Chapter 73 The Legacy Project

The world reeled back into focus with agonizing slowness. The air crackled with ozone, and a metallic tang filled Elizabeth's nostrils. She coughed, her ears ringing, and struggled to sit up. Blurry figures shifted around her, their suits flickering back to life with a reassuring hum. "Everyone okay?" she rasped, her voice hoarse. One by one, groans and mumbled confirmations emerged from the darkness. John, the security officer, emerged from under a fallen piece of debris, his cybernetic arm sparking slightly. "Seems we got caught in a minor energy surge," he reported, dusting himself off. Elara, her face pale but determined, checked over Maya, who sat huddled against the wall, clutching her stomach. "Just a shock," she assured Elizabeth after a brief examination. "Nothing serious." Elizabeth looked around the cavern, the unsettling glow of the Aethel amplifier dominating the scene. The holographic display above the console flickered erratically, the chilling message from the past