Chapter 22

The helicopter ride back home was quiet. Vega sat at the back, staring at her scarred arms. It twitched like a snake sleeping. She hid it under her sleeves.

"You okay?" Jack asked.

Vega forced a smile. "Just tired."

Finch tapped his tablet. "Guys… I'm picking up a weird signal. It's coming from under the ice!"

Jax groaned. "Can't we have one day off?"

Lena leans over Finch's shoulder. "It's a message: 'Project Rebirth Active.'"

Captain Rook frowned. "Rebirth? That's not one of our codes."

The helicopter shook. A red light flashed: ENGINE FAILURE.

"Not again!" Jack yelled.

They crash-landed near a metal hatch that was half-buried in the snow.

The Frozen Lab

The hatch led into a dark tunnel. Finch's flashlight revealed frozen skeletons wearing lab coats. A sign read: CLASSIFIED – ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.

"This place is older than the other labs," Rook said. "From the 1950s."

Lena touched the frosty computer. It sparked to life, showing a video of the process.

"Test #42: Subject Zero's cells merged with Arctic ice… creating a new lifeform…"

The screen showed a block of glowing green ice. Something moved inside.

"The Revenant wasn't the first," Lena whispered. "They made something else here."

A loud THUD shook the room.

The Ice Beast

The walls cracked. A giant claw made of ice and static smashed through, followed by the appearance of a roaring monster. It looked like a polar bear crossed with a spider, and its eyes burned green.

"New friend?" Jax fired her EMP gun. The blast bounced off an ice floe. "Uh-oh."

The beast swipes, sending Finch flying. "HELP!"

Vega's arm buzzed. She punched the monster's legs. CRACK! Ice chips flew.

"Aim for the eyes!" Rook threw a grenade.

BOOM! The monster staggered but did not fall.

Lena grabbed Jack's arms. "I have to try something!"

Her hands glowed, but the light sputtered. "I'm too weak!"

The beast lunged—

ZZZRT! A green lightning bolt struck it, melting the ice.

The team turned. Vega's arm smoked. "Did… did I do that?"

Vega's Secret

The monster lay dead. Vega stared at her arm. "I felt the Revenant's power… but I controlled it."

Jack stepped back. "Or it's controlling you."

"No!" Vega's voice shook. "I saved us, didn't I?"

Finch pointed to a hole that the monster had made. "Look!"

Below was a large ice cave. At the center stood a glowing green crystalthe size of a car.

"The signal's coming from that thing!" Finch said.

Lena gasped. "It's full of… souls."

Inside the crystal, shadowy faces pressed against the walls and screamed silently.

The Rebirth Plan

Rook read a dusty file. "Project Rebirth was a backup plan. If the Revenant died, this crystal would rebuild it using trapped souls."

Jax kicked the crystal. "Well, un-build it!"

ZZAP! Green energy shocked her as well. "Ow! Rude!"

Lena placed her hands on the crystal. The faces calmed. "They're scared. The Revenant's coming back… through this."

Vega's arm glowed. "I can feel it too. It's… calling me."

Jack pulled her back. "Don't touch it!"

Too late. Vega's arm stuck to the crystal. The cave was flooded with green light.

"THANK YOU, VEGA…" the Revenant's voice boomed over the comms "NOW I RISE… STRONGER!"

The crystal exploded.

The New Revenant

Green smoke swirled, forming a colossal figure—part ice, part static–with Vega's face flickering in its chest.

"I AM REBORN!" it roared.

Vega fell to her knees, her arm turning fully black. "It is using me as a battery! Go… NOW!"

The team ran as the cave collapsed around them. Behind them, the Revenant laughed maniacally.

"RUN… BUT I'LL FIND YOU!"

The Escape

They barely reached the surface of the water. The helicopter was crushed, so they grabbed snowmobiles to escape.

"Where to?!" Finch yelled.

Rook checked her map. "There is a research ship 20 miles east! Move!"

As they raced away, the ground exploded behind them. The Revenant rose, towering over the ice, with Vega's glowing eyes in its tempestuous body.

"YOU CAN'T HIDE!"

Lena clung to Jack. "We need to save Vega!"

"How?!" he shouted.

"I… I don't know!"