_*]:min-w-0 !gap-3.5">"Check the cold storage units. All of them."

  The voice drifted through the ventition system with perfect crity. Viktor tensed, his entire body going rigid. Elena watched his expression shift from alert wariness to stunned recognition.

  "You know who it is," she whispered, barely audible.

  Viktor nodded, leaning close to her ear. "Dr. Marcus Keller. My former supervisor."

  They were crammed into the narrow decontamination chamber between the bio-hazard storage room's double doors. The space wasn't designed for hiding—just a small transition area with UV sanitization capabilities and safety equipment—but it offered temporary concealment.

  "The compound samples would have degraded anyway," Keller's voice continued, sounding irritated. "Focus on the blood storage. Check the designations carefully."

  "He was the project lead?" Elena asked, connecting the dots.

  "He was the one who pushed everything too far, too fast," Viktor murmured. "Always brilliant, always impatient. After I turned, I heard rumors he'd survived, but..." He trailed off, listening intently.

  Heavy footsteps moved through the main boratory, accompanied by the sounds of drawers being opened and equipment shifted aside. Elena could picture the careful organization of their workspace being systematically dismantled.

  "Sir, we found something." A different voice, female. "Recent activity. These samples have been processed within the st week."

  A moment of silence followed.

  "Well, well," Keller said, his voice taking on an amused tone. "It seems we have company. Or had recently. Spread out. Check all the containment areas and storage rooms. Whoever was working here can't have gone far."

  Elena's heart pounded so loudly she worried even non-vampires might hear it. She gnced at Viktor, who pced a reassuring hand on her arm before pointing upward. Above them, a maintenance access panel was built into the ceiling—likely for servicing the decontamination systems.

  Viktor slowly stood on tiptoes, carefully pushing the panel aside. With preternatural grace, he hoisted himself up, then reached down to help Elena. The opening led to a narrow maintenance crawlspace that ran above the boratory ceilings.

  Once they were both safely tucked into the dusty space, Viktor repced the panel. They y side by side in the confined area, listening to the search below.

  "Why would Keller come here specifically?" Elena whispered. "Of all the research facilities, why this one?"

  "Same reason we did," Viktor replied. "The cold storage units. This facility had the most comprehensive sample collection reted to the original research."

  Through gaps in the ceiling panels, they could see flickering movement as people passed below. Elena counted at least four figures accompanying Keller, all moving with the telltale grace of the turned.

  "They've been systematically looting all research facilities," Viktor continued, his lips close to her ear. "Gathering data, samples, anything useful. Keller's establishing himself as a power figure among the turned. Knowledge is leverage in the new world."

  Below them, Keller's voice rang out again. "James, status report on the eastern sector?"

  "Clear, sir," came the reply. "No sign of recent habitation."

  "There has to be someone," Keller insisted. "These tests were run this week. And look at this setup—organized, methodical. This isn't random scavengers."

  Through a small gap, Elena could see a tall, lean man standing at their main workstation. Even in the dim emergency lighting, his presence was commanding—straight-backed and precise in his movements. His hair, once dark brown, now showed distinguished silver at the temples. He wore a tailored bck coat that seemed incongruously formal for the post-apocalyptic world.

  "Sir," a younger man approached, holding up a notebook. "I found this hidden behind equipment in the bio storage area."

  Elena's breath caught. It was one of their research journals—not their most critical findings, but enough to reveal their presence and work.

  Keller took the notebook, flipping through it with obvious interest. "Interesting," he murmured. "Very interesting indeed." He looked up sharply. "Search the containment chambers again. Whoever wrote this could still be here."

  The group dispersed, moving with renewed purpose. Below their hiding pce, a woman in a b coat that had once been white began examining the bio-hazard storage room they'd just escaped from.

  "Thermal imaging would be useful right about now," muttered a stocky man checking cabinets nearby.

  "Old technology," Keller replied dismissively. "We have better tools now." He tapped his nose. "Blood never lies. There's someone here—or was very recently. I can smell them."

  Elena shot Viktor a questioning gnce. He tapped his throat and then pointed to the ceiling around them, mouthing words: "Air circution system masks scents."

  They y in tense silence as the search continued. Through gaps in the panels, Elena watched the methodical investigation of their boratory. Keller's team moved with scientific precision—checking everything, documenting findings, preserving evidence. These weren't mindless predators; they were researchers applying their methodical training to hunting.

  "Sir, their research appears focused on blood interactions with the virus," reported the woman examining their notes. "Specifically antibody binding patterns uncommon in standard human samples."

  "Of course it is," Keller said, sounding pleased. "That was always the key. The interaction between certain rare blood types and the vector. That's what I've been trying to tell everyone."

  He paced across the boratory, his movements betraying excitement despite his controlled voice.

  "The transformation variations weren't a fw in the design—they were a feature. Different blood compositions create different outcomes. The truly interesting question is which compositions create optimal results."

  "Optimal meaning...?" asked one of his assistants.

  "Maximum strength and regenerative capability with minimal loss of cognitive function," Keller expined, as if teaching a slow student. "The perfect bance between power and control. The next evolutionary step."

  Elena felt Viktor tense beside her. Through a gap, she saw Keller pick up one of their test tubes, examining it against the light.

  "This sample," Keller continued, "shows antibody configurations I've only seen once before. In the original test subject that showed the most promising results before everything went to hell." He set the tube down carefully. "We need to find whoever was working here."

  "For recruitment?" asked the woman.

  Keller ughed softly. "Perhaps. Or for resource acquisition. Either way, they clearly understand what we're trying to achieve."

  The casual way he discussed "resource acquisition"—clearly meaning humans with valuable blood types—sent a chill down Elena's spine.

  "The western territories are expanding their blood farm operations," reported the stocky man, changing subjects. "They're already processing fifty units daily."

  "Inefficient," Keller said dismissively. "They're thinking too small, too short-term. Proper blood farming requires genetic selection, controlled breeding, quality monitoring. We're not just looking for sustenance—we're looking for excellence."

  Viktor's hand found Elena's in the darkness, squeezing gently. She returned the pressure, grateful for the small comfort as they listened to humans being discussed like livestock.

  "The territorial meeting is in three days," reminded the woman. "We need something substantial to present if you want the other groups to acknowledge your leadership."

  "And we'll have it," Keller assured her. "This facility was always our best lead. The answers are here somewhere."

  Below, the search continued with meticulous attention to detail. Elena watched through the ceiling gap as Keller approached their cold storage unit, the one containing her blood samples.

  "This unit has been accessed recently," he observed, examining the access log on the digital dispy. "Let's see what was so interesting."

  Elena held her breath as Keller opened the unit and began examining the samples inside. After a moment, he removed one of the vials beled ATA-397—her blood.

  "Well, well," he said softly. "Hello, old friend."

  He held the vial up, a smile spreading across his face. "Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we've found exactly what we're looking for."

  A crash from the far side of the boratory drew his attention.

  "Sorry, sir," called a voice. "Equipment malfunction."

  Keller carefully pced the vial in a protective case. "Pack everything from this storage unit. All of it. And keep searching—whoever was working with these samples has crucial information we need."

  The systematic dismantling of their research continued below. Elena felt sick watching months of careful scientific work being packed away by strangers—strangers who clearly had very different intentions for the knowledge.

  "Why didn't you tell me about him before?" she whispered to Viktor after several minutes of silence.

  "I thought—hoped—he was dead," Viktor replied softly. "Keller was always... extreme in his methods. Even before the outbreak, he crossed ethical lines repeatedly. Human trials without proper oversight, unauthorized genetic maniputions. The university turned a blind eye because his results were promising."

  "And now?"

  "Now he's exactly what I've been fighting not to become," Viktor said grimly. "He's embraced the predator completely while maintaining his scientific brilliance. That combination makes him extremely dangerous."

  Below, Keller was issuing orders with practiced authority. "Team two, finish collecting the research materials. Team one, expand the search perimeter. They can't have gone far."

  "What about the humans in the underground shelter?" asked the stocky man. "Should we proceed with extraction?"

  Elena tensed at the mention of a shelter, fearing they might be referencing the one she'd left.

  "Not yet," Keller replied. "One operation at a time. Once we've secured this facility and its research, we'll address the human resources. Quality testing first, then controlled extraction."

  "The rival territories won't wait forever," warned the woman. "They're already establishing their own blood collection centers."

  Keller waved a dismissive hand. "Let them collect quantity. We're focused on quality. When they're scraping by with diminishing returns from depleted sources, we'll have sustainable, premium blood production. Long-term thinking, Sarah. That's what separates leaders from followers."

  The casual discussion of human "extraction" made Elena's stomach turn. She gnced at Viktor, whose expression had hardened into something cold and determined.

  "We need to get out of here," he whispered. "They'll find us eventually."

  "How?" Elena gestured at the search pattern visible through the gaps. "They've got every exit covered."

  Viktor pointed along the maintenance crawlspace. "These service tunnels connect throughout the facility. If we can reach the eastern wing, there's a maintenance exit that leads to the surface ventition systems."

  "You're sure?"

  "I helped design the facility's security protocols," Viktor reminded her. "Including emergency evacuation routes."

  The irony wasn't lost on Elena—escape routes designed to save lives during a boratory accident might now save them from the very scientists who once worked here.

  Below, Keller's team continued their methodical search, moving closer to the bio-hazard storage room. It would only be a matter of time before someone thought to check the ceiling access panels.

  "If Keller gets his way, humans become cattle," Viktor whispered, his voice tight with suppressed anger. "A managed resource. Bred for blood quality."

  "Not if we can help it," Elena replied, her scientific detachment giving way to determination. "Our research might be the key to preventing that future."

  Viktor nodded. "But first, we need to survive to complete it."

  They began inching along the crawlspace, moving with agonizing slowness to avoid making noise. Every few feet, Viktor would stop, listening intently to the movements below. The maintenance tunnel branched occasionally, and he would indicate their path with hand gestures Elena was learning to interpret instantly.

  Through gaps in the ceiling panels, she could see Keller's team continuing their work. They operated with disturbing efficiency—cataloging samples, packing equipment, documenting findings. The scientific precision that had once been used to advance knowledge was now being applied to establishing a predatory new order.

  "They're going to take everything," Elena whispered at one point. "All our research."

  "Not everything," Viktor replied, tapping his temple. "The most important parts are up here. And here." He touched her forehead gently. "They can take the tools, but not the minds that used them."

  They paused as a pair of Keller's assistants passed directly beneath them, discussing blood typing systems.

  "Imagine the possibilities," one was saying excitedly. "If we can identify the optimal genetic markers for transformation outcomes, we could selectively breed humans for specific traits."

  "Dr. Keller believes we could eventually create specialized blood lines," the other replied. "Some for enhanced physical power, others for heightened sensory abilities or regeneration rates."

  "Humans as designer blood sources," the first mused. "Brilliant."

  Elena felt Viktor tense beside her, his hand curling into a fist. She pced her own hand over his, a silent reminder that they needed to remain undetected. He met her eyes in the dim light, and she saw a fsh of something primal before his scientific control reasserted itself.

  They continued their careful progress through the crawlspace until they reached a junction box where the tunnel widened slightly. Viktor held up a hand for her to stop.

  "The eastern access point is just ahead," he whispered. "But we'll have to drop down into a storage room to reach it. That means risk of detection."

  "Options?" Elena asked quietly.

  "Wait until they concentrate their search elsewhere, or—"

  A sharp command from below interrupted him. "Check the ceiling access points," Keller ordered. "All of them. These researchers are clever—they'd know the building's weaknesses."

  "That decides it," Viktor murmured. "We move now."

  They crawled faster, abandoning some caution for speed. The sounds of ceiling panels being removed echoed behind them, followed by fshlight beams probing the darkness of the maintenance space.

  "Sir! The dust is disturbed here!" called a voice from where they'd been hiding earlier. "Someone's been in the crawlspace!"

  "Find them!" Keller's command cracked like a whip. "Now!"

  Viktor reached a ceiling panel and quickly pushed it aside, revealing a storage room below. He dropped down with silent grace, then reached up to help Elena. As she dangled from the opening, she caught a glimpse of fshlight beams moving rapidly through the tunnel toward them.

  Viktor caught her as she dropped, setting her gently on the floor before repcing the ceiling panel. The storage room was dark and filled with shelving units containing boratory supplies—bottles of chemicals, boxes of gssware, equipment parts.

  "The maintenance exit is through that door," Viktor whispered, pointing to a small access door partially hidden behind shelving. "It leads to utility tunnels that connect to the surface ventition system."

  They moved quickly toward the door, navigating around the shelves. Viktor reached it first, trying the handle.

  "Locked," he muttered. "From the outside."

  "Can you break it?" Elena asked.

  Viktor examined the frame. "Yes, but not quietly. They'll hear us."

  Footsteps and voices approached from the corridor outside the storage room. They were running out of time.

  "Break it," Elena decided. "Better to be heard leaving than to be trapped here."

  Viktor nodded. He braced himself, then struck the door handle with precise force. The mechanism shattered with a crack that seemed impossibly loud in the quiet room. Immediately, shouts erupted from the corridor.

  "This way!" Viktor pulled the door open, revealing a narrow utility tunnel beyond. "Run!"

  As they plunged into the darkness of the escape tunnel, Elena heard Keller's voice behind them, calm yet commanding.

  "Find them. Bring the woman unharmed. The male is acceptable as colteral damage."

  Viktor's face in the dim emergency lighting was grim as they ran deeper into the maintenance tunnels, leaving behind their research and the boratory that had briefly been their sanctuary.

  The hunt had begun.