Location: South Tavara – Underground Helix Base
The silence inside the abandoned textile factory was deafening. Crumbling walls and rusted machines lined the shadows, but below the surface, a secret life thrived. Nora walked with calm precision, each step echoing off the metal grates beneath her boots.
She reached a hidden elevator, the access codes she had intercepted humming on her tablet screen. With one tap, the ground shifted beneath her feet, descending into the darkness.
In her earpiece, Rachel's voice came alive. "Two guards posted on the corridor ahead. Thermal confirms they're lightly armed."
"Confirmed," Victor added. "Extraction point is three levels above you. If things go south, that's your route."
"Copy," Nora whispered.
As the doors slid open, dim red lighting bathed the underground facility. She moved through corridors flanked by reinforced glass, inside which scientists worked on vials of glowing liquid—an advanced neural enhancement serum. Helix hadn't stopped. They'd evolved.
A man in a black suit crossed her path. "You lost?"
Nora didn't hesitate. "Dr. Minerva Yulin sent me. Said the Phase-Z3 results needed recalibration."
The man paused, scanned her ID badge—which Victor had masterfully forged—and nodded. "She's in Lab 9. Hurry. They're starting the convergence sequence."
Perfect.
---
Location: Kane Tower – Command Suite
Damien stood over the surveillance feed, jaw clenched. "Anything?"
Trevor shook his head. "She's inside. Steady so far. But we lost visual on two adjacent corridors—signal jamming's starting to kick in."
Elira stepped up beside Damien. "You shouldn't have let her go alone."
"She's not alone," Damien replied, voice low. "But you're right. If anything happens to her…"
Trevor interrupted, tapping into a new frequency. "Wait—Rachel just found something. Patching it in now."
---
Location: Helix Base – Lab 9
Inside Lab 9, Nora carefully maneuvered past surveillance equipment. On the main terminal, she inserted a hidden data drive.
"Rachel, I'm uploading Helix's full Z3 files, including the subject logs. Looks like... damn it—they've been experimenting on children from underfunded districts in northern Tavara."
Victor's voice hardened. "We're burning this place down when you're out."
Suddenly, a voice called behind her. "I thought I recognized that aura."
She turned slowly.
Standing in the doorway was a tall woman with sharp silver hair and an eye like molten gold—Dr. Minerva Yulin.
"You should be dead," the woman hissed.
"And yet," Nora said calmly, "you've been using my DNA to build an army."
Minerva smiled. "You were always the perfect prototype. And now you've returned... right on time."
The lights dimmed. Behind Minerva, two heavily armed guards entered.
"You're not leaving, dear Nora."
---
Location: Outside – Victor's Position
Alarms blared inside the facility.
Victor's face turned grim. "She's compromised. We move—now."
He signaled Rachel, and within seconds, both descended into the base via a secondary entry point.
Damien, still watching from Kane Tower, gripped the console. "Nora, hold on. Your storm's coming."