O5-13—the Collector—finally breaks the stalemate.
For years, Project GENESIS LOCK had stalled at theory, simulations, and catastrophic failures. Awakening the X-Gene reliably had always been the problem. Mutants existed, yes—but they were statistical miracles, not reproducible results.
Until now.
The serum is clear. Unassuming. Ordinary.And utterly world-changing.
D‑Class personnel are brought in under maximum containment protocols. Spatial anchors hum beneath the floors. Reality-stabilizers are active. Kill-switches are primed. If this goes wrong—and we know it might—no one is taking chances.
Test Subject One: D‑222
The injection takes effect in under twelve seconds.
Reality folds.
D‑222 vanishes.
Alarms scream as he reappears nearly a hundred meters away, phasing through two walls and a reinforced door like they aren't there. Short-range spatial teleportation—clean, precise, instinctive.
Impressive.
Unfortunately for him, the spatial anchors engage.
His next jump fails.
He collapses mid-attempt, violently snapped back into baseline space. Contained. Sedated. Placed into a medically induced coma for observation.
Result: Stable mutation. High utility. Moderate threat.
The Collector is pleased.
Test Subject Two: D‑55
This one goes wrong fast.
The X-Gene ignites like a star.
Before the observation team can finish their readings, D‑55 lifts his hand—and the containment cell explodes outward. Reinforced alloy shatters like glass. Two guards are crushed against the ceiling before they even have time to scream.
Telekinesis. Raw. Violent. Unrefined.
An Omega-level trajectory if left unchecked.
Security responds instantly. Anti-psi countermeasures engage. Null rounds are fired.
D‑55 dies screaming, still trying to tear the world apart.
Result: Extremely dangerous. Unstable. Terminated.
Silence follows.
No one speaks.
Then the Collector quietly orders the next subject.
Test Subject Three: D‑999
The change is… different.
No explosion. No alarms.
D‑999 gasps—and then steadies.
Scans light up as cellular damage repairs itself in real time. Microfractures vanish. Scar tissue dissolves. Telomeres regenerate. Aging markers reverse.
When a controlled injury is inflicted, the wound closes in seconds.
Then something unexpected.
A nearby technician—injured during the D‑55 incident—is brought close.
D‑999 touches them.
The injury vanishes.
Not regeneration.
Healing.
Advanced. Directed. Instinctive.
D‑999 remains calm. Cooperative. Almost serene.
Result: Exceptionally valuable. High-priority asset candidate.
Over the next several weeks, more trials follow.
Some awaken useful abilities.Some become twisted—bones warped, minds fractured, bodies barely human.A few are terminated immediately for safety reasons.
But the conclusion is undeniable.
The serum works.
The X-Gene can be awakened safely—mostly.
The problem is control.
The mutations are random.
Power levels vary wildly. From trivial enhancements to near-Omega threats. Too much chaos. Too much risk. The Foundation does not gamble with extinction-level variables.
And so the Collector sets his next objective.
Not awakening.
Selection.
If humanity is going to step into the next stage of evolution, it will not be left to chance. The Foundation will not flood the world with uncontrolled gods, monsters, and tragedies.
No.
They will choose.
Which genes activate.Which powers emerge.Which futures are allowed to exist.
Because if Omega mutants are inevitable—
Then the Foundation will decide who becomes one.