Location: Damien's Private Estate – Southern Tavara
The storm outside matched Damien's mood perfectly—ruthless, dark, and on the edge of violent.
He stood before a wide, curved display in his private command room, maps and data feeds rotating across the screen. The biometric ping from Nora's tracker had disappeared twenty-two minutes ago, right after her last message.
"Still no signal?" he asked tightly.
Blake nodded grimly. "She went dark near the old Vale Institute site. That place was supposed to be dormant."
Damien's fists clenched. "Nothing about that place was ever truly dead."
He turned to his inner circle. Reid, Faye, Blake, and Colonel Ames were all gathered.
"They're reactivating pieces of the Project Requiem initiative. Whoever is behind this is trying to recreate the formula. We stop it now, or Tavara burns."
Faye stepped forward. "What do you need from us?"
Damien's voice was low, calm—and lethal.
"I want two teams. Covert and air-support. We extract Nora. Then we raze the site. No more survivors. No more second chances."
Reid frowned. "What if she doesn't want to be extracted?"
Damien's gaze sharpened. "She will. Because if they've resurrected anything from her past, she's walking into hell."
---
Location: Underground Exit Tunnel – Vale Institute
Nora helped Jasper limp through the corridor. His breathing was labored, his body frail. He'd clearly been under sedation for years.
"Do you remember what they did to you?" she asked gently.
Jasper nodded. "Bits and pieces. They tried using my neural patterns as a base to stabilize other subjects. They failed… but something else worked."
Nora narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"They copied your bloodwork, Nora. You were the only successful subject. They weren't just experimenting—they were creating clones. Failed ones. Hostile ones."
Her chest tightened.
She had spent years running from her past. And now, it was replicating itself—literally.
Suddenly, gunfire echoed through the tunnel. Nora pushed Jasper behind a fallen beam and drew her silenced pistol.
Three black-clad figures stormed toward her—modified, fast, and eerily silent.
She shot two through the eyes, then lunged forward, jabbing the third with her disruptor blade.
It convulsed—and laughed. A cold, synthetic echo.
"Subject 017. The others are coming."
---
Location: Damien's Jet – En Route
Damien stood at the hatch, suited in tactical gear. The night wind roared around him.
Blake called from the cockpit, "ETA six minutes!"
Damien gave a curt nod.
"Hold on, Nora," he muttered. "This time, I'm not letting them take you."
He stepped into the dark, and the sky swallowed him whole.