The maintenance entrance to Helix Technologies was secured by a keypad lock that looked like it cost more than Alex's entire wardrobe. Sleek, biometric, probably connected to seventeen different security systems.
Caleb pulled out a security bypass card. "Eclipse tech. Should work on anything short of military-grade—"
"Move," Alex said, his implant already analyzing the lock's frequency. His fingers moved before his conscious mind engaged, tapping a sequence that his downloaded hacking skills insisted was correct.
The lock clicked green.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Skill "Electronic Lock Bypass Level 2" successfully applied. Entry gained. Side note: Caleb looks annoyed that you did that faster than him. Enjoying this?]
"A little," Alex admitted under his breath.
"Show off," Caleb muttered, but there might've been grudging respect in his tone. "Ladies first?"
Mia and Tessa slipped through, followed by the boys. The maintenance corridor was all concrete and exposed pipes, lit by flickering fluorescents that created more shadows than light. The air smelled like machine oil and dust.
"Sub-basement is three levels down," Mia whispered, tablet glowing in the dimness. "Security checkpoint at the second level, then restricted access requiring biometric—"
A scream echoed up from below. Human, terrified, and abruptly cut off.
Everyone froze.
"Was that...?" Tessa started.
"Security guard," Alex's implant supplied, having pulled up Helix Tech's personnel roster. "George Martinez, night shift supervisor. Two kids in college."
[SYSTEM ALERT: Potential casualty detected. The Phantom may be armed and dangerous. Threat assessment upgraded to CRITICAL. Recommendation: Proceed with extreme caution. Also, maybe call for backup? No? Okay, guess we're doing this the reckless way.]
"We need to move. Now." Caleb was already heading for the stairs, tactical training overriding caution.
They descended in formation—Caleb on point, Mia monitoring systems, Tessa with her gadgets ready, and Alex bringing up the rear while his implant mapped their route and calculated exit strategies.
[SYSTEM: Downloading "Emergency Medical Response" just in case. Also "How to Talk Down a Possible Psychopath." Your life is very stressful, you know that?]
The second level checkpoint was unmanned, security monitors showing nothing but static. Someone had looped the feeds—professional work that made Mia curse under her breath.
"They're good," she admitted. "Really good. This isn't script-kiddie hacking, this is—"
"State-level expertise," Caleb finished grimly. "We might be in over our heads."
"Too late for that," Alex said, spotting the biometric lock. His implant was already pulling up workarounds, but—
The door was already open. Slightly ajar, like an invitation.
[SYSTEM WARNING: This is obviously a trap. Probability of ambush: 94%. Probability of something exploding: 76%. Probability of you walking in anyway because you're all idiots: 100%.]
"It's a trap," all four of them said simultaneously.
They looked at each other. Tessa giggled nervously. "Well, at least we're on the same page?"
"Standard trap protocol," Caleb said. "Mia, can you send a drone ahead?"
Mia was already deploying a micro-drone the size of a dragonfly. It zipped through the gap, its camera feed appearing on her tablet. The sub-basement was massive—a server farm of black monoliths humming with data, cables snaking across the floor like technological vines, and in the center...
A figure in a black hoodie, face obscured by a mask covered in circuit-board patterns, sitting casually on a server rack.
Beside them, on the floor, the security guard was unconscious but breathing, zip-tied but unharmed.
"They can see the drone," Mia breathed. The Phantom was looking directly at the camera, head tilted.
Then they waved.
"Okay, that's creepy," Tessa muttered.
The Phantom's voice crackled through Mia's tablet speakers. "Are you going to stand in the hallway all night, or are we doing this?"
"Formation," Caleb ordered quietly. "Mia, you're our tech specialist—stay back and monitor for traps. Tessa, defensive gadgets ready. Thorne... you're with me. Front line."
Alex nodded, feeling his implant kick into combat mode. His vision sharpened, heart rate steadied, muscles pre-loaded with downloaded martial arts routines.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Combat mode activated. Available skills: Judo Level 2, Karate Level 1, Tactical Analysis Level 3, "Not Dying" Level 1. Health: 100%. Confidence: 23%. Let's go not die!]
They entered the sub-basement in a tactical wedge. The Phantom didn't move, just watched them approach with unnerving calm.
Up close, Alex could see they were young—maybe late teens, early twenties. Average height, lean build, movements economical and practiced. The mask completely obscured their features, even the eye color.
"Shadow Squad and Delta Squad," The Phantom said, voice still filtered but somehow amused. "Working together. How touching. Did someone make you?"
"Director Steele," Caleb said. "And you're under arrest for—"
"Forty-seven counts of cyber intrusion, eighteen counts of corporate espionage, and one very annoyed Director who really should upgrade his personal firewall." The Phantom stood smoothly. "I read my own warrant, thanks. Very flattering, actually. They called me a 'threat to global security.' That's going on my resume."
"Why'd you hack Eclipse?" Alex demanded.
The mask turned toward him. "Because I could. Because your academy has secrets that make my little heists look like homework assignments. And because..." they tilted their head, "I was curious about you, Alex Thorne."
[SYSTEM ALERT: They're focused on you specifically. This is about the implant. Probability of exposure: Rising. Recommendation: End this conversation immediately.]
"We're taking you in," Alex said, moving forward.
"Are you?" The Phantom's hand moved faster than Alex's enhanced reflexes could track, throwing something small and metallic.
[SYSTEM WARNING: PROJECTILE DETECTED—]
The device hit the floor and exploded in a pulse of electromagnetic energy. Every screen in the room went dark. Mia's tablet died. The servers groaned and sparked.
And Alex's implant screamed.
[SYSTEM ERROR: EMP DETECTED. COMPENSATING... PARTIAL SHUTDOWN REQUIRED. REBOOTING... 10%... 20%...]
Alex staggered, his vision fragmenting. The downloaded skills stuttered, half-remembered movements flickering in and out. It felt like someone had reached into his skull and scrambled his thoughts.
"Alex!" Mia's voice, distant and distorted.
Through his fractured vision, he saw The Phantom already in motion—vaulting over servers with parkour precision, heading for a maintenance shaft in the far wall.
"Don't let them escape!" Caleb sprinted after them, but The Phantom was faster, disappearing into the shaft with a mocking laugh.
Tessa threw a smoke bomb that fizzled pathetically. "My gadgets are fried!"
Mia was at Alex's side, steadying him. "Alex, talk to me. What's wrong?"
"Implant... EMP... rebooting..." Each word was a struggle. His enhanced abilities were gone, leaving just regular, clumsy Alex Thorne struggling to stand.
[SYSTEM: 45%... 50%... BASIC FUNCTIONS RESTORED. COMBAT SKILLS OFFLINE. WILL REQUIRE 2-3 MINUTES FOR FULL RECOVERY. YOU ARE VERY VULNERABLE RIGHT NOW. PLEASE DON'T DIE.]
"They're getting away!" Caleb reappeared from the shaft, furious. "It connects to the old subway tunnels. They could be anywhere by now!"
A groan from the floor reminded them of the security guard. Mia immediately went to check on him, cutting his zip ties. "He's okay. Drugged, probably. He'll wake up soon."
Alex's vision was slowly clearing, his implant crawling back to functionality. "They knew about the EMP. Knew it would affect me specifically."
"Because they know about your implant," Caleb said, and his expression was complicated—anger, concern, and something that might've been understanding. "They targeted you. This whole thing was a setup to confirm what they already suspected."
[SYSTEM: 75%... 80%... SKILLS GRADUALLY COMING BACK ONLINE. ANALYSIS: The Phantom used a targeted EMP specifically calibrated to disrupt neural implants. They know EXACTLY what you have. This is very bad. We need to warn—]
Mia's tablet suddenly flickered back to life, along with every screen in the server farm. But instead of normal displays, they all showed the same thing: The Phantom's circuit-board mask, staring out at them from every monitor.
"That was fun," The Phantom's voice echoed from multiple speakers. "But we both know this was just round one. Tell Director Steele I said hello. Tell him Project Perfect Spy isn't as dead as he thinks. And tell him..." the mask seemed to focus on Alex specifically, "...his test subjects are very interesting. I look forward to meeting the others."
Others?
[SYSTEM: 90%... WAIT. OTHERS? WHAT OTHERS?!]
"What others?" Alex demanded. "What are you talking about?"
"You really don't know?" The Phantom sounded genuinely surprised. "Oh, Alex. You're not special. You're not unique. You're just the one they let slip through the cracks." A pause. "There are five others. Well, four now. One had an... unfortunate accident. But the rest?" Laughter. "Let's just say Eclipse Academy has more enhanced students than anyone realizes. Sweet dreams, Shadow Squad."
The screens went dark.
Silence filled the sub-basement, broken only by the humming servers and everyone's shocked breathing.
"Five others," Mia whispered. "There are other people with implants?"
"Four," Tessa corrected quietly. "They said four now."
[SYSTEM: FULL FUNCTIONALITY RESTORED. But I have no data on other enhanced students. This is... concerning. If there are others, and one died... Alex, this is bigger than we thought. Much bigger.]
Caleb's phone buzzed. He answered, listened, then his face went pale. "That was Lila. The Phantom hit the government data center thirty minutes ago. While we were here. They left a message for us there too."
"They were in two places at once?" Tessa's eyes widened. "That's impossible!"
"Unless there's more than one," Alex said slowly, his implant connecting dots he didn't want connected. "Unless The Phantom isn't a person. It's a group. Maybe even—"
"A group of enhanced students," Mia finished, horror dawning. "Oh god. What if The Phantom is other test subjects? People like you, Alex, but working together?"
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Hypothesis has merit. Evidence: Simultaneous attacks, expert-level skills in multiple domains, knowledge of Eclipse's classified programs. Probability: 78%. Status: This mission just became exponentially more complicated.]
"We need to report this to Steele," Caleb said. "Now. This is way above our pay grade."
"Agreed," Alex managed, still recovering. But as they headed for the exit, his implant whispered warnings.
[SYSTEM: If there are other enhanced students, and they're working as The Phantom, they have advantages we don't. Experience. Coordination. Numbers. And they clearly have an agenda that involves you specifically. Recommendation: Watch your back. Trust no one. Well, except maybe your squad. Probably. Hopefully?]
"You're not inspiring confidence," Alex muttered.
But as they emerged into the cold night air, sirens wailing in the distance, Alex couldn't shake the feeling that everything had just changed.
He wasn't unique. He wasn't alone in having an implant.
And whoever these "others" were, they knew about him. They were watching him.
And they'd just declared that this was only round one.
Back at Eclipse Academy, Director Steele listened to their report with an expression like carved stone. Professor Grimshaw stood beside him, looking grimmer than usual.
"Five test subjects," Steele repeated. "And The Phantom claims one is dead."
"Sir," Lila spoke up from where she stood with Rico and Finn, having arrived from their own failed stakeout. "The message they left at the data center said 'Project Perfect Spy sends its regards.' That's not random. They know about the old program."
Steele was quiet for a long moment. Then: "Eight years ago, Dr. Zorba conducted neural enhancement trials on six student volunteers. The program was shut down after one subject suffered catastrophic neural rejection and died. The other five were told their implants had been deactivated. They were monitored, graduated, and supposedly moved on with normal lives."
"Supposedly?" Mia asked.
"We lost track of three of them four years ago. Vanished completely." Steele pulled up files. "The remaining two are accounted for—one works for Interpol, the other teaches at a university. Neither has shown signs of enhanced abilities."
"Or they're hiding it," Caleb said. "Like Alex did."
[SYSTEM: He's not wrong. If you could hide it, so could they. Question: If three vanished subjects are now The Phantom, why reveal themselves now? What changed?]
"What changed four years ago?" Alex asked aloud. "Why disappear then? Why surface now?"
Steele's jaw tightened. "Four years ago, the academy's board changed leadership. The new administration wanted to revive Project Perfect Spy. Dr. Zorba refused to cooperate."
"So they went looking for the original subjects," Lila said slowly. "The ones who already had working implants. But those subjects didn't want to be found."
"And they've been operating as The Phantom ever since," Mia continued. "Stealing intelligence, staying ahead of everyone, and now..." she looked at Alex, "...they've found a new test subject. You."
The weight of everyone's eyes felt like gravity increasing.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Congratulations! You're now a target for potentially hostile enhanced operatives who have years of experience on you! Reward: Anxiety, paranoia, and the nagging feeling you should've stayed in Zorba's lab longer to ask questions! Achievement Unlocked: "In Way Too Deep."]
"We need to find them before they find him," Grimshaw growled. "Boy's barely had his implant for months. Against veterans? He's toast."
"Thank you for that vote of confidence, Professor," Alex muttered.
"Mission parameters have changed," Steele announced. "This is no longer a capture operation. This is intelligence gathering. I want to know who these subjects are, what they want, and why they're targeting Alex specifically." His gaze swept both squads. "You're to continue surveillance, but no direct engagement. If you encounter The Phantom, you withdraw and report. Clear?"
"Crystal," everyone said, though Alex caught Caleb's skeptical expression.
As they filed out, Lila grabbed Alex's arm.
"You okay? That EMP looked like it hurt."
"Felt like someone rebooted my brain with a hammer," Alex admitted. "But I'm fine now. System's back online."
"We should talk," she said quietly. "All of us. About what this means."
Alex nodded. Because The Phantom knowing about him was one thing. But other enhanced students—experienced, coordinated, and apparently playing a long game against Eclipse itself?
That was something else entirely.
[SYSTEM: Mission status update: What started as "catch a hacker" has become "survive against multiple enhanced operatives while uncovering a conspiracy." Difficulty level increased from "Medium" to "Good Luck Not Dying." Current survival probability: Calculating... Let's just say 'not great' and leave it at that.]
"You really need better bedside manner," Alex told his implant.
[SYSTEM: I'm a neural interface, not a therapist. Although at this rate, you might need both.]
Fair point.