Elias saw a skeleton in a faded green jumpsuit, curled among the roots of the largest tree—an old oak. She had died there, alone, keeping the air pumps running, the lights on, the water cycling.
He followed the map to the central hub. A sealed door, marked with a faded logo: TerraGene . Beyond it, the vault. His heart hammered. He tapped the access panel. Red light. Denied. sky-132
He did. The air tasted like rain and honey. He hadn’t breathed unfiltered air in fifteen years. Elias saw a skeleton in a faded green