Inside the grand hall of a long-abandoned subway station, now repurposed into a detention facility and covert base, Isaac reclined in a padded leather chair, his posture calm and unbothered. Dim lights flickered overhead, casting a faint glow across the wine glass in his hand as he listened without looking away to Zenos delivering a report of their defeat.
"I apologize. We lost six transport trucks along with part of the cargo. I've already consolidated the remaining shipment into the other eighteen and completed the delivery to the Mortifer Syndicate."
Zenos reported the situation plainly, his tone steady and unreadable.
"But the damage exceeds two billion credits. We also took heavy losses in both personnel and assets."
"Let it go, Zenos. What's done is done."
Isaac replied, taking a slow sip of wine with a calmness that defied expectation.
"We may have lost two billion, but the rest still went through. It's not like we had any investment in the goods to begin with. We're just the middlemen skimming transport margins for them."
A thin trail of cigar smoke slipped from his lips.
"If anyone's going to complain, it'll be those investors inside the dome. And even if they're unhappy, it's not like they can do anything to us. This was a risk from the very beginning."
Isaac set his glass down slowly, a thoughtful glint passing through his eyes.
"More importantly… the fact that Pierce stepped in to command the P-Type himself makes things interesting. From what I know, that man's background is anything but ordinary."
"Yes. I've heard a bit about his reputation myself. And the rebel alliance has become another variable we can't afford to ignore anymore."
Zenos spoke with caution, his thoughts drifting back to the moment their defeat had been disrupted by that mysterious group.
"True enough… a third party always complicates things."
Isaac nodded in agreement, gently swirling the wine in his hand.
"Speaking of which, have those Uncle Sam types from the Mortifer Syndicate said anything?"
"The only issue is the incomplete shipment… and they're asking about the test subject as well."
Zenos reported it as it was.
"That will take some time on their end. Business negotiations require patience. Give your partners a little room, and in the end, everyone walks away with something."
Isaac replied with the ease of someone who had seen it all, then added with complete trust,
"The rest is yours to handle, Zenos. If you think something needs to be done, do it. No need to wait for my orders. I trust you. Whatever you want, whatever you plan to do, whoever you decide to deal with… handle it however you see fit."
"Understood."
Zenos answered briefly before turning and walking out of the subway hall, leaving the silence and pressure to settle over the space once more. He moved through the dim, cold corridor, his thoughts fixed on the face of the young man who had stolen his vehicle and the EMP weapon taken right before his eyes. The authority Isaac had granted him now felt like a free pass, a license to begin the hunt in the way only a world-class mercenary would.
…..
Alicia's treatment had gone smoothly. After drifting in and out of unconsciousness for two full days, her eyelids finally began to stir again. The dim light in the room forced her to adjust slowly as she took in her surroundings. She lay on a spotless hospital bed. No restraints bound her wrists, no cuffs as she had expected. Just her, the bed, and a thick glass wall separating her from the outside world. On the other side, Connor stood with his arms crossed, watching her condition before speaking.
"You're awake… take it easy. The wound in your abdomen hasn't fully closed yet, but you're out of danger."
"This room…"
Alicia murmured, her eyes scanning the unusually sealed space around her.
"It's not just here to keep my wound from getting infected, is it?"
She pushed herself up, forcing her body to sit at the edge of the bed. Her sharp gaze locked onto Connor. The room might have looked clean and well-maintained, but it carried the same weight as a prison.
"That's part of it."
Connor replied in a flat tone.
"But trusting you enough to let you walk around freely inside our base right now… doesn't sound like a smart move, does it?"
"It's reinforced glass. The same kind is used in the dome. There's no way your power alone could break it."
Connor added calmly, arms still crossed.
"And besides… I don't know if you'll release those parasites to take control of someone again."
"Heh. Me? Mind control? You're giving me way too much credit."
Alicia let out a mocking laugh, leaning back against the headboard.
"Looks like a lot of your intel is pretty off."
"And what exactly are you saying?"
Connor shot back, his gaze sharpening, demanding something more concrete.
"Why would I explain my own powers to you?"
Alicia snapped immediately, her eyes hard, refusing to yield.
"Because if you don't, you'll be staying here forever… no second chance to see the outside world."
Edward stepped in at that moment, cutting into the conversation. His voice was calm, far more composed than before, as he looked at the woman through the reinforced glass, making sure she understood exactly where she stood.
"Oh… It's you?"
Alicia raised a brow, studying the young man through the glass with a hint of surprise.
"I guess I should thank you for saving me. Still, I didn't expect you to grow this much in just two or three weeks."
"Can I speak with her alone?"
Edward turned to Connor, his tone firm and serious.
"Yeah… sure. Just don't let her out."
Connor nodded, then turned and walked out of the observation room, leaving the two of them facing each other through the thick glass barrier.
"By the way… why did you save me?"
Alicia asked, her gaze drilling straight into the young man's eyes.
"You helped me back at that abandoned house. And you let me live when you could've killed me without hesitation. I just don't like owing anyone."
Edward answered plainly.
"If you don't want to owe me… then let me go."
Alicia curled a faint, cunning smile at the corner of her lips.
"You saved me once, and you spared me once… now you've helped me again. All that's left is letting me walk away. Then we'll be even."
"That's not going to happen."
Edward replied in a steady voice, meeting her eyes without flinching.
"But since we actually have a chance to talk like this… I want to ask you something. What did you mean by what you said on that rooftop?"
That question stirred something in both of them. Memories resurfaced. The image of a trembling boy standing alone on the rooftop parking lot of a decaying shopping mall. Alicia stood behind him, tall and composed, slowly closing the distance with calm, measured steps.
"Listen carefully. If you choose to live out here, you need to grow up."
Her voice from that day still echoed.
"What do you mean? Why do I have to grow?"
Edward, back then, asked in confusion.
"I don't have time to explain. Just remember this… remember it well. No matter what happens… You cannot trust anyone. No one. Not even me."
There had been a chilling seriousness in her eyes.
"Nothing is what it seems. I didn't want you involved in any of this, but you chose this path, and I can't stop you… So you have to grow. Otherwise, you won't survive in the Outlands."
"Don't forget what I told you…"
Those were the last words she left behind before disappearing into the shadows, leaving him to be rescued later by Drago and Jenkins.
Back in the present, Edward stood before the reinforced glass, his eyes fixed on Alicia as he searched for answers. He still had no idea who she really was, or what intentions lay hidden beneath that calm, unreadable face. But now… they finally had the time and the quiet space to begin a real conversation.
Outside the base, dim lights reflected faintly off the metal body of a massive pickup truck. Chloe was busy wiping, tightening bolts, and checking every detail with careful precision, just like she did every day. Then a shadow stretched across the vehicle… Drago.
"What are you doing?"
He asked casually.
"The usual. Checking everything, making sure it's all in perfect condition."
Chloe replied without lifting her head from the wheel well.
"And you… What brings you here, 29?"
"Can you stop calling me that… my name is Drago. You know that, don't you?"
He frowned, letting out a long breath at the call sign he had been trying to leave behind.
"Yeah… I know Drago. That talented soldier."
Chloe stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, her eyes carrying a trace of bitterness.
"Not someone who turned himself into a lab rat for the government."
"I didn't have a choice…"
Drago spoke in a low voice, his eyes dimming as the weight of his past resurfaced.
"You know what I was like back then. I was crippled, could barely even walk… and a soldier's pension isn't enough to keep you alive."
His confession brought a heavy silence over the space around the truck. The truth was, this so-called immortality had been bought with desperation. It was a wound Drago had never wanted to expose to anyone, except someone close like her.
"So you threw your pride away, let them inject god knows what into your body, and locked yourself inside some cramped metal box for months! And all that time, I kept trying to reach you… every single day, over and over again, and you never answered!"
Chloe shouted, her voice breaking under the weight of everything she had been holding in. Her eyes burned with anger, tears welling up as frustration and pain spilled out all at once.
"I had no idea if you were even alive. I went to your place, and there was no one there. Everything was gone… no goodbye, no message, not a single word!"
As soon as she finished, she hurled the wrench in her hand onto the ground with a loud clang, venting the storm raging inside her.
Drago could only stand there, frozen in place. Every word she said was true, each one cutting deeper than the last. He had walked into that hell of experimentation alone, without telling anyone, without saying goodbye. All he wanted was to walk again… but in doing so, he had shattered the trust of the one person who had cared about him the most.
"To me… the man named Drago has been dead for a long time."
Chloe said, her voice trembling but firm.
"The one standing in front of me now is just a government test subject called Project 29… If there's nothing else, let me get back to work."
She turned away from him, facing her truck without another glance. Drago watched her back, guilt weighing heavily on him. He had no idea what kind of apology could ever erase the pain of those months. In the end, he simply turned and walked away in silence, leaving the emptiness to settle over the workshop once more.
"Sigh… I was expecting a love scene or something."
Kelly's lazy voice drifted out from a nearby shadow, making Chloe, who was still worked up, flinch in surprise.
"You really just pop up out of nowhere, don't you?!"
Chloe snapped, quickly trying to compose herself.
"So how long are you planning to stay mad at him? I figured after not seeing each other for so long, you'd jump straight into his arms and start making out."
Kelly teased on, shrugging like it was nothing.
"No thanks… I'm not risking myself with any kind of fluids or secretions coming out of him ever again."
Chloe shot back stiffly, trying to cover up the flicker of unease beneath it.
"Again…?"
Kelly echoed, narrowing her eyes with a knowing look.
"So it's happened before, huh…"
"That's enough! Drop it already!"
Chloe cut her off immediately, her face flushing red with embarrassment as she fumbled for composure. She quickly grabbed a wrench and held it tight, trying to hide the giveaway in her reaction.
…..
Inside the central lab of Biotope 5's research facility, the atmosphere was charged with urgency. Dr. Nicolas moved quickly, sorting through critical equipment and transferring research data into backup drives, while a small group of trusted researchers carefully handled reinforced storage cases.
"So you're really going there?"
Colonel Pierce asked, his expression unreadable as he leaned against the doorframe, watching the controlled chaos in front of him.
"Yeah… I think I'm better off focusing on this side of things."
Dr. Nicolas replied without even turning around.
"You handle the P-Type for now. If anything comes up, I'll let you know."
He pulled his hands away from the interface and turned to meet the colonel's gaze for a brief moment.
"I can work more freely over there."
The moment he finished, he turned and raised his voice, calling out to the remaining researchers.
"Alright, everyone, pick up the pace! We're moving out to Biotope 7… the government's primary research hub."
The signs of a major relocation were becoming impossible to ignore. Their destination, Biotope 7, the very core of the government's research operations, pointed to something far more dangerous being set in motion within the most heavily secured zone.