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The sigils pulsed, seeking connection, but without direct contact, the sequence remained incomplete. Gradually, the glow subsided. Emergency lighting sputtered back.

I released her wrist, exhaustion claiming me. The effort had cost dearly, but the alternative was unthinkable.

She spoke softly, rubbing her wrist. The silver markings there retained a slight warmth.

The contact revealed more than intended. Impressions flowed both ways: fragments of her memories, her journey, capture. Emotions: determination, analytical thought, genuine concern for me.

Such concern was unexpected, confounding. Clan teachings portrayed marked humans as ignorant vessels, catalysts for destruction—not individuals with compassion, fears, strengths.

The brief connection had triggered some healing response, rebalancing disrupted energies. Dangerous knowledge. Forbidden connection. Yet undeniably effective.

Tremors continued irregularly. The ruins settled into a new configuration. Hammond’s experiments had awakened dormant systems.

I studied Zara across the cell. Her markings now extended visibly up her arms, responding to the fluctuations. Not random patterns, but structured, organized. Similar to lifelines, yet different.

My clan taught marked humans were dangerous in their ignorance. But Zara seemed neither ignorant nor careless. Precise movements, methodical observations. She had recognized the danger in the sigils, responded to my warning instantly.

The resonance felt... natural. Completing a circuit long broken. Generations of teachings warned against it, yet I had sensed harmony, not chaos. Could the teachings be wrong? Incomplete? The thought bordered on heresy, yet I couldn’t dismiss my own experience.

The cell’s temperature dropped. Zara huddled against the wall for warmth.

Hammond intended to use us both tomorrow. The resonance was his goal, though he understood little of its significance. If we could establish our own connection first, on our terms...

The risk was enormous. Everything I was taught warned against it. But the alternative—Hammond forcing a corrupted connection, potentially triggering a catastrophic Nexus awakening—seemed worse.

With painful slowness, I shifted, turning to face Zara. Her eyes met mine, questioning.

I gestured: my chest, a primary lifeline junction, then her markings, then a connecting motion.

She frowned, considering. Understanding dawned. She pointed to her markings, my lifelines, raised her eyebrows.

I nodded once, measuring the movement against the pain.

She hesitated, caution warring with curiosity. Then moved closer, stopping just short of contact, waiting.

I extended my hand slowly, palm up, revealing the lifeline junction at my wrist—less sensitive, less damaged. A controlled risk.

Zara studied my hand, then tentatively extended hers. Her silver markings sensed the proximity.

Our skin touched. Resonance flared instantly. Her markings brightened; my lifelines responded with golden light. Impressions flooded my mind—sensations, emotions, experiences. Her ship’s crash. The markings appearing. Escape from Hammond’s first lab. Her essence: determination, loyalty, that analytical mind.

The resonance deepened, patterns synchronizing. My damaged lifelines stabilized, drawing strength from her markings. Her markings grew more structured, coherent, influenced by my lifelines’ ancient patterns.

Alarm surged. Too far, too fast. I pulled back sharply.

Zara gasped, eyes wide. She stared at her brightened, newly coherent markings, then at me, questions evident. Her breath hitched as if the connection had jolted something awake. Not pain, not fear—something older. Somethingwanted.

I gestured to the wall where the sigils had glowed—a negative motion. Danger. Stay away.

She nodded understanding. Pointed: my lifelines, her markings, the space between us. A questioning gesture.

I made a balanced gesture. Maybe. Limited. Careful.

She absorbed this, nodding slowly. Then gestured again: mimicking Hammond’s lab movements, pointing to me, herself, shaking her head firmly. Fight Hammond’s experiments. Prevent forced connection.

I nodded agreement. Yes. That much is clear. Whatever happened between us must be on our terms, not his.

The emergency lighting stabilized further, the blue glow less intense. Tremors subsided to occasional vibrations. Hammond’s experiments had triggered something, but the full awakening hadn’t occurred. Still time.