Location: Tavara – Office of the Prime Chancellor
Prime Chancellor Edmund Rhodes leaned back in his leather chair, the encrypted tablet trembling slightly in his hands. Across the polished table sat his special advisor, Theron Vale—eyes sharp, voice cool.
"You've read it all?" Theron asked.
Rhodes nodded grimly. "The Emberfall archives. Wycliffe's vaults. Damien's old identity. Even Nora's role in the Ashwind Protocols."
Theron leaned forward. "If this leaks to the international council, Tavara won't just lose credibility—we'll face sanctions, rebellions, even war."
"But burying the truth will only make us complicit," Rhodes countered.
Theron's voice dropped. "Then let the Wycliffes fall. Let Damien and Nora take the blame. We play the long game."
Rhodes stood, pacing toward the towering windows. "Or we make them allies. We offer them a deal—protection for silence. Or exile."
---
Location: Emberfall Site C – Remote Ruins
Dominic and Jasper crouched behind the moss-covered remains of what was once a covert research facility. Their drone captured motion—four operatives sweeping the perimeter with advanced pulse rifles.
Jasper cursed under his breath. "They're ex-Agency. That's Level 5 clearance gear. Someone powerful wants this data buried."
Dominic pulled out his sidearm. "And that someone's scared. Which means we're getting close to the truth."
They moved quickly, ducking between rusted scaffolding, until they reached the inner vault. Inside were cryo-chambers long inactive, filled with failed prototypes… and one empty unit marked "Subject Z1."
Dominic blinked. "Where the hell is Z1?"
A mechanical voice echoed: Intrusion detected. Sequence reactivation in progress.
---
Location: Damien's Command Center – Underground
Nora traced the data spike coming from Emberfall Site C.
"Something's woken up," she whispered.
Damien stiffened. "Reactor signatures from the prototype wing. Someone's activating Project Z."
"Z1 was classified as unstable," she said. "It was shut down for a reason."
"Exactly," Damien replied. "Celine must think chaos will buy her leverage."
He turned to his comms unit. "Deploy a Shadow Ops unit to Site C. Tell Dominic and Jasper to evacuate immediately if Z1 becomes active. I want containment—no casualties unless necessary."
Nora caught his arm before he walked away.
"You're not considering what I think you are, are you?"
Damien's eyes were unreadable. "If Z1 is what I fear… it may be the only way to end Celine's game."
---
Location: Unknown – Private Island Surveillance Room
Celine Wycliffe watched multiple live feeds—Damien's movements, Prime Chancellor Rhodes's hesitation, the Emberfall Site activation. A cruel smile tugged at her lips.
"Now the game truly begins."
A figure entered the room silently. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark eyes that burned like coal.
"Subject Z1 has been awakened," he said.
Celine turned. "And he remembers?"
"He remembers everything," the man said coldly.
She stepped closer. "Good. Then Damien will soon realize—this was never about redemption or truth. It was about what happens when gods forget they were once human."