The sudden command came not as a summons, but as a vibration in the air. A soft, chiming tone only she could hear, resonating from the Ouroboros serpent-glyph tattooed behind her ear. Subject #009 opened her eyes. She was in her assigned chamber, a smooth, windowless cube of white alloy. The message was simple, projected directly into her mind.
Target: Nero Adams. Priority: Capture. Location: Outside mission zone. Previous team: Eliminated. Do not fail.
She absorbed the information without reaction. Failure of the previous team was irrelevant data. It only meant the people protecting the target were more capable than initial assessments suggested. Capture was preferable. A living specimen provided more data. But the order included the familiar clause: If capture proves impossible, terminate and retrieve the body.
