Location: Abandoned Church – Tavara Outskirts
Nora turned sharply, eyes wide. Her hand instinctively moved to the compact weapon strapped to her side.
The voice belonged to a tall woman cloaked in grey, her features veiled by a hood. But her stance was eerily familiar.
"I knew your mother," the woman said. "I fought beside her in the years before Black Helix turned from ambition to atrocity."
Nora's voice was hoarse. "Who are you?"
The woman pulled back her hood—revealing sharp green eyes and a scar across her cheek. "I'm Elira. Code name: Wraith. One of the founding operatives. And your mother's sister."
Nora staggered backward. "That's impossible… she never mentioned family."
"She couldn't. Your bloodline was a threat the moment she defected. That's why they hid you."
---
Location: Mobile Command Vehicle – En Route to Helix Site Bravo
Damien sat in silence as the transport rumbled forward. The rescued woman—Dr. Sera Langford, Nora's mother—had finally opened her eyes. Her voice was frail but sharp.
"You're Damien Reign… the one my daughter trusts."
Damien nodded. "She's missing. Again."
Sera coughed weakly. "Then you must find her. The legacy she carries… I tried to bury it. But it's in her DNA. Just like it was in mine. Black Helix didn't just want weapons. They wanted heirs."
"Heirs?"
"They ran a program—selecting individuals from elite bloodlines, merging them with genetically enhanced candidates. Nora… was their most successful hybrid."
---
Location: Abandoned Church – Secret Chamber Beneath the Altar
Elira guided Nora down a narrow passage. At the end, an old biometric scanner blinked red.
"Only a blood match opens this door," she explained.
Nora hesitated. She pressed her thumb to the scanner. A beat. Then the door hissed open.
Inside, rows of dusty files, hard drives, and cryo-samples lay preserved.
"This is Black Helix's failure," Elira said. "And its insurance policy."
Nora moved toward a console, inserting one of the drives she'd recovered from her estate.
On the screen: Project Oracle. Subject Code: N-7
Her picture. Her medical profile. Her mission directive.
Nora's hands trembled as she scrolled down: "Designated to inherit the Directive Seat by age 27. Infiltrate, learn, assimilate, ascend."
"No…" she whispered. "They planned my entire life?"
Elira's face was grim. "They didn't plan for Damien Reign. And they sure as hell didn't plan for you to choose your own path."
---
Location: Black Helix Satellite Base – Eastern Tavara
Voss watched new intel pour in.
"She's activated the Oracle archive," an aide reported.
"Good," Voss murmured. "The awakening has begun. The moment she learns what she truly is… we win."
A moment later, he turned to another monitor—watching Damien's vehicle approach the edge of Helix Site Bravo.
"Unless he gets to her first."