---
> Location: Berlin, Germany
Target: HYDRA Subcell – Hidden beneath abandoned World War II bunker
Intel: Stane is funding Project Reaver through HYDRA.
> Possible Asset: Prototype supersoldier in stasis.
> 🌀 [System Mission: Infiltrate & Sabotage HYDRA Facility]
→ Reward: "Adaptive Combat Suit" Blueprint
→ Bonus Reward: Unlock Special Title – Ghost in the Machine
> [Success Rate: 100% (Fixed Luck Applied)]
[Risk: Extreme – Mutant suppression fields active inside]
---
02:00 AM – Bunker Perimeter
Rox crouched in the shadows as sleet fell from the dark Berlin sky.
Three armed guards stood in front of a rusted door. A retinal scanner glowed faintly. Security drones circled overhead.
Rox smirked.
"Let's roll the dice."
He stepped forward—and a bird coincidentally flew into the scanner, setting off a false alarm in the opposite direction. Guards rushed toward it. One drone sparked and crashed midair.
> 🌀 [Luck Field Activated: Stealth Entry – Success]
Rox slipped inside.
---
Underground Lab – HYDRA Cell Zeta
The deeper he moved, the colder it got.
Green-glassed chambers lined the walls—experiments. Failed serums. Notes on mutation capture. Vibranium residue. Even stolen SHIELD tech.
But at the center… a tank.
Labeled only: "Subject 9"
Rox approached.
Inside floated a human—pale, cybernetically enhanced. Blue veins pulsed with some kind of synthetic serum. One arm was metallic. The other? Covered in scars like lightning burns.
> [Scan Complete: Subject 9 – HYDRA's Reverse Winter Soldier]
→ Identity: Unknown
→ Status: Cryo-sleep
→ Power Class: Incomplete
→ Mental Conditioning: In progress
Suddenly—
ALARM TRIGGERED.
> [Luck Surge Detected – Outcome Rewritten]
→ Error caused by accidental coffee spill in HYDRA control room. Power overload.
Rox barely flinched as the tank cracked.
Steam hissed.
Subject 9 opened its eyes—glowing red.
Then the System whispered something new:
> ❗ [Luck Interference Blocked – Anti-Probability Agent Detected]
→ Danger Level: ★★★★★
---
Subject 9 stepped out, breathing heavily. It looked at Rox.
And smiled.
"You're the variable," it said. "HYDRA told me you'd come."
Rox raised his hand—Probability Shift ready.
But nothing happened.
Subject 9 walked right through his Luck field.
> [ALERT: Enemy emits null-zone — suppresses local causality effects]
It could negate luck.
---
Rox moved fast—vaulting over a control desk as Subject 9 lunged with inhuman speed. Metal fingers tore through reinforced glass.
> [Luck partially restored – environmental influence possible]
→ Loose wiring underfoot: Spark
→ Fire suppression unit: Misfire
→ Ceiling vent: Collapse
Rox triggered them all mentally.
Steam burst. Sparks flew. A vent crashed down. It slowed Subject 9 but didn't stop him.
---
Rox knew he had seconds.
> "System — NOW!"
🌀 Emergency Protocol: Singularity Thread – Level 1 Activated
→ Threaded Time – Slow motion bubble activated
→ Zero Point Override: 3 Seconds of causality rewriting
He moved through frozen time like a ghost, reached Subject 9, and jabbed a shock device directly into its exposed neck port.
> ⚡ "Fate hates you," Rox whispered.
Boom.
Subject 9 collapsed in a sparking heap.
---
🌀 [Mission Complete: HYDRA Cell Zeta Disabled]
> Loot Secured: Adaptive Combat Suit Blueprints
Bonus: Enemy DNA Sample Collected (Analysis Pending)
Title Unlocked: Ghost in the Machine
But Rox didn't feel victorious.
> "He blocked my luck," he said, panting. "How?"
The System buzzed.
> [Warning: There are forces in this world immune to luck. Some… who hunt it.]
Rox stared at the burning remains of the lab.
> "Then I'll need more than luck."
> "I'll need an army."
---