The meeting was set for 02:00 at a secure decommissioned subway entrance beneath the Foundry. Aris arrived as the Apex Form, a massive, shadowy quadrupedal blur using his quiet, high-speed Apex Run to navigate the abandoned rail tunnels. He didn't trust Kaine's security to miss a heat signature or the telltale sound of his modified motorcycle.
He phased the final meters, reversing the shift as he stepped onto the cold, damp concrete platform. The transformation was still a violent trauma; it left him panting, naked save for the tattered remnants of his Chrono-Fabric suit, his skin slick with sweat and metabolic waste.
A small, shielded floodlight flicked on.
Dr. Lena Hanson stood beneath it, wearing a heavy winter coat that seemed too large for her slight frame. She carried a locked, metallic medical case. She didn't flinch at the sight of the scarred, hulking man who was once her lover. Her face, though pale with exhaustion, was all clinical resolve.
"Aris," she breathed, her voice low. "Your temporal stabilization is off by 18 hours. Your last shift cycle was erratic."
"Unavoidable," Aris managed, his voice hoarse. He retrieved a spare garment bag from behind a maintenance box. "Elias's eulogy demanded a response. The energy expenditure was high."
Lena didn't look at his scars; she looked into his eyes, searching for the man. "The primal response is the most expensive, Aris. You are burning your human self faster than I can synthesize the countermeasures."
She opened the metallic case. Inside were sterile packs of high-density protein bars, sealed vials of pale blue Stabilization Agent, and a newly fabricated Sonic Nullifier—a discreet wrist-mounted brace.
"The SCD is using low-frequency pulses," she explained, her voice gaining the rapid, focused pace of a scientist. "This is an active noise cancellation field. It won't stop the full assault, but it should mitigate the sensory overload."
Aris pulled on the new clothing—thick, neutral fabrics designed to conceal his bulk. "And the cost of the serum?"
Lena hesitated, avoiding his gaze as she handed him the supplies. "It requires restricted compounds. I had to requisition them from the university's disaster contingency stores. I've flagged the request as a Level 4 bio-weapon defense drill. I can't do this again soon, Aris. You are exposing me to Kaine's scrutiny."
"I am aware of the risk," he said, fitting the Sonic Nullifier to his wrist. "You are the control variable, Lena. I need you anchored to the viable system."
"Then act like a viable system," she snapped, the emotional dam breaking slightly. "You can't keep using rage to fuel your power. You promised me the man was the priority. You are barely that right now."
He reached out, his hand—still far too large—stopping an inch from her cheek. "I remember the equation. Now, give me the data. I have another meeting."
The second rendezvous was in a grittier corner of the Foundry: the roof of a condemned textile factory. The wind carried the metallic tang of the nearby docks.
This time, the light was supplied by a single tablet screen. Anya "Whisper" Rossi sat wrapped in a thick scarf, her fingers flying across the keys. She wasn't afraid of the Gen-Wolf; she was annoyed by him.
"Took you long enough, Feral Hazard," she muttered, not looking up. "I've been watching Kaine's internal email traffic. He's already using the Atrium footage to lobby the city council for a massive budget increase for the SCD."
Aris stepped out of the shadows, revealing his fully restored form. "He is attempting to codify my threat. I need an actionable vulnerability."
Whisper pointed to the screen. "Actionable? Kaine's front company, Aeternus Solutions, is operating out of the Nexus Tower, top six floors. Impregnable. But I found a flaw: a black-market server farm hidden in the sub-levels of the Tidal Locks nearby."
She tapped the map, showing the massive concrete walls of the Neo-Haven waterways. "It's a blind spot for their surveillance grid. Kaine uses it to proxy all his illegal transactions—money laundering, precursor chemical transfers. He hides his dirt where the water flows."
"Data transfer," Aris mused, his mind clicking back into its scientific rhythm. "Chaos disguised as noise."
"Exactly," Whisper confirmed, finally looking up. "Kaine is clean in his Spire tower, but he's filthy in the Foundries. I can drop a specialized trojan into that server farm that will give us everything on his genetic subjects, but you have to get me access to the core junction box. It's five hundred meters underwater, sealed, and guarded by his drones."
Aris felt the challenge immediately. It wasn't about strength; it was about precision, stealth, and using the environmental elements of Neo-Haven against its architect.
Monologue: Target acquired. Sub-level proxy server. Requires Apex Form mobility and maximum atmospheric pressure resistance. Efficiency must approach 100 percent.
He looked out over the grim industrial sprawl, the lights of Kaine's pristine Spire District shimmering mockingly in the distance. He had his allies, his gear, and a target. The equation was finally set.
"Give me the coordinates, Whisper," Aris commanded. "The noise ends tonight.