[Safehouse – 3:47 A.M.]
The rain had stopped, but the sound of dripping water still echoed through the half-lit apartment. Adrian hadn't moved in hours. The microchip sat on the table before him, the word "Ward" burning into his thoughts like a brand.
Lydia stirred on the couch. "You're still awake?"
He didn't answer at first. "Did you know my father worked with Charles Ward?"
Her brow furrowed. "Ward… as in Ward Corporation?"
Adrian nodded. "They co-developed something called Project Nadir. Whatever it was, it destroyed everything he built. And now Elena's tied to it."
Lydia sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Elena Ward? The same woman who saved your life two weeks ago?"
"She didn't save me," he said quietly. "She woke me up."
The city lights flickered outside, casting long shadows across his face.
"I need to see her," he said. "Tonight."
[Ward Corporation – Restricted Archives]
Elena swiped her ID and stepped into the cold hum of the underground archive room. Thousands of servers blinked softly, whispering secrets of decades-old operations. She pulled up an encrypted folder labeled "Nadir_Revive."
Her hands hesitated before she entered the passcode — her father's old encryption key.
The screen came alive. Data logs, DNA sequences, neural mapping — and a file labeled VANCE_RECLONE_PROTOCOL.
Her pulse quickened. The file opened with a timestamp: "Initialization Date – 12 Years Ago."
Subject: Adrian VanceStatus: Experimental Revival ProgramObjective: Neural Reconstruction – Phase 3Outcome: SUCCESS (Unstable consciousness detected)
She froze. He wasn't just brought back. He was rebuilt.
Then — a voice behind her. "You shouldn't have come here, Miss Ward."
Elena spun around. A man in a black tactical suit stepped from the shadows — one of the Board's private operatives.
"You've seen too much," he said, raising a silenced pistol.
She didn't flinch. "Then you'll have to shoot a Ward inside her own company."
The man hesitated — just enough. She hit the emergency light cutoff. The room plunged into darkness.
Gunfire erupted. Sparks flared as bullets struck the metal servers.
Elena dove behind a pillar, heart pounding. She reached for the USB stick — the data was still downloading. Thirty seconds left.
She whispered, "Come on…"
A gloved hand caught her wrist from behind — the agent had circled around.
Before he could fire again, a loud crash shattered the silence — the door burst open.
Adrian stepped through the smoke, eyes burning with fury.
The agent turned his gun toward him — but Adrian was faster. He slammed the man into the server stack with a sickening crack. The hum of the machines died as sparks flew.
Elena stared at him, stunned. "How did you find me?"
He held up the microchip. "You left breadcrumbs."
She looked at the unconscious agent. "Then you know what they did to you."
He stepped closer. "Not yet. But you do."
Their eyes met — a moment suspended between revelation and fear.
Then the screen behind them flashed one last line before shutting down:
Phase 4 – Activation Imminent.
Elena whispered, "Adrian… what did they wake up?"
He didn't answer. The servers hummed once more, this time with a pulse — as if something alive had been waiting for this moment.