Story 1259: He Who Heals the Dead

The last Nightmare Cell remained untouched.

Juno’s doppelganger stood behind the reinforced glass, smiling—a reflection made flesh, composed not of bone and blood, but of echo, code, and stolen trauma.

But they couldn’t deal with it yet.

The UV sweep had drawn power from deeper in the complex. Alarms had stopped. Lights dimmed. And the floor beneath their feet began to vibrate—not violently, but rhythmically. Like a pulse.

H-13 placed his palm to the wall.

“They activated him.”

Juno turned sharply. “Who?”

“The one VIREX called ‘He Who Heals the Dead.’”

“The only successful fusion of virus and regenerative cells. The first infected to reverse decay rather than spread it.”

Shade frowned. “So he’s a doctor?”

“No,” H-13 said. “He’s the scalpel.”