In Manaus, Brazil – Edge of the Amazon Rainforest
The sweltering humidity clung to Damien's skin like a second layer. He stepped off the floatplane and into the vibrant chaos of Manaus. The city, once a rubber baron's empire, now pulsed with hidden black markets and illegal trade routes—many controlled by someone he hadn't seen in over a decade.
"Your uncle's reach here is deep," Elijah muttered, scanning the terminal crowd.
Damien gave a faint nod. "Cassian Graves wasn't just ex-intelligence. He built a private shadow state in South America after the agency burned him. He's the only one who knows what Archer buried in this jungle."
Nora, pale from Tokyo's confrontation, stood beside Damien. "If your uncle's involved in guarding this Helix node, then it's not just tech we'll be facing. He's known for using… hybrid tactics."
"Biological warfare," Damien confirmed grimly.
---
Hidden Path – Northern Amazon, 140km from Manaus
The forest grew denser with every step. Vines snaked around ancient ruins, trees towered like skyscrapers, and every insect buzzed with warning. Kiyomi guided the team using an old military map, one Cassian had encoded before his defection.
"Here," she whispered, pointing to a seemingly innocuous mound. "This isn't natural. It's camouflaged steel. Subterranean entrance."
As Elijah worked on bypassing the biometric lock, Damien's thoughts drifted—flashes of childhood missions with his uncle, brutal training, and the day Cassian vanished with top-secret data and $50 million in crypto.
A low mechanical whine broke the memory. The ground beneath them shifted. A hatch opened.
Torchlight revealed a steep staircase descending into darkness.
---
In Facility Helix-002 – Interior Sector Alpha
The walls were lined with strange containers. Fluid-filled tanks. Suspended organisms. Elijah gasped.
"These aren't just test subjects. They're engineered hybrids—part AI, part organic."
A distant echo grew louder—metal footsteps.
From the shadows emerged a tall man, his gray hair slicked back, scarred eye gleaming.
In Cassian Graves.
"Damien," he said, voice low and steady. "Didn't think I'd see you here."
"I came for answers," Damien replied coldly. "And for the node."
Cassian's smile was dry. "Still so predictable. But you're late. Archer's people already activated the secondary protocol."
"Which is?"
Cassian motioned around. "These creatures? They're being bred to become the next generation of Helix hosts. Autonomous, sentient, loyal only to their signal."
Nora stepped forward. "You let them turn you into a breeder of bio-weapons?"
Cassian's eyes twinkled with something unreadable. "I'm not just breeding them. I'm perfecting them. And you, Damien, were the prototype."
The silence was deafening.
---
Flashback – Ukraine, 1999
A younger Damien in a research lab. Machines hum. Cassian whispers orders to technicians. A serum is injected.
Damien's heartbeat surges. Bones fracture, rebuild. Neural pathways realign. Screams echo. Fade.
---
Present
"You experimented on me?" Damien growled, fists clenched.
Cassian stepped closer. "And look what you've become. You want to stop Archer? You'll need what's inside you. But without me, you'll never unlock it."
Nora whispered, "Damien, your blood… it's a key."
Before more could be said, the lights flickered. An alarm shrieked.
"Unauthorized breach—Sector Delta," a robotic voice called.
Kiyomi cursed. "It's not us. It's Archer's retrieval squad."
Cassian's face hardened. "They're here to destroy the facility."
Damien made a decision.
"We're taking the node and burning everything else."
Cassian blocked the corridor. "You'll need me to survive what's coming next."
Damien's hand hovered over his sidearm. "Then you'd better start acting like family again."