Location; Sinclair Estate – Vault Access Tunnel
The corridor ahead was silent—unnaturally so. Damien's grip on Nora's hand tightened as they moved deeper into the restricted sublevel. Overhead lights flickered dimly, casting long, twitching shadows that danced along the steel walls.
"I never imagined I'd end up in this part of my own home," Damien murmured. "My father called it his sanctum. No one was ever allowed beyond this point—not even my mother."
Nora's eyes scanned the biometric scanners, infrared beams, and faded warnings etched along the corridor. "What was he hiding down here?"
Damien didn't answer immediately. His jaw clenched. "Things that should never see the light of day."
They reached the final door—an obsidian barrier reinforced with titanium bands and retinal scanners. Damien placed his eye before the reader. A slow scan passed, then another. A mechanical hiss echoed as the door unlocked, creaking open like a beast exhaling after a long sleep.
The vault beyond was a gallery of forgotten nightmares.
Rows of containment pods lined the walls, each labeled with cryptic names: Vox Serum, Project Oracle, Neuro-Aegis Alpha, Replica-0X. In the center of the room stood a single elevated platform with a sealed glass chamber and a workstation beside it.
"This is it," Damien said, voice low. "The heart of everything."
Nora approached one of the containers and wiped away dust from the glass. Inside was a humanoid form—synthetic skin, wiring at the joints, and lifeless eyes that somehow looked too human.
"Artificial soldiers?" she whispered.
Damien nodded grimly. "Not just soldiers—doppelgängers. Designed to mimic powerful figures, infiltrate circles of influence, and bend them to my father's will. Aveline… she must be planning to resurrect this phase."
Nora's stomach churned. "And we thought drones were dangerous."
She moved to the workstation and tapped the screen. A directory opened—each file bearing her name or Damien's, along with another: Dr. Karleen Wexler.
"Wait," Nora said, narrowing her eyes. "Karleen was the WHO liaison I met in Geneva—she helped me secure the cease-and-desist order against early neuro-serum trials."
Damien walked closer, scanning the files. "Apparently, she was also a silent partner in its creation. Look—her access signature's on every override command."
A hollow rage formed in Nora's chest. "She pretended to be an ally… all the while feeding intel back to Aveline."
Damien's voice darkened. "This changes everything. Aveline has someone who knows the full blueprint."
The chamber in the center of the vault blinked to life suddenly. Blue light swirled inside the glass, revealing a small floating capsule—no larger than a vial. It spun slowly, as if reacting to their presence.
Nora stared. "What is that?"
"The true core of Neuro-Aegis," Damien said. "A nanite payload fused with cognitive enhancers. Once introduced into a host, it doesn't just alter them—it evolves them."
She stepped back. "That shouldn't exist."
"No," Damien said softly, "but now that we've found it, we can destroy it."
Before he could move, the overhead speakers crackled.
Aveline's voice poured through, smooth and composed.
"You're too late, Damien. Everything in that room… I've already replicated. But thank you for confirming what still remained."
Nora stiffened. "She's watching us?"
Aveline chuckled. "Always. I'm three steps ahead of you both, darling. And while you're playing with ghosts, I've already set the stage for what's coming."
The glass chamber sealed itself.
"No!" Damien shouted, racing toward the control panel.
"Goodbye, my love," Aveline whispered. "Try not to die in the dark."
The room began to shake. A slow, rhythmic pulse echoed—then the power flickered.
"She's triggering containment breach protocols," Nora shouted. "Everything in here will vaporize in under three minutes!"
Damien moved fast, pulling open a manual panel below the console. "There's an emergency override. If I can short the fuse sequence—"
A low growl echoed.
They froze.
From the far end of the vault, one of the humanoid prototypes stirred. Its head turned, slowly. Then another pod clicked open.
"They're activating," Nora gasped.
"I thought they were dormant!"
"They are—unless triggered by proximity to someone coded as a threat."
Three forms emerged from their pods—mechanical, but terrifyingly human. Their skin was smooth, eyes dark, and mouths unmoving.
"Run!" Damien grabbed Nora's hand and bolted toward the auxiliary exit at the back of the vault.
The prototypes chased them, movements jerky but fast.
Nora glanced back just as one of them lunged—its arm turning into a sharp blade.
Damien turned and kicked it square in the chest, sending it crashing into a wall. Sparks erupted.
They reached the emergency ladder and climbed. Below, the vault rumbled louder.
Just before the breach reached critical, Damien slammed a panel and sealed the ladder shaft.
An explosion boomed beneath them. Heat surged upward.
They kept climbing—battered, bruised, but alive.
And far from finished.