Location; Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia – Abandoned Soviet Resonance Facility
The wind howled like a thousand lost souls as the Blackwood team descended into the icy abyss of Kamchatka. A relic of the Cold War, the Soviet resonance facility was built to survive nuclear winter—and bury anything too dangerous to ever see daylight again.
Beneath ten feet of snow and reinforced concrete, Archer stood before an ancient steel chamber surrounded by thawed cables, whirring generators, and flickering Soviet monitors. The Vox Divina hovered in a containment unit, softly glowing—its pulse syncing with Archer's breath.
"We're close," Archer muttered. "The resonance has begun."
Beside him stood a tall man, cloaked in military garb and silence. His name was Viktor Orlov—once a top FSB agent, now a ghost who followed Archer for reasons unknown.
But as the device vibrated louder, Archer turned to Viktor. "Your cousin will come."
Viktor cracked his knuckles. "I'm counting on it."
Above ground, Damien's convoy sped through the treacherous terrain, flanked by Layla's drones and Lucien's assault unit. Inside the armored vehicle, Nora examined a dossier Layla had decrypted from Russian intelligence.
"Viktor Orlov," Nora said grimly. "Former black ops, presumed dead. Born Orlov-Blackwood."
Damien's jaw tightened. "He's my uncle's illegitimate son. I thought he died in Grozny."
"He didn't. He just changed sides," Layla said. "He's Archer's sword now."
Reuben grunted. "Then it's a family feud on steroids."
The ambush came swiftly.
Snow erupted as mines detonated, flipping the rear escort. From the treeline emerged camouflaged operatives bearing no flags—only death. Bullets screamed across the ice. Drones exploded. Layla's systems jammed.
Viktor emerged from the fog like a phantom. "Blackwood," he called out, voice hoarse like a frozen blade. "Come see what your bloodline truly means."
Damien leapt from the wreckage and met him head-on.
Fist met fist. Boot crushed snow. The two men fought with brutal precision—mirror images trained in different doctrines. Behind them, Lucien led the charge, keeping Archer's mercs at bay while Nora raced for the entrance to the facility.
Inside, alarms blared. The Vox Divina began to emit a high-frequency tone that made metal groan and ice melt.
Amaru's voice buzzed over comms. "If he syncs it fully with the resonance chamber, it could rupture psychic walls across continents."
Damien caught Viktor's throat in a chokehold. "You're nothing like our family."
Viktor smiled, blood on his teeth. "I'm exactly what it created."
A shot rang out—Lucien, again. Viktor collapsed into the snow, groaning but alive. Damien didn't flinch. "Leave him. Archer's the target."
Nora reached the chamber just as Archer initiated the final sequence.
"Stop!" she shouted, gun raised.
Archer didn't even blink. "You wouldn't kill me. Not with what I know about your mother's real past."
Nora's heart skipped. "What?"
"Ask her what happened in 1992… in Seoul."
Her hand trembled—but not enough to stop her from shooting. The bullet shattered the control console. Sparks flew. The Vox Divina short-circuited, then dimmed.
Archer cursed, retreating. "You just delayed the inevitable."
Damien joined her seconds later, breath ragged.
"He got away," she said.
"But not with the device," Damien replied. "This time… we win."
Or so they thought.