Under the cloak of Zephora-6's relentless rain, Captain Marcus Rogers' boots squelched in the dense, murky swamp. His elite marine unit, the "Delta-Vipers", flanked him, their pressurized suits warding off the planet's oppressive atmosphere but also weighing them down in the treacherous terrain. Each step was an exertion, as if the very planet sought to hinder their advance.

“Let’s go over this one more time," Rogers communicated through the suit intercoms, his voice distorted but commanding. "BioHaven was our most secretive lab, working on groundbreaking genetic research. We lost contact two weeks ago. Satellite imagery shows organic overgrowth spreading at an alarming rate.”

Lieutenant “Frosty” Niles responded, “You really think it’s one of our experiments gone wrong?”

“Seems likely,” Sergeant "Shadow" Lee chimed in, scanning the horizon through his enhanced visor. "And from the briefings, it's adaptive. Might even have a form of hive consciousness."

The...