Location: Tavara Intelligence Agency – Black Archives, Sub-Level 9
The hum of encrypted servers echoed through the subterranean chamber. Nora's heels clicked briskly against the steel flooring as she followed Damien into one of the most secure rooms in Tavara.
"This place wasn't even on the agency's blueprints," she murmured.
"That's the point," Damien said, placing his palm on the biometric scanner. The door slid open with a hiss, revealing a wall of holographic data.
A file blinked at the center: HYBRID-X // ORIGIN NODE: PROJECT NEMESIS.
Lucas and Valerie entered behind them, eyes narrowed.
"You said it was American tech," Valerie said. "But this code… it's older. Possibly black-market syndicate or deep-state."
Lucas pointed at the screen. "This seal—Project Nemesis—was terminated years ago after Geneva Accords. It was a collaboration between multiple nations. Weaponized AI merged with experimental biotech. Banned globally."
Damien's jaw tightened. "Then someone kept it alive. In shadows."
Nora crossed her arms. "But why embed it into a rogue agent? What were they trying to provoke?"
"Me," Damien said coldly.
Everyone looked at him.
Valerie frowned. "You think this was personal?"
"I know it is. These moves—targeted releases, tailored countermeasures, taunts embedded in code. Someone knows my past. My choices." His voice lowered. "They want me unstable."
Lucas tapped rapidly on the interface. "I just pulled a secondary transmission trace—it was rerouted through six ghost servers, but the final bounce was in Volcrain."
Nora's eyes widened. "The Eastern Syndicate's capital? That place is lawless."
"It's where the old warlords moved after the Global Freeze," Damien muttered. "And where they perfected hybrid tech."
Valerie stepped back. "So what's our play?"
Damien turned to them. "We go underground. Off the grid. Anyone tied to the agency could be compromised. We handpick the next ops team. Only those we trust with our lives."
Nora nodded. "I'll start the vetting immediately."
Lucas swallowed. "And the Hybrid-X?"
Damien's eyes narrowed. "It remains sedated in cryo-stasis. For now. But if it wakes… we burn everything."
---
Location: Volcrain – Hidden Citadel
Darkness cloaked the mountain-bound fortress. Inside, masked engineers operated rows of glass cylinders—each containing variations of the Hybrid-X prototype.
The same grey-suited man from the surveillance room entered, flanked by cybernetic guards. He stopped before a console, eyes fixed on the main screen.
"Damien is moving faster than expected," a robotic voice intoned from behind.
He smiled thinly. "Let him. Every step he takes… brings him deeper into my trap."