: secure your base, then probe outward in controlled increments. The subway node on his phone's flickering inter

e streets felt heavier today. Vines had thickened overnight, their leaves turning toward him like sunflowers tracking light. He noted

they lay on the couch, her head on his chest. He clung to the memory as the silence pressed in. H

e tasted alive-damp earth and faint sweetness, as if flowers grew in the dark. The platform lights still w

ion he tested a theory. He dropped a coin onto the third rail. It should have sparked. Instead it spun rapidly, melted, an

se began

eadache bloomed behind his eyes. Using the environment triggered something

hm. When he passed, they brightened and leaned, reaching thin tendrils toward his arms. He stopped. They sto

ar, emitting a faint green glow. Inside, consoles lined the walls, mos

JECT

CCESS: P

o view above a central pedestal. It showed a rough schematic of the city with pulsing green points. One of t

oints in whatever Project Eden was building. He reached out to touch the hologram. The moment his finger made contact, pain

hard. The hologram faded t

EMO

tanding at the edge of the tunnel, backlit by the glowing vines. She raised a hand in the familiar *wait for me

m earlier now appeared smudged, as if something had brushed against them. The headache pounded i

eps, light and careful, matching his own rhythm. Mimicking. He quickened his pace. The foo

ith every step, slowing him. His nose continued bleeding. Drops hit the vines and m

posture. It turned slowly. For one heart-stopping second, Adam believed it was Sarah. Then the light shifte

f," he called

s gesture. Then it whispered one word

emor

ees buckled. The headache exploded into white-hot pain. He dropped to the ground, bat clattering beside him. Blood dripped

ghing at his failed attempt to cook risotto, flour on her cheek, eyes bright with love. The vines loosened. Their glow s

ow, never closing fully but never leaving. By the time he climbed back to street level, his shirt was soaked with sweat

ith extra furniture. In the reading hall he cleaned his face and drank deeply

E RADIUS:

REGIS

e nodes reacted to him, the world reacted to the nodes, and every interaction exacted a physical and emotion

re learning his taste. And whatever had chosen him

nt, Adam bandaged his nose and stared out at the transformed

alive-and more dangerous-how long could he keep moving