is reactive to gamma radiation. It’s an active camouflage mechanism, not merely aesthetic.” Bayan adjusted a microscopic lens, his brow furrowed in concentration. “The serrations are designed for tissue shear, efficient and brutal. Notice the sub-dermal anchors – they’re not just gripping; they’re fusing. This isn’t a simple parasite, Oyuun. It’s an assimilation module.” “Precisely! An assimilation module with an alarming affinity for vascular systems.” She tapped a gloved finger against the stasis field, a grin stretching her lips. “The one from the lobby attacked my carotid. This one was embedded near the Drake’s cervical. It’s a targeted assault on neural control points. Fascinating.” “Fascinating and dangerous,” Bayan corrected, his tone clipped. “We need to isolate its primary energy source. If it’s truly biomechanical, there must be a central reactor core, however minuscule.” He manipulated a holographic interface, overlaying a multi-spectral scan onto the shimmering filament. “The energy signature is… anomalous. Not purely organic, not purely synthetic. A hybrid, perhaps?” “A perfect crimson graft,” Oyuun breathed, her delight unbridled. “Imagine the applications, Bayan. If we could replicate its bonding, but control the host assimilation… we could evolve beyond the need for cumbersome external armoring. A true symbiotic enhancement.” Bayan’s lips thinned. “Or create an entirely new kind of threat. We’re dealing with an unknown, Oyuun. Prudence is paramount.” He reached for a micro-injector, preparing a nutrient solution. “I need to establish a stable culturing environment before we risk any invasive procedures. Its structural integrity is surprisingly robust.” Before he could administer the solution, the heavy blast door to the lab slid open with a sharp, pneumatic hiss. Grand Khan Varga, an imposing figure even in his standard-issue command fatigues, strode in, flanked by two armed guards. His gaze, sharp and cold, swept over the lab, fixing on the shimmering specimen. “Adept Oyuun. Adept Bayan. I trust your qualifying exam was… enlightening.” Varga’s voice was smooth, deceptively calm, but the air in the lab grew thick with sudden menace. “Khan Varga,” Bayan acknowledged, straightening his posture, a flicker of unease crossing his meticulous features. “To what do we owe this unexpected inspection?” “Protocol, Adept. Strict adherence to protocol.” Varga stepped closer, his eyes never leaving the pulsing sliver. “Any unsanctioned xenobiological material extracted during a live-fire exercise must be immediately surrendered to the Spire’s central research archives for secure analysis. These specimens are not to be handled by junior staff.” Oyuun bristled. “Junior staff? Khan Varga, this specimen demonstrates unprecedented bio-fusion capabilities. It demands immediate, focused investigation by lead researchers. Its behavior in the Drake suggests a highly aggressive, adaptive nature.” “And your enthusiasm, Oyuun, while commendable, often clouds your judgment.” Varga extended a hand, and one of his guards presented a specialized, heavily shielded transport box. “This material is too sensitive, too potent, for independent study. Its origins are unknown, its potential for widespread contamination, catastrophic.” Bayan hesitated, glancing between Oyuun’s defiant stance and Varga’s unwavering resolve. “Khan Varga is correct, Oyuun. Security protocols dictate immediate handover. We can submit our preliminary findings to the central archives.” His voice held a note of forced resignation. Oyuun grimaced, recognizing the futility of arguing against a direct order from the Spire master. With a click of her tongue, she deactivated the stasis field. Bayan carefully transferred the shimmering sliver into Varga’s specialized box. The moment the lid sealed, Varga turned his piercing gaze directly to Oyuun, his voice dropping to a near-whisper, audible only to her. “That anonymous invitation to the Conclave, Oyuun? The one that arrived just as you re-emerged from your sabbatical? Consider it a personal test. I needed to see if the rumors of the ‘Crimson Prodigy’ were truly understated.” A cold smile touched his lips. “Don’t disappoint me.” Varga turned abruptly, the transport box held securely by his guard, and strode out of the lab, the blast door hissing shut behind him, leaving Oyuun simmering with suspicion and renewed scientific fervor. “A personal test?” Bayan muttered, still unsettled. “What in the name of the Ancestor Khans was that about?” Oyuun’s eyes narrowed, but before she could formulate a response, the lab door shuddered open again, this time with a frantic, scraping groan. Temur stumbled in, his once-gleaming warrior armor now a grotesque mockery. Patches of dull, corroded alloy flaked away, revealing raw, weeping flesh beneath. Filaments of his own bio-mechanical grafts, starved of maintenance and proper nutrient flow, had begun to fuse with his skin, trapping him in a shell of agony. “Oyuun!” His voice was hoarse, desperate. “Please… I don’t know what’s happening. The upgrades… they’re consuming me. My medical access is still revoked. I can’t get the nutrient supplements, the repair nanites. You’re the only one who can fix this. You built these grafts, you know them better than anyone!” He extended a trembling, half-fused hand towards her, a plea for mercy in his eyes. Oyuun stepped forward, her expression morphing from anger to a detached, clinical interest. “Fascinating,” she murmured, already pulling up a diagnostic scanner on her wrist. “The dermal rejection rate is higher than predicted for a stable symbiote. The osseous fusion points are also showing necrosis. You’ve let your maintenance lapse to an alarming degree, Temur. An excellent case study in graft decay due to insufficient post-operative care.” “Case study?” Temur whimpered, tears streaking through the grime on his face. “Oyuun, I’m dying! I need help, not analysis!” Suddenly, Bayan exploded. His normally composed features twisted into a mask of pure fury. “Get out!” His voice, usually precise and measured, was a guttural snarl. He lunged, grabbing Temur by the failing shoulder plate, ignoring the flaking metal and exposed flesh. “You worthless distraction! Can’t you see she’s *working*? She just survived a live-fire exam, she’s on the verge of a breakthrough, and you come crawling in here with your pathetic, self-inflicted misery, demanding her attention? This is a research facility, not a hospice for your failures!” With a violent shove that sent a shower of corroded metal shards skittering across the pristine floor, Bayan hurled Temur back out into the hallway. The blast door slammed shut with an echoing clang, silencing Temur’s pained cries. Before Oyuun could react to Bayan’s unexpected outburst, a deafening *CRUMP* ripped through the Spire’s reinforced walls. The lab’s internal monitors flickered violently, emergency lights flashing red. From the hallway, a plume of acrid, chemical smoke billowed under the lab door. A sickeningly familiar iridescent glow pulsed through the haze, followed by the faint, rhythmic *thump-thump* of something large striking the floor outside. As the smoke began to clear, Oyuun’s suit sensors registered a spike in anomalous bio-electrical readings just beyond the threshold. Through the thinning veil, she saw him. Khan Varga. He was standing over the mangled remains of the specialized transport unit, his irises now burning with an oily sheen that mirrored the seed sliver they had just surrendered. A low hum resonated from within him, a frequency that vibrated with an alien, unified consciousness.

Protocol and Parasites