First Light of a New Age

Chapter 145: The Vine Nymph & The Malignant One

The New World, Third Civilization Zone, Austronesia People's Empire, Imperial Tanah Melayu, Borneo Lowland Rain Forests, Imperial Research Facility No. 47.

4th Year of God, Monday, 4th Week, 1st Month of Adam.

It had been nearly two months since the incident with Subject #4512-R, designated Rosaceae Thanacis, the night when the once-immobile blood-red plant lashed out and nearly ended Dr. Chloris Vardalos' life.

Since then, containment protocols had been tripled in both redundancy and firepower. Armed guards now patrolled the greenhouse containment sector 24/7. Sprinkler systems loaded with incendiary compounds were installed above the reinforced chamber. Remote observation was prioritized over direct exposure.

But tonight, none of that mattered.

In the observation room, two researchers sat slouched in their seats, one absentmindedly scrolling through surveillance feeds while sipping cold coffee.

"Everything seems stable," muttered Researcher Kellen as he stifled a yawn. "You'd think something so dangerous would at least look active."

His colleague, Dr. Liana Tren, didn't respond. Her eyes remained fixed on the monitor displaying the plant's vitals. The massive thorny stalk stood in the center of its sealed chamber like a twisted tree.

Suddenly, a warning pinged as a spike in electromagnetic activity.

"Uh... Liana?" Kellen sat upright.

"Yeah, yeah, I see it," she whispered.

On the monitor, the petals of Rosaceae Thanacis began to bloom open slowly, but not like a flower greeting the morning sun. These were jerky, convulsive movements and violent.

Then, a deep vibration pulsed through the facility, causing the floor to tremble and coffee nearby to spill.

"What the hell was that?" Kellen shouted as he scrambled for the intercom.

Before he could activate the alarm, a deafening crack shattered the silence as the reinforced observation glass in the chamber spiderwebbed, and a moment later, blood-red tendrils punched through it like spears.

An ear-splitting screech erupted from the plant. The room flooded with a thick red mist, dense and viscous like blood-turned-vapor.

Kellen screamed as the mist engulfed them. Liana tried to hit the emergency lockdown switch as her fingers fumbled in terror. The alarms wailed and red emergency lights began flashing, casting the entire wing in a hellish glow, and the steel doors began to descend, thudding into place...

But it wasn't fast enough.

The vines moved like serpents, slithering through the narrowing gaps beneath the doors and writhed toward the ventilation shafts. In seconds, they were gone.

Meanwhile, in the Central Infirmary, beeping monitors echoed across the sterile white infirmary as Dr. Chloris Vardalos convulsed on the medical bed. Her face had lost nearly all color, replaced with a deathly pallor and her skin was drenched in sweat while her breathing turned erratic.

"She's crashing!" a nurse cried.

"BP's dropping, veins are darkening!" another reported, her hands shaking as she fumbled with the IV bag.

Chloris's body jerked violently. Beneath her skin, her veins had turned black, pulsing as if some alien fluid coursed through them.

"Get the defib ready, 300 joules, now!"

A nurse pressed the paddles against Chloris's chest. "Clear!"

Thump!

Her body arched and the monitors screamed to show a flatline.