The Shenzhen night buzzed with electric tension as Alex Mercer crouched in the shadows of XinTech's fortified compound, the neural relay's faint blue glow still pulsing in his mind from the lab's pedestal. Carlton's voice crackled through his earpiece, sharp and urgent. "Breach team, status—now."
Huei's fingers danced over her holo-device, looping the perimeter cameras. "We're in—security's blind for eight minutes," she whispered, her sharp features taut with focus.
Shvery, hulking beside Alex, adjusted his rifle, his dark eyes narrowing. "Move fast, Mercer. You're off tonight."
Alex's jaw tightened, Fae's cryptic note—They've taken your mind—burning in his pocket. A flash hit him: a collapsing skyline, a woman's scream, gone too quick to grasp. "I'm good," he lied, gripping his silenced pistol. His body knew the moves, even if his mind didn't.
They slipped past the outer gates, shadows in the neon haze, Alex leading with an instinct he couldn't explain. The compound's steel walls loomed, its lights slicing the dark. Huei's device hummed, disabling motion sensors, while Shvery's heavy steps stayed silent, a predator's grace. Carlton waited in the extraction craft, their lifeline out.
Inside, the corridors gleamed—polished metal, humming servers, air thick with ozone. Alex moved like a ghost, disarming a guard with a swift chokehold, his hands acting before his brain caught up. Huei followed, hacking keypads, her breath steady. Shvery brought up the rear, rifle ready, his gaze flicking to Alex with distrust.
"Lab's ahead," Huei said, stopping at a reinforced door. She plugged in, code scrolling. "Ninety seconds."
Alex scanned the hall, a memory flash jolting him—explosions, glowing orbs, a man's voice: "You're our edge." He stumbled, catching himself on the wall.
"You sure you're good?" Huei asked, her eyes sharp but concerned.
"Focus," he muttered, shaking it off. The flashes were getting worse, splintering his reality.
The door hissed open, revealing a sterile lab—consoles pulsed, and the neural relay sat on a pedestal, its blue light hypnotic. Alex approached, a chill prickling his spine. The device felt familiar, like a key to a lock he couldn't see. Shvery moved to grab it, but Alex stopped him. "Check for traps."
Shvery's detector beeped. "Pressure plate—nice catch," he grunted, grudging respect in his tone.
Huei rigged a bypass, her hands deft. "Clear. Take it."
Alex lifted the relay, its weight stirring another flash—a city under siege, a shield flickering. He shoved it into a padded case, heart racing. "Got it. Let's—"
A shrill alarm shattered the silence, red lights flashing. "Secondary grid!" Huei yelled, yanking her device free. "They hid it deep!"
"Extract!" Carlton barked through comms. "Now!"
Guards stormed in, rifles blazing. Alex ducked, returning fire—each shot precise, dropping foes with eerie ease. Shvery unleashed a barrage, clearing a path, while Huei hacked a side door. "This way!" she shouted, sprinting.
The corridors erupted in chaos—drones buzzed, boots pounded. Alex's mind split: half fighting, half lost in a memory of a burning tower, a woman with auburn hair yelling "Go!" He shook it off, covering Huei as she disabled a turret. Shvery roared, mowing down guards, but a drone's bolt grazed his arm, blood seeping.
"Keep moving!" Alex ordered, his voice steady despite the storm in his head. They burst onto the rooftop, Carlton's hovercraft screaming in, ramp down. Bullets pinged off its hull as they dove aboard—Alex last, clutching the relay case. The craft soared, XinTech shrinking into a blaze of chaos below.
Inside, Carlton's gray eyes were steel. "You tripped the alarm. Sloppy work."
"Hidden grid," Huei said, breathless, taking the blame. "My miss."
Alex stayed silent, the relay heavy in his lap, Fae's note heavier. Remember who you are. Who was he? The flashes—battles, allies, betrayal—felt like pieces of a life stolen.
Shvery, blood dripping, glared. "Mercer, you froze twice. What's with you?"
"Back off," Alex snapped, but doubt gnawed. He didn't trust himself either.
Huei leaned closer, her voice low. "You saw something out there, didn't you? Talk to me."
He met her gaze, her concern disarming. "Later," he said, deflecting. Trust was a risk he couldn't take—not yet.
Carlton inspected the relay, nodding. "Mission's a win, but XinTech's on alert now. Debrief at base—rest up."
The hovercraft sped through Shenzhen's neon jungle, its lights blurring into streaks. Alex's fingers brushed the note in his pocket, its weight grounding him. Zenith's sterile facility waited, a cage he was starting to see through. The relay was theirs, but at what cost? His head throbbed, another flash hitting—a name, New Haven, a city he didn't know but felt in his bones.
Huei watched him, her silence heavy. Shvery cleaned his rifle, his distrust palpable. Carlton's gaze lingered, assessing. Alex stared out the viewport, the city's pulse syncing with his own. Fae's words were a spark, and the relay in his hands was a key. He didn't know what lock it opened, but he'd find it.
As the craft descended toward Zenith's base, Alex's resolve hardened. He wasn't their pawn—not for long. The truth was out there, buried in his fractured mind, and he'd claw it back, one piece at a time.