"But I didn't die," Jin said with a weak smile. "Not permanently, anyway."

"That's not funny!" all three women said in unison.

*"Your new status has unlocked additional information about the two reviving subjects,"* Asha informed him. *"Their bio-signatures are... unusual. One shows signs of extensive genetic modification. The other... Jin, the other one's neural patterns are synchronized with yours in ways that should be impossible."*

"What do you mean?" Jin thought back.

*"I mean someone in that pod has been dreaming about you for over a century. And based on the brain activity spikes when your heart stops... she feels it. Across time and space and death itself, she felt you die."*

*"That childhood memory you recalled? It wasn't random. She's here, Jin. The girl who promised to protect you is in one of those pods."*

Jin's blood ran cold. The promise. The girl in traditional clothes with perfect posture and terrible devotion. Someone who'd waited for him over a century...

"We should check on them," he said suddenly.

"You're not going anywhere," Sera said firmly. "You just came back from the dead. You need to rest."

"I've rested for 2 hours," Jin pointed out.

"After dying!" Rosa added. "That doesn't count as a rest!"

"The m-medical scanners show your cellular structure is still stabilizing," Clara said, pulling up her tablet. "The nanites are still integrating with your Phoenix Protocol. Moving around could—"

She stopped mid-sentence, staring at the screen. "That's... that's not possible."

"What?" Sera leaned over to look.

"His healing rate. It's... it's accelerated beyond anything in the medical database. The tissue damage from the impalement is already 87% healed. His blood count is back to normal. His muscle density has increased by 23%. These readings..." She looked up at Jin with wide eyes.

"I feel fine," Jin said, and realized it was true. Better than fine. He felt like he could run for hours, fight for days. The weakness from blood loss was completely gone. "Actually, I feel amazing."

"That's probably the endorphins from resurrection," Rosa said dryly. "Or brain damage. Could be brain damage."

"Rosa!" Clara scolded.

"What? I'm coping with humor! He scared the shit out of us!"

"Language," Sera said automatically, then sighed. "But she's right. You did scare us, Jin. When your heart stopped..." She closed her eyes, shuddering at the memory. "Don't do that again. That's an order."

"I'll try not to die anymore," Jin promised.

"You better not," Sera said fiercely. "Because next time I'll kill you myself."

The logical contradiction made them all laugh, breaking the tension. But Jin noticed none of them let go of him. Sera's hand remained on his cheek, Clara's head on his chest, Rosa gripping his hand. The affinity system quietly tracked their proximity, their touch, the way their bodies unconsciously leaned toward his.

**[Sera: Physical Contact Duration: 2:34:22]**

**[Clara: Heartbeat Monitoring: Active]**

**[Rosa: Hand-Holding Pressure: Protective]**

*"The trauma of nearly losing you has accelerated their emotional attachment. Classic psychological response—near-death experiences often catalyze rapid bonding."* Asha observed.

*"Is that bad?"* Jin wondered.

*"That depends. Do you consider having three beautiful women desperate to keep you alive 'bad'?"*

*"When you put it that way..."*

A soft chime interrupted his thoughts. The cryo-bay's main console lit up with new data.

"Revival sequence complete," Clara read from the transparent tablet she was holding, reluctantly lifting her head from Jin's chest. "Both subjects are entering final awakening protocols. Estimated time to consciousness: thirty minutes."

"Then we should prepare," Sera said, but made no move to leave Jin's side. "They'll be disoriented, or confused. We need to—"

She was cut off by a massive power surge. Every light in the cryo-bay flared brilliant white before dimming to emergency levels. The temperature dropped ten degrees in seconds.

**[WARNING: ANOMALOUS ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED]**

**[SOURCE: CRYO-POD 007]**

The first pod burst open with a hissing sound, shooting out a big puff of superheated steam that filled the cryo-bay. The temperature gauge went wild, spiking to 45°C before plummeting back below freezing in just a matter of seconds.

**[WARNING: CRYO-POD 007 - ANOMALOUS THERMAL DISCHARGE]**

**[OCCUPANT STATUS: CONSCIOUS AND ACTIVE]**

"Everyone back!" Sera called , but Jin was already moving forward, drawn by some weird instinct.

Through the dissipating steam, a figure emerged—and what a figure it was.

She stood nearly six feet tall, her athletic frame brimming with untamed energy. Her striking red-orange hair cascaded down her back like molten copper, still glistening from being cryo-frozen. But it was her eyes that caught people's attention—vivid emerald green with flecks of gold, quickly scanning the area for details, potential dangers, or ways out.

Even in a standard cryo-suit, she carried herself with a relaxed confidence.

"Seven hostiles neutralized in adjacent sectors. Fourteen more approaching from the northwest corridor.." Her voice broke the silence with a sharp yet surprisingly friendly tone. She hopped out of the pod smoothly, her bare feet landing perfectly on the chilly metal floor ."I assume you're the extraction team?"

"I... what?" Rosa managed.

The woman quickly turned to look at her, then noticed Clara with her tablet, checked out Sera standing all defensive, and finally landed her gaze on Jin. Her eyes squinted slightly, sizing him up with an intensity that made his instincts tingle.

"Got it, no extraction team." She relaxed her shoulders, shaking off century of tension in moments. "There are four survivors, each with different combat skills. One of them is enhanced—" her gaze shifted to Jin, "—having recently adapted based on pheromone signals and cellular radiation. So, the Phoenix Protocol worked.

"How do you—" Sera started.

"Scarlett Kendrick," the woman interrupted, though not rudely. She moved to a nearby equipment locker, somehow knowing exactly which one would have gear. You've managed to hold out this long, but your defensive setup has its weaknesses. The ventilation shaft at D-7 creates a blind spot that Crawlers could take advantage of." She looked at a wall clock that hadn't worked in decades. "You've got about three minutes left.

*"Jin, her neural patterns are extraordinary. She's processing tactical data at a rate that rivals my own computational speed. Also, her muscle density is 34% higher than normal human baseline, even after cryo-sleep."*

"You've been awake for less than thirty seconds," Clara whispered in awe. "How can you know all this?"

Scarlett grabbed her tactical gear from the locker, casually inspecting each item like she'd done it a hundred times before. "I've been doing this since I was a kid." Her actions were deliberate and efficient. "The dust patterns show there's been some recent fighting. The blood spatter hints at a well-organized defense that retreated to this spot. The emergency lights indicate that the main systems went down and were just recently brought back online, especially since we can detect the ozone levels. The temperature changes and that young man's unstable cellular condition suggests he's had some major enhancements in the last couple of hours."

She turned to them, fully facing them in some cool tactical gear that made her look even tougher. "My name is Scarlett Kendrick, the child of Senator Alistair Kendrick and Major Diana Volkov. I chose to join Project Phoenix because I believe that what humanity truly needs is not just survivors, but fighters for a better future.

"Volunteered?" Sera's voice sharpened. "You chose this?"

"Every warrior has to pick their fight," Scarlett said, looking around. "I've decided to stand up for the future of humanity." She glanced at them once more, this time with a nod of satisfaction. "And it looks like I'm not in this by myself. That's great.

**[SKILL DETECTED: TACTICAL ANALYSIS]**

*Subject Scarlett Kendrick possesses advanced battlefield assessment capabilities. Recommend immediate integration into command structure.*

"How can you possibly—" Sera began.

"They're here!" Scarlett suddenly shouted, pointing at the same ventilation shaft she had talked about earlier. A metal scratching sound came from inside.

Without thinking twice, she went over to a wall panel and pried it open with her bare hands, uncovering some emergency weapons that they hadn't realized were there. She pulled out a couple of short swords and gave them a few practice swings, making the air whistle.

"Norse-style fighting blades. I asked for these before I went into Cryo-Sleep," she said while handing out weapons. She gave Rosa an energy pistol and, to Jin's surprise, a mono sword. "That's a unique one. It's an old mono sword with Tsurugi clan engravings. I believe it was designed for taking down Crawlers.

Jin caught the weapon, and the moment his hands closed around the grip, something clicked in his mind. The weight, the balance—it felt so good to him.

"Positions!" Scarlett called out, and to her surprise, everyone instantly followed suit. Even Sera complied without hesitation. "They'll be coming in through three spots—ventilation, the main entrance, and they'll attempt to flank us through maintenance. Jin, you're with me on the front line. Sera, coordinates the fire support. Rosa, keep an eye out for anyone lagging behind. Clara—"

"I can overload the lighting system," Clara said quickly, understanding immediately. "Create a strobe effect that will disorient them."

Scarlett smiled, the first genuine expression she'd revealed. "Great. I appreciate clever fighters."

The scratching got louder. Now it sounds like it's coming from several places.

Scarlett added softly, her tone turning almost tender. "Fear is a normal response; it helps you stay alert. But don't allow it to dominate your actions." She pointed toward the remaining pods. "Each person we rescue is a win against the darkness."

"She's right," Jin found himself saying, the sword humming in his grip. "We protect everyone."

Scarlett locked eyes with him, and there was this vibe between them—like they understood each other, respected one another, and maybe even felt a little more.

"Well said. Now—" Her swords came up as the first Crawler exploded from the vent. "Let's give them something to fear."

What happened next was pure magic.

Scarlett was like a whirlwind, swinging her twin blades around and turning everything into a dazzling storm of chaos. But it wasn't just random rage—every slash was on point, and every move had a reason. She shouted out where everyone needed to be, anticipated how the enemy would strike, and somehow got everyone to step up their game just by being in the mix.

"Rosa, shift thirty degrees to the left—keep their necks clear!"

"Sera, only take shots that help with conservation—target the joints!"

"Clara, activate the strobe now!"

"Jin, trust your instincts!"

*"She is not merely engaged in combat; rather, she is orchestrating a battle symphony. Her ability to process tactics is remarkably advanced."*

When the emergency lights finally returned to normal, seventeen Crawlers were down for the count, and none of her crew had gotten hurt.

Scarlett was right in the thick of it all and barely even gasping for air. "Not bad for our initial clash. We'll have to work on our teamwork to be more effective." She glanced at Jin. "Your sword skills have a solid base, but they need some refinement. I can assist you with that."

"That was... incredible," Clara breathed.

Before anyone could respond, the second pod began its opening sequence.

**[WARNING: CRYO-POD 009 - UNUSUAL NEURAL ACTIVITY DETECTED]**

**[OCCUPANT VITAL SIGNS: ERRATIC]**

**[EMOTIONAL STATE: UNKNOWN]**