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"You still haven't answered the question," I point out, uneasy with being discussed like a specimen, especially with someone else that is probably a specimen too. More creature than human, at any rate.

"Names hold little meaning in the changed world," the figure replies. "I was called Dr. Adrian Lin, once. Now, those who fear us simply say 'the Evolved.'"

"Evolved?" Vex repeats, wariness evident.

"Those who embraced complete adaptation," Lin explains. "Not merely physical modifications, but comprehensive transformation."

I study him more closely, recognizing the basic human form beneath the extreme changes. "You modified yourself deliberately."

"Continued what nature began," he corrects. "As your mother intended for you, Thorne offspring."

The mention of my mother sends unease crawling up my spine. "You knew Elara Thorne?"

"We were colleagues, before the purges." Lin's head tilts again, bird-like. "She chose controlled adaptation. I chose complete surrender to evolutionary potential."

"And the sympathizers?" I ask, remembering our mission. "The people meeting at this rendezvous?"

"Safe, for now. We detected Unity forces and redirected them."

Relief washes through me. "They weren't captured?"

"Not yet. Time grows short, however."

Vex has been studying Lin with increasing intensity. "You've been tracking us."

It's not a question, but Lin nods. "Since you activated the relay. Your genetic signature is distinctive, Thorne offspring."

"If you could track us, so can Unity," I realize. "We need to move."

"Indeed." Lin gestures down a side tunnel we hadn't noticed. "This way leads to the sympathizers. Quickly now."

We follow, having little choice, the tunnel gradually widening until we emerge into what appears to be an old maintenance chamber. Five people wait there—three men, two women, all showing subtle signs of modification.

One steps forward—an older woman with silver hair and eyes that shift color like oil on water. "Zara Thorne," she says, voice carrying the same musical quality as Lin's. "We've been waiting for you."

"How do you know me?" I ask, increasingly unsettled by these strangers' familiarity.

"We were part of your mother's network," she explains. "Those who believed in her vision of balanced adaptation."

"The relay message reached you," I conclude. "You know about the other Haven children."

She nods. "Seven confirmed still within arcologies. Three already showing signs of activation."

"Unity is hunting them," I warn. "Using my genetic markers to identify them."

"We know. Extraction teams are already mobilizing." She glances at Lin. "Your arrival accelerates our timeline."

"What timeline?" Vex asks suspiciously.

The woman ignores him, focusing entirely on me. "Your mother believed that when her children awakened, it would signal humanity's next evolutionary phase. A controlled adaptation that could save our species."

"I'm not a signal," I say firmly. "I'm a human. A person making my own choices."

"Of course," she agrees too easily. "But your genetics carry programming beyond your conscious control. Activation sequences designed to trigger under specific conditions."

"What conditions?" Vex demands, stepping closer to me.

Lin answers, his strange eyes fixed on mine. "Proximity to others like you. The Haven children were designed to resonate with each other, amplifying capabilities when united."