NEW ATLANTICS – INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT – NIGHT
Smoke hangs thick over the abandoned shipping yard. Sirens echo far in the distance.
Ravenstrike and Shardeye sprint through rows of old cargo containers, their tactical boots slamming the metal ground.
Ravenstrike slows first, chest heaving, optics flickering red.
[Ravenstrike] (shaking his head, frustrated) : That… was not what Hydra-07 planned for tonight. INN brought more heat than projected.
Shardeye leans against a container, his mechanical eye reconstructing the memory of the battle in neon-blue holographic shards.
[Shardeye] (analyzing) :They weren't supposed to mobilize that quickly. Something triggered Steel… looked like he went beyond limit.They weren't supposed to mobilize that quickly. Something triggered Steel… looked like he went beyond limit.
Ravenstrike scoffs.
[Ravenstrike]:Steel. That rookie with more confidence than sense.
Shardeye stiffens.
[Shardeye]:He isn't a 'rookie' anymore. Whatever that glow was on his forearm… it was evolving. Adapting. His combat patterns changed mid-fight.
Ravenstrike wipes blood from his lip, annoyed yet intrigued.
[Ravenstrike] : Hydra-07 doesn't fear evolution.
[Shardeye]:No. We calculate against it.
Their eyes meet—agreement without words.
Ravenstrike loads a fresh round into his hybrid sniper.
[Ravenstrike]:"Round two won't be a retreat. Next time, we aim to erase him."
Shardeye smirks—cold and metallic.
[Shardeye]:And Hydra never misses twice.
The two vanish into the shadows, their footsteps fading into the metallic darkness.
---
INN MEDICAL WING – NIGHT
Fluorescent lights flicker overhead. Agents rush around treating injuries.
Jaxon sits shirt half-open, bruises blooming across his ribs, face pale and exhausted. His Neuro-Link glows faintly—overclocked, unstable.
Agent Paul and Agent Lopez limp past him, both holding pressure pads to their wounds. Romer ushers them into the emergency bay.
[Agent Paul](weak grin) :Steel… next time, warn us before you turn into a one-man army.
Jaxon forces a small smile back.
[Agent Steel]:Didn't know myself either…
They disappear behind the doors.
Now it's Susan.
She steps toward Jaxon, gloves already on, eyes soft but alert. She crouches down in front of him and inspects his cheek.
[Dr.SusanThomas]:You're shaking. You pushed too far.
[Agent Steel]:(tired chuckle)What gave me away? The part where I almost collapsed?
[Dr.SusanThomas] :"All of it. Hold still."
She presses a cleansing pad to his jaw. Jaxon winces.
[Agent Jaxon Steel]:Ah—damn, Susan… go easy on the face. It's all I've got.
She doesn't smile, but her eyes soften.
[Dr.Susan]:You're not funny when you're half-conscious, you know.
[Agent Steel]:I'm charming all the time. It's a curse.
Susan pauses… then finally lets out a tiny, quiet laugh —
[Dr.SusanThomas]:There. That's the Jaxon I know.
A beat.
Silence.
Warm. Heavy. Meaningful.
She moves to his ribs and begins checking them.
[Jaxon Steel]:(quietly)They rushed us, Susan. I wasn't ready. I kept hearing people screaming. Felt like… if I slowed down, more would—
Susan gently places her hand on his shoulder.
[Susan]:You kept people alive. You did everything right.
Jaxon meets her eyes — searching for something. Support. Assurance. Anything.
[Susan]:(whispers)"And you don't have to stand strong alone every second."
This time, he looks away first.
[JaxonSteel ] :…I needed to hear that.
She helps him stand.
[Susan]:You need a walk. You need normal air.
[Jaxon Steel]:Normal air sounds… nice.
They step out together.
---
NEW ATLANTICS – DOWNTOWN STREETS – NIGHT
Fire crews wash down scorched pavement. Civilians peek from windows.
The city is bruised, but alive.
Jaxon and Susan walk down the street, slow and quiet.
Jaxon glances sideways.
[Jaxon Steel]:You ever think we chose the wrong profession?
[Dr.Susan]:Every Thursday.
He smirks.
[Dr.Susan]:But if someone has to fix this world… might as well be us.
[Jaxon Steel]:Yeah… us.
She doesn't correct him.
---
MIDNIGHT BREW COFFEE SHOP – NIGHT
Warm lights. Calm music. Just two people sitting at a small table, steam rising from their cups.
Susan watches him closely.
Dr.Susan Thomas] :You're quieter than usual.
[Jaxon Steel]:Just thinking.
[Dr.SusanThomas]:About the fight?
[Jaxon Steel]:(shakes head)About losing people.
Susan reaches across the table, almost touches his hand… then stops, pulls back gently — subtle restraint.
[Dr.SusanThomas]:"You didn't lose anyone today. Because you fought like hell."
[Agent Jaxon Steel]:I don't know what I'd do if—
He catches himself. Breath hitching.
Susan's voice softens.
[Dr.Susan]:If what?
Jaxon hesitates.
[Jaxon Steel]:…Nothing. Forget it.
Susan's eyes say she understood anyway — but she doesn't push.
Their bond grows, almost silently.
---
NORTHERN WILDERNESS – NIGHT
A forest untouched for decades. Cold wind whistles through ancient trees.
A convoy of INN vehicles stops.
Madison Connor steps out first — posture sharp, eyes razor-focused.
Agent Vero and Agent Rise flank her.
[Agent Vero]:Coordinates match. This should be the old Alpha-2 INN facility.
[Madison Connor]:Let's move.
Bushes part to reveal a ruined structure engulfed in vines. Broken signage reads:
INN BIO-RESEARCH DIVISION – CLOSED 20 YEARS AGO
Madison's jaw tightens.
---
ABANDONED INN BASE – HUMAN EXPERIMENT HALL – NIGHT
Dust dominates the air. Rusted metal. Shattered tubes.
A place built for science… ruined by silence.
Dr. Iris Kade moves with a mix of fear and fascination.
[Dr. Iris Kade]:These machines… outdated, dangerous, and completely illegal. Madison… what was this place?
Madison walks toward an old steel desk.
A drawer creaks open.
Inside: an eaten, decaying file.
She lifts it gently. Pages crumble in her fingers.
[Madison Connor]:Neuro-Link Human Augmentation Trial… Subject List.
She reads the surviving names. Some scratched off. Some burned. Some intact.
Her eyes widen.
[Madison Connor]:They tested it here. Before anyone knew.
[Dr. Iris Kade]:And if Ghost Serpent had access to these records…
Madison's voice drops low, chilling.
[Madison Connor]:…then they've been building super-humans since before INN even realized what we created.
The team shares a tense silence.
[Agent Vero]:What now?
Madison turns to the darkened hallway.
[Madison Connor]:We find the truth. All of it.
---
NEW ATLANTICS – CITY STREET – LATE NIGHT
Jaxon and Susan step out of the coffee shop, walking slowly under soft streetlights.
Jaxon takes a long breath.
[Jaxon Steel]:Tonight should've broken me.
[Dr.Susan]:But it didn't.
[Jaxon Steel]:"…Maybe because you were there."
Susan stiffens slightly—caught off guard.
[Dr.Susan ]: Well… good. I'm glad I was.
They walk in silence — comfortable, quiet, warm.
Not lovers.
Not yet.
But the path has begun.
TO BE CONTINUED.....