THE USB OPENS...
Ceil sat in his office, the dim glow of the laptop screen illuminating his sharp features. The tension in the room was palpable, as though the air itself held its breath.
Velena stood behind him, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her gaze flickered between the USB drive on the desk and Ceil's steady hands. Lucian leaned against the wall, his jaw clenched, his body language screaming readiness for a fight.
The USB was a door to the past, and none of them knew what waited on the other side.
Lucian exhaled sharply. "Last chance to walk away."
Ceil didn't look at him, his fingers poised above the keyboard. "We don't walk away."
A quiet click.
The files loaded.
And the truth began to unravel.
A NAME THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST...
Rows of encrypted documents filled the screen, each one more ominous than the last. Ceil's sharp eyes scanned the titles, his expression betraying nothing.
Velena's heart thundered in her chest as the information scrolled past. Classified reports. Psychological profiles. Medical data.
And then—
Her name.
The room seemed to freeze. Velena inhaled sharply, her hands gripping the edge of the desk.
Lucian pushed off the wall, stepping closer. "They've been tracking you."
Her trembling fingers clicked on the file. What opened wasn't just a set of documents.
It was a series of videos.
THE EXPERIMENTS...
Ceil hesitated only briefly before hitting play.
The screen flickered, revealing a grainy video feed. A sterile lab came into focus—white walls, glaring fluorescent lights, and cold metal tables.
At the center of the room, a child no older than seven lay motionless. Electrodes were attached to her temples. Her eyes were half-closed, her small frame still except for the rise and fall of her chest.
Velena
Her stomach churned as a voice filled the room.
"Subject 07 shows accelerated cognitive response. Memory suppression is stable."
Her blood ran cold.
Lucian cursed under his breath, his fists clenching at his sides. "They treated you like… like some kind of machine."
Velena didn't respond. She couldn't.
The video continued, showing the same lab from different angles. Figures in lab coats moved methodically, their faces obscured.
Then, one man stepped into frame.
Alexander.
Velena's heart dropped. He looked younger, his features less lined, but his cold demeanor was unmistakable. He faced the camera directly, his voice calm, deliberate.
"Proceed with the final phase."
The screen flickered.
Then—static.
VELENA'S PANIC...
Velena stumbled back, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
"No. No, this isn't real."
Lucian reached for her, his voice softening. "Velena—"
"Don't touch me!" she snapped, flinching away. Her voice was sharp, but her hands trembled.
Ceil stood, his gaze steady, almost calculating as he studied her. "You don't remember any of it."
Her breath hitched. "I don't even know who I was before they erased me." Her voice cracked, the weight of the revelation pressing down on her.
The room was silent, save for the hum of the laptop.
Lucian broke it. "You were a kid, Velena. Whatever they did to you—this isn't your fault."
Velena's voice was barely a whisper. "I wasn't a person to them. I was a project. A thing."
Her words hung in the air, heavy and unshakable.
CEIL'S REACTION...
Ceil moved to stand in front of her, his presence commanding. He closed the laptop with a decisive motion, the sound echoing in the quiet room.
"We're not stopping here."
Velena looked at him, her eyes searching for something—an answer, reassurance, anything. "How can we possibly fight this?"
Ceil's voice was calm, almost too calm. "We find out the rest."
Lucian crossed his arms. "And where exactly do you suggest we do that?"
Ceil's smirk returned, cold and sharp. "We go back."
Lucian frowned, his brow furrowing. "Back where?"
Velena's stomach dropped as realization dawned. She already knew.
"The facility," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Ceil nodded. "Where it all started."
Velena's knees felt weak. Her nightmares had led them here, but the idea of returning to that place, of facing everything she had tried to bury—
It was almost too much to bear.
But Ceil was already moving, already planning.
And somehow, Velena knew there was no turning back now.