NEW ATLANTIS — SKYWAY TRANSIT LINE – EVENING
The evening sun bleeds across the skyline, reflecting off chrome towers and the monorail tracks that weave between them like silver arteries.
Jaxon Steel sits by the monorail window, shoulders heavy, eyes unfocused.
A full day of dead leads and false trails has hollowed him out.
The city glides past in blurs of orange and violet.
His Neuro-Link pings.
Incoming call: Dr. Susan Thomas.
Jaxon answers.
[Agent Steel](trying to sound normal):Doc. You checking if I'm still conscious?"
[Dr.SUSAN THOMAS]:(chuckles softly)Considering your sleep habits? Always."
Her voice cuts through the fatigue like warm light.
For the first time all day, he exhales… fully.
---
INN HQ — ANALYTICS DIVISION – EVENING
Susan sits at her console, a soft glow framing her face.
Romer works two stations away, pretending not to listen.
Susan leans in toward her screen.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:You pushed too hard again.You don't have to carry the entire operation alone, you know.
Jaxon watches the city roll by outside.
[Agent Steel]:I don't like being useless.
Feels like someone is controlling the board, and I'm just reacting.
[Dr. Susan Thomas] :You're not useless, Jaxon.You're the reason any of us sleep at night.
There's sincerity in her tone.
Not flirtation.
Not strategy.
Just genuine care.
Jaxon's chest tightens.
[Agent Steel]:…Thanks.That means more than you think.
A brief silence.
Not awkward—warm.
[Dr. SusanThomas]:Swing by the HQ medical deck when you're back.I'll check your readings.
[Agent Steel]:Mandatory?
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:Absolutely.
Jaxon smirks.
For a moment, everything feels normal.
---
INN HQ — MEDICAL DECK – LATE EVENING
The door slides open as Jaxon enters.
Susan is waiting with a diagnostic scanner in hand.
[Dr. Susan Thomas ]:Sit.If you pass out, I'm not carrying you.
[Agent Steel]:I'm extremely carryable.
Lightweight. Aerodynamic.
She laughs — the kind of laugh she only uses with him.
Susan begins the scan, her fingers brushing his wrist briefly.
A spark.
Unspoken.
But powerful.
Jaxon looks at her.
There's an ease between them now.
A rhythm.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:(softening)You're still shaking.The cyborg encounter did more damage than you're admitting."
[Agent Steel]:I'll walk it off. I always do.
Susan meets his eyes.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:You don't always have to.
The words land deeper than she expected.
Deeper than he expected.
---
INN HQ — HALLWAY OUTSIDE MEDICAL DECK
Jaxon steps out, shoulders lighter.
Susan watches from the doorway.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:Goodnight, Jaxon.
[Agent Steel]:(smiles genuinely)Goodnight, Susan.
Their eyes linger a second longer than necessary.
Connection formed.
Bond strengthened.
But neither says it out loud.
---
UNKNOWN LOCATION — SAME NIGHT
A cavernous chamber filled with holographic screens.
Surveillance feeds of New Atlantis flicker across the room.
A dark silhouette stands before them.
We do not see his face.
Only outlines.
Presence.
Authority.
A voice — cold, intellectual, surgical.
[UNKNOWN]:So… Agent Steel has grown attached.
He zooms in on the feed from the medical deck.
Jaxon and Susan.
Laughing.
Talking.
Close.
[UNKNOWN]:Good.Attachment creates leverage.Leverage creates fractures."
He touches a control pad.
A new file opens:
**TARGET PRIORITY:
1. AGENT STEEL
2. DR. SUSAN THOMAS**l
The villain turns slightly, revealing a serpentine emblem stitched into the inner side of his glove.
Not Ghost Serpent.
More disciplined.
A true architect of shadows.
[ UNKNOWN]:It's time for the next move.
He presses a button.
A mechanical voice responds:
SYSTEM
"Deploying Operative: HYDRA-07."
He smiles — a thin, predatory, elegant gesture.
[UNKNOWN] :This chapter…is far from over.
INN – OPERATIONS LEVEL – EVENING
The command floor hums with controlled chaos—screens streaming surveillance feeds, agents moving with precision, analysts running correlation matrices.
The neon lights of New Atlantis pulse gently through the high glass windows, painting the Ops Deck in blue undertones.
JAXON STEEL steps in.
Still bruised. Still exhausted. But sharper. Determined.
SUSAN is coordinating a multi-channel diagnostic when she catches sight of him. Her expression softens automatically—instinct, not agenda.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:Steel… you should be in med-bay. Romer said you almost blacked out mid-fight.
[Agent Steel]: (smiles faintly)
Blackout's a strong word. I call it 'tactical rest
She gives him a look—half annoyance, half concern.
He feels it… and for the first time in days, his shoulders drop.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:You can joke all you want, Jaxon. But you scared us. You scared me.
The honesty hits him harder than any punch.
He steps closer—close enough to hear her exhale.
[Agent Steel]:Susan… you've been the only anchor in this entire storm. Every time things go sideways… you're the one constant.
Her eyes soften. A micro-moment.
A connection.
A shift.
But before it settles—
ALARM BEEPS
A high-priority threat alert slams across every screen.
ROMER rushes in.
[ROMER]:We've got movement. Syndicate-level. Codename: Hydra-07 just breached New Atlantis airspace.
[Agent Steel]:Hydra-07?
[ROMER]:They're efficient, well-funded, and extremely adaptive. They don't overwhelm. They infiltrate, analyze, and repurpose everything in their path.
Susan checks the satellite feed.
A dark triangular dropship streaks down from the clouds—silent, surgical, deliberate.
NEW ATLANTIS – SKYLINE – SAME TIME
The vessel cuts through the sky like a razor.
No chaos.
No theatrics.
Just intent.
– HYDRA-07 LEADER
A masked figure stands inside the dropship, surrounded by tech that looks one generation beyond INN.
His voice is emotionless. Calculated.
[HYDRA LEADER]:Agent Steel has disrupted several strategic pipelines.
His actions jeopardize long-term objectives. The mandate is simple—observe, evaluate… and dismantle."
Behind him, operatives lock weapons in perfect synchronization.
[HYDRA LEADER]:Phase One: infiltration of New Atlantis.
Phase Two: strategic extraction.
Phase Three: neutralization."
No anger.
No passion.
Just mission.
---
INN – OPS LEVEL
The team analyzes their trajectory.
[SUSAN]:"Hydra-07 is not as chaotic as Ghost Serpent… but they're more disciplined. And they're escalating. This isn't a raid. It's a calculated entry."
Jaxon exhales, gears turning hard.
[JAXON]:They're not coming for INN.
[SUSAN]:Then who?
He meets her eyes.
[JAXON]: …Me.
Her breath catches—fear mixed with an emotion she's only now confronting.
She steps closer.
[SUSAN]:(quietly)Then you're not facing them alone.
He smiles—small, but real.
[JAXON]:I know."
Their hands almost touch.
Almost.
Then she pulls up the tactical map, mask of professionalism returning—but her tone carries something new… something unmistakable.
[SUSAN ]:We move together. Non-negotiable."
[JAXON]:Wouldn't have it any other way.
---
HYDRA-07 DROPSHIP –
The Hydra Leader activates a holographic display.
Agent Steel's face appears—highlighted, tagged, marked as:
PRIMARY TARGET: STEEL-01
THREAT LEVEL: EVOLVING
PRIORITY: MAXIMUM
The he tilts his head slightly—almost curious.
[HYDRA LEADER]:Let's begin.
The ship descends toward New Atlantis.
TO BE CONTINUED.....
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