GENETICA (BOOK ONE: THE AWAKENING)

The underground war room hummed with activity, a mix of focused determination and simmering frustration. Elias leaned over a map of the city, marking locations with red pins while Leena updated files on her tablet. Kai sat at the far end, absently flicking flames from his fingers, his mind elsewhere.

Maya burst into the room, her expression grim. "We have a problem."

Elias straightened. "What is it?"

"The latest intelligence," Maya said, tossing a folder onto the table. "The Gene Council isn't just creating weapons—they're mass-producing mutants. Entire facilities dedicated to experimentation. If we don't act now, they'll have an army within weeks."

Leena frowned, looking up from her tablet. "We're barely holding our own as it is. Attacking one of their facilities head-on would be suicide."

"We don't have a choice," Maya argued. "If we wait, they'll outnumber us ten to one."

Kai, silent until now, stood abruptly. "She's right. If we keep sitting back, more people like us will end up in their labs—or worse."

Elias raised a hand, his voice calm but firm. "We can't let emotion dictate our strategy. Charging in without a plan will only get us killed."

"So what's your plan?" Kai snapped, his flames flaring briefly. "Wait until they've wiped us out?"

The room fell silent, the tension thick enough to cut. Maya placed a hand on Kai's arm, a calming gesture. "We're all on the same side here. Let's figure this out together."

Later that night, Leena worked quietly in her tech station, pouring over intercepted data. A sudden notification blinked on her screen—a decrypted file marked CONFIDENTIAL: PROJECT EVOLUTION.

Her heart raced as she opened it. The screen filled with images—blueprints for containment units, schematics for enhanced prototypes, and footage of experiments. One video showed a teenager in a tank, writhing in pain as energy surged through their body.

Leena's stomach turned, but she forced herself to keep reading. The file mentioned a location—Facility Omega. It wasn't just a lab. It was a factory for creating weapons disguised as humans.

She rushed to find Elias and the others, the weight of the discovery heavy on her shoulders.

The rebels gathered around Leena's screen, their faces pale as they absorbed the information.

"This changes everything," Elias said, his voice grim. "If we take out Facility Omega, we could cripple their entire operation."

"And if we fail?" Leena countered. "They'll know we're onto them. We'll lose what little advantage we have."

Kai stepped forward, his eyes burning with determination. "We're not going to fail."

"You're too reckless, Kai," Leena shot back. "This isn't about just burning things down. We need a strategy."

"Stop treating me like I don't know what I'm doing!" Kai shouted, his flames flaring uncontrollably. The heat forced everyone to step back, tension snapping like a live wire.

"Kai," Maya said gently, trying to calm him. "You're not alone in this."

He looked at her, his anger fading into uncertainty. "Sometimes it feels like I am."

Elias placed a hand on Kai's shoulder. "We all have a role to play. Yours is important, but you can't carry this fight alone."

Kai nodded reluctantly, though doubt still lingered in his mind.

Meanwhile, deep within Facility Omega, Dr. Darius Morven observed his latest experiment with detached interest. A young mutant, barely older than Kai, floated in a tank, their body encased in shimmering energy.

"How is it progressing?" he asked Dr. Elara Grayson.

"Better than expected," she replied. "The subject is stable, and their abilities are exceeding initial projections."

Morven's lips curled into a cold smile. "Good. Let the rebels think they've won small victories. When the time comes, we'll unleash perfection on the battlefield."

Grayson hesitated. "And if the subject resists?"

"They won't," Morven said, his tone icy. "Everyone breaks eventually."