Location; Tavara – Blackreach Military Complex, Phase Wing Sub-Level 6
The chamber pulsed with a soft blue glow. Holograms flickered above the steel consoles, and in the center, sealed within a reinforced glass pod, lay a body—human, but altered. Sleek veins glimmered beneath the skin like silver wires. Electrodes snaked into the skull, mapping neural activity. Breathing slow. Measured. Controlled.
Umbra stepped forward, the encoded case in hand. "Authorization: Omega-X. Project Icarus, initiate wake sequence."
The technicians hesitated. "Commander Marion's orders said to wait until—"
"She changed them," Umbra interrupted coolly, lifting his mask just enough to show the biometric chip in his jaw. "Confirm with central if you must. But waste no more time."
The lead tech sighed and tapped a code. "Initiating wake."
Hydraulics hissed. The pod slowly unsealed, mist curling out like dragon's breath. Inside, the figure's eyelids twitched… then snapped open—glowing with icy silver light.
"Subject 27X-A," the computer chimed. "Vital signs stable. Cognitive patterns responsive."
The figure rose, naked but unfazed. Gender-neutral in appearance, sharp features, unnaturally still.
"Welcome back," Umbra said. "Your mission begins now."
The figure tilted its head. "Target?"
Umbra displayed Nora's image. "Dr. Nora Bennett. Eliminate. But make her feel first."
---
Location: Tavara – Silverbridge Estate, West Balcony
Nora watched the sunrise in silence, Damien's coat draped around her shoulders. His scent grounded her. The revelations from the lab clung like cobwebs to her mind.
Damien stepped out with two coffees. "Did you sleep?"
"A little. Not enough." She sipped from the mug and stared ahead. "Did you know the military once had a secret branch called Phase Wing?"
Damien raised an eyebrow. "Thought that was just myth."
"It's not. And they're not just military. They're private. Outsourced to the highest bidder. The facility I found? Funded by them."
Damien's jaw tensed. "Marion."
Nora nodded. "She inherited control after my mother vanished. Meaning... every test run on me, every enhancement, may have been duplicated. I think Marion created a copy."
"A weapon," Damien murmured. "Like you, but programmed."
"I think she's sending it after me."
Damien placed the mug down, cupping her face. "Then we prepare. You're not alone anymore."
Nora smiled faintly. "No. I'm not."
---
Location: Vellmont City – Downtown Safehouse
Kaela met with Trent and Julian—both former operatives of Tavara's national defense. They studied the genetic code Nora had extracted.
"This isn't just advanced," Julian muttered. "It's unstable. Splicing foreign DNA into a living host... they were trying to force evolution."
Kaela folded her arms. "And if Subject 27X-A is active?"
"We're dealing with something faster, stronger, and colder than human," Trent said grimly. "But there's a flaw."
He zoomed into a data strand. "These enhancements degrade when exposed to strong electromagnetic pulses. It destabilizes the neuro-links."
Kaela smirked. "Then we fight lightning with thunder."
---
Location: Tavara – High Council Chamber, Marion's Private Wing
Marion reviewed the Icarus footage on her private screen. Subject 27X-A moved like a ghost, weaving through shadows and scaling vertical walls.
The AI-enhanced prototype had already eliminated two of Nora's known lab contacts in the outskirts.
"She'll feel it now," Marion said aloud. "Loss. Isolation. Fear. And when she's broken, I'll offer her truth... and take her brilliance for myself."
A silent alarm blinked.
Encrypted breach attempt: Source – Silverbridge Estate.
Marion's smile faded. "She's digging again."
She turned to the screen. "Subject 27X-A, change protocol. Bring her to me… alive. If she resists, then break her."
---
Location: Silverbridge Estate – Underground Tech Vault
Nora accessed an encrypted file buried deep in her mother's servers. It revealed a folder titled "EVE Protocol."
Inside: schematics, simulations, and one chilling video.
A child—her—screaming in pain as glowing fluid coursed through her veins.
Nora gasped, tears threatening. Damien caught her hand. "Don't go further if it'll scar you."
"No," she whispered. "I need to understand. I was the prototype. I wasn't just enhanced—I was designed. And if Marion used this to make another... I'll be its only weakness or its mirror."
A ping echoed from the corner system.
INTRUSION ALERT – PROXIMITY BREACH
A live drone feed displayed Subject 27X-A landing silently on the rooftop.
Damien's eyes widened. "It's here."
---
Location: Silverbridge Estate – Rooftop
Subject 27X-A stood like a wraith under the moonlight, scanning the terrain with inhuman precision. Its target was below.
It placed a single finger on its temple.
"Acquiring target. Beginning extraction phase."
Its feet lifted.
And then it vanished—blurring into speed no human eye could follow.