Somewhere in the heart of Prague.
Lucien Voss moved through the underground tunnels like a shadow given form, his coat flaring behind him, boots echoing in the hollow stone passage. At his side, a woman with dark eyes and a sharper smile walked in step, clipboard in hand.
"They've finalized the serum trials. Success rate's increased by 62%."
Lucien nodded, eyes focused ahead. "And the subjects?"
"Stable. For now."
He stopped in front of a heavy iron door. Beyond it, the hum of machines and faint, eerie whispers waited.
Lucien's lips curved into something cruel.
"Tell me, Dr. Vale," he said. "Do you believe redemption is reserved for fools like my brother?"
"Redemption is a choice," she said. "But so is vengeance."
He opened the door.
Inside, rows of cryogenic chambers lined the room, each one holding a figure frozen in time. Experiments. Soldiers. Secrets.
Lucien stepped forward, pausing at one particular chamber.
A girl.
Long dark hair. A faint scar down her cheek. Sleeping. Waiting.
"What is she to you?" Dr. Vale asked.
Lucien stared. "A key."
Dr. Vale hesitated. "To what?"
He turned, eyes like cold steel. "To ending the Voss legacy as they know it."
He pressed his palm against the biometric scanner. The chamber hissed and began to thaw.
Lucien smiled.
"Let the next game begin."