Silence still blanketed the core facility.
A holographic screen displaying rows of transparent capsules hovered in mid-air, unchanged.
Not a single word was spoken.
Because what they saw was far too shocking to process right away.
Dozens of capsules.
Dozens of faces.
And every last one bore an uncanny resemblance to Aurelia.
Some looked asleep.
Others appeared vacant.
Motionless.
Breathless.
As if time itself had stopped for them.
Aurelia stepped closer to the screen.
Her heart hammered faster with each passing second.
A cold sensation crept down her spine.
She didn't know why.
But her instincts screamed that what she saw on that screen was tied directly to her.
To her life.
To the reason she was here at all.
"Orion."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Who are they?"
Orion didn't answer immediately.
His eyes scanned the data streaming in from ancient archives.
The longer he read, the heavier his expression became.
"I found the project's identity."
