The East River's frigid waters swallowed Ethan's body, dragging him deeper into the murky depths. His consciousness flickered like a dying flame, each heartbeat growing fainter. Above, the orange glow of explosions rippled through the water, casting strange shadows in the darkness. The current pulled at his limbs, tumbling him end over end until he lost all sense of direction.

Through the encroaching darkness, a shape cut through the water toward him. Something large and powerful. His poisoned mind conjured images of river monsters, but the touch that gripped his jacket was human. Strong arms wrapped around his chest, pulling him through the current with practiced efficiency.

His rescuer kicked powerfully, fighting the river's flow. Ethan's lungs screamed for air, but his body had lost the strength to even struggle. The poison had spread too far, shutting down too many vital systems. He was distantly aware of breaking the surface, of rain pelting his face, but couldn't draw breath.

"Stay with me, Lieutenant." The voice from the bridge. His mysterious sniper. She dragged him through the choppy waters toward what looked like a maintenance tunnel built into one of the bridge's support structures. "The poison is spreading too fast. We need to get it out of your system."

The tunnel opened into a small chamber filled with emergency equipment and medical supplies. The woman laid him on a metal table, her movements quick and precise. In his fading vision, he caught glimpses of silver gray eyes and auburn hair plastered to a face that seemed both young and ancient.

"The military's serum is killing you," she explained, preparing several syringes with practiced ease. "But it's also preventing your first transformation. We need to trigger the change before your heart stops completely."

"The children..." Ethan managed through blood-stained lips. "Did they..."

"Most of them made it to safety," Rhea assured him, her expression softening. "Sarah and the others you helped escape are under our protection now. That's why Richards used such a deadly poison on you. You didn't just free test subjects - you exposed their entire supernatural research program."

Ethan tried to speak, to ask what she meant by transformation, but only managed a weak gurgle. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"My name is Rhea," she said, injecting something that burned like ice into his veins. "I know you have questions, but right now I need you to focus on staying alive. Your body is trying to change, to heal itself, but the serum is blocking the process. This will hurt, but it's necessary."

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The second injection felt like molten metal coursing through his arteries. Ethan's back arched off the table, a strangled scream tearing from his throat. His heart thundered against his ribs, fighting the poison that had nearly stopped it.

"Good," Rhea's voice seemed to come from far away. "Your heart's fighting back. Now for the hard part."

She pressed something cold and metallic against his chest. Through blurry eyes, he saw what looked like an ancient medallion covered in strange runes. The metal, some kind of dark bronze or copper, began to glow with an inner light, and pain unlike anything he'd ever experienced ripped through his body.

"The runes will help draw out the poison," Rhea explained, holding him down as he convulsed. "The ancient magic will channel your body's natural healing. But you have to want to live, Lieutenant. You have to fight."

Images flashed through Ethan's mind: the small girl with braided hair, crying in her cell. The way she trembled when he first approached, then the trust in her eyes when he helped her escape. The other children he couldn't save, their faces haunting his dreams. The moment he decided that following orders wasn't worth the cost of his humanity.

"They'll keep experimenting on children if no one stops them," Rhea's voice cut through his memories. "That little girl you saved? She made it to safety. But there are others still in danger. You're not done fighting yet, soldier."

Something primal stirred in Ethan's chest, responding to her words. The pain began to change, transforming from agony into raw power. His heart rate steadied, then strengthened. The cold numbness in his limbs gave way to pins and needles, then to warmth.

"That's it," Rhea encouraged. "Let your body heal itself. The wolf blood in your veins is stronger than their poison."

Hours seemed to pass as Rhea worked, alternating between ancient remedies and modern medicine. Slowly, the poison's grip on Ethan's system began to weaken. His breathing eased, and some of his strength returned. But the strange burning sensation remained, as if his blood had been replaced with something wild and untamed.

"Why?" he finally managed to croak, his voice rough. "Why help me?"

Rhea paused in her work, those ancient eyes studying his face. "Because you chose to help those children, knowing it would cost you everything. Because you have a warrior's heart and a protector's soul. And because very soon, you're going to need to understand what you're becoming."

"What they made me into, you mean."

"No," she shook her head. "What you always were, what runs in your blood. The military's experiments didn't create anything new, Lieutenant. They just woke up something very, very old."

Outside their hidden chamber, sirens wailed as emergency vehicles converged on the damaged bridge. Searchlights swept the water where Ethan had fallen, looking for a body they wouldn't find.

"Rest now," Rhea said, checking his vital signs. "You'll need your strength for what's coming. The military and Lilith both know you survived, and this is just the beginning of the hunt."

Ethan wanted to ask more questions, but exhaustion dragged at him. As he drifted into an uneasy sleep, he felt something stir deep within his changing blood, like an ancient instinct awakening from a long slumber.

[To be continued...]