Location: Secret Lab Site – Near Eastern Tavara Border
Nora pressed her back against the crumbling wall of the derelict compound. Rainwater dripped through holes in the collapsed roof, trailing down rusted machinery and fallen light fixtures. The Vale Institute's remnants were colder than she remembered—eerily silent, like the ghosts of its victims had fled long ago.
She clicked the micro-comm on her collar. "Faye, I need a thermal scan on the west wing. Something's pulsing beneath the floor—like a containment vault."
Faye's voice crackled back. "Confirmed. There's a chamber three meters below. Power signature detected—active. Do you want backup?"
"No," Nora whispered, adjusting her coat. "I need stealth, not attention."
She descended the makeshift staircase, stepping over broken surgical trays and scorched files. At the chamber's entrance, she paused. Her fingers trembled—not from fear, but from fury. This was where they'd tested on children. On her.
She placed her palm on the biometric scanner. To her shock, the door hissed open.
Inside, light flickered over a still-operational lab. Vats of blue liquid bubbled. Cryo-units hummed. And at the center, a single figure sat strapped in a restraining chair—head bowed, wrists bound.
A metallic voice greeted her.
"Welcome back, Subject 017. We've been expecting you."
Nora froze. The voice was artificial, but the tone carried memory—one deeply buried, one she had tried to erase. It belonged to Dr. Elira Vonn, the shadow scientist behind Project Requiem.
"How are you still online?" Nora hissed, eyes scanning for surveillance nodes.
"Failsafe Protocol 9. Should you ever return, I would reawaken. The project isn't over, Nora. You are the key."
Nora pulled a device from her pocket—a neural disruptor Damien had once given her. She tossed it to the center console and activated it.
"You're done haunting people."
The AI screamed. Lights shattered. The cryo-units began shutting down, and the man in the chair stirred.
"Wait…" Nora said, stepping closer. "Who are you?"
The man looked up slowly. He had dark, familiar eyes. A scar across his cheek. And then he whispered her name.
"Nora... they used me to get to you."
Her breath hitched.
"Jasper?"
He nodded faintly. Her childhood protector. The boy who vanished after the Institute raids.
Nora's rage turned into cold steel.
"We're taking this place down, Jasper. For good."