SHADOW DIVISION HQ / TRAINING BAY — MORNING
A dimly lit, echoing space.
Punching bags hang like silent sentries.
Steel stands alone in the center — hoodie off, gloves on, expression tense.
Sweat drips down his temple.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Every hit is sharper than it should be — faster — unnaturally in rhythm with the faint pulsing sensation behind his temple.
The Neuro-Link is syncing again.
FWOOM—
A sudden spark of blue runs through his forearm as his fist strikes the bag.
The bag shakes violently — almost ripping from its chain.
Steel steps back, breathing hard.
[Agent Steel] : Not again. (under his breath)
A soft, measured voice interrupts.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: I was hoping you'd be here.
Steel turns — startled.
Susan approaches slowly, holding a slim biometric scanner and a folded towel.
She tosses the towel to him — gentle but precise.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: You push yourself harder when you're scared.
Steel freezes mid-wipe.
[Agent Steel] : …I'm not scared.
Susan just raises one eyebrow.
TRAINING BAY / BENCH AREA — CONTINUOUS
Steel sits.
Susan sits beside him — not too close, not distant.
Perfect equilibrium.
She opens the scanner.
A soft chime.
Susan studies the results.
Her expression hardens — but her voice remains calm.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: The neural resonance is accelerating. The implant is learning from you.
[Agent Steel] : Learning?
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: Yes.
A silence
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: But it's also adapting your nervous system to it.
Steel swallows — jaw tight.
[Agent Steel] : So, I'm becoming more like it.
Susan looks at him — full empathy, full truth.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: No. It's becoming more like you.
Something unspoken settles between them.
HQ OPERATIONS FLOOR — SAME TIME
Madison stands on an upper platform overlooking working agents.
Her arms are crossed, posture firm — but her eyes keep flicking toward the training bay feed on a side monitor.
She watches Steel and Susan talking — laughing softly now.
Something shifts in Madison's face.
Not envy.
Not irritation.
Something older.
A memory.
FLASHBACK — YEARS AGO — TRAINING FIELD
A much younger Madison stands with a teenage recruit — nervous but eager.
Madison places a hand on his shoulder.
MADISON (FLASHBACK) : You don't have to carry everything alone.
Young recruit nods.
Then — a sudden explosion.
Madison shields him, dragging him to safety.
His voice trembles.
YOUNG RECRUIT : "I'm sorry— I should've—"
Madison interrupts
MADISON (FLASHBACK) : "No. Your life is not a mistake I'm willing to lose."
BACK TO PRESENT
Madison exhales —
A whisper escapes her.
[Madison Connor] : Not again…(to herself)
-- TRAINING BAY--
Steel drinks water. Susan watches him quietly.
[Agent Steel]: You always this calm around ticking bombs?
Susan smiles — softly
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: You're not a bomb, Jaxon.
He pauses at the use of his name.
Nobody here calls him that.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: You're potential.
Steel looks away — vulnerable, unsettled.
[Agent Steel] :…What if I'm a mistake?
Susan leans slightly forward — tone gentle but unwavering.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:Then we fix the mistake.
Her voice lowers
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: But nothing in you feels accidental.
Steel's eyes meet hers.
Just then —
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
A sharp alarm cuts through the silence.
Red lights flash across the HQ.
Madison's voice echoes through the intercom — sharp, commanding, but layered with urgency.
[Madison Connor] (INTERCOM) : All units — lockdown. Unknown encrypted signal detected. Source: the Neuro-Link implant. Repeat — containment protocol.
Steel and Susan exchange a look.
Susan steps closer — protective instinct emerging.
Steel clenches his fists.
[Agent Steel] :It's reacting again.
Susan grabs his wrist — grounding him.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: Look at me.
Steel looks.
The implant pulses visible light beneath his skin — responding to something unseen.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:Focus. Don't fight the signal. Just breathe.
Steel breathes — syncing with her tone.
The pulsing slows.
Emergency lights continue flashing — but inside this moment, the storm calms.
NEW ATLANTIS SKYLINE — DAY
Thunder rumbles.
Clouds shift unnaturally.
The Neuro-Link signal spreads — invisible to humans.
But somewhere, across the city…
A robotic eye flickers awake.
Listening.
Searching.
Finding him.
Jaxon Steel.
HQ.OBSERVATION DECK
Madison watches footage replay of Steel stabilizing — with Susan's help.
Her expression softens.
A whisper — fragile, rare.
[Madison Connor] :…Good. He's learning.
She turns away — but not before one last look toward the training bay.
Almost proud.
Almost afraid.
TO BE CONTINUED...