Location: Western Trade Embassy, Sub-Level 3 – Tavara City
The sound of alarm klaxons pulsed like a heartbeat through the embassy walls, but Damien's group pressed forward—unshaken, surgical in their movement. Nora's eyes scanned every corner as they descended into the hidden sublevels, guided by a decrypted layout Ashford had sent hours before.
"This corridor wasn't in the original blueprint," Nora murmured, pausing at an intersection of polished steel and soundproofed panels. "They've expanded this place."
"Modified for something secret," Damien said grimly. "Something they never wanted discovered."
Behind them, Shade's team was already engaging silently—guards fell one by one, dragged into shadows without a sound. It was coordinated chaos. The kind Raven Squad had mastered.
As they reached Sub-Level 3, they came upon a heavily guarded vault door. Four biometric scanners. A laser matrix. And something Nora had never seen before—a neural-linked defense lock.
"This is military-grade tech—Tier Ten," she whispered in disbelief. "Only one known supplier for this: The Oryx Corporation."
Damien's jaw tightened. "Oryx is supposed to be neutral."
"They were," Logan muttered. "Until someone paid them to look the other way."
Nora activated her portable disruptor, feeding it power from her own bio-core implant. "Give me sixty seconds."
The door groaned as systems blinked and sizzled.
Behind them, Shade signaled. "We've been compromised. South entry breached. Two squads inbound."
Damien drew his silencer. "We hold the line."
Logan moved to cover the hallway. "I've got the east flank."
A soft ping. The lock disengaged.
"You're up," Nora said, stepping aside.
The door hissed open, revealing not a weapons cache or data room—but a containment chamber. Inside, under flickering pale lights, was a stasis pod. Wires trailed from it into the floor and walls. And within it… a girl.
No older than sixteen. Pale, unconscious, and glowing faintly with traces of bioluminescence.
Nora stepped forward, stunned. "Is that…?"
Ashford's voice broke through the comms, tense. "Damien—get out. Now. That's not just a girl. She's Subject Theta. She's the core to Project Phoenix. You're looking at a living bioweapon."
"She's a child," Nora said coldly.
"She's a target," Ashford insisted. "The West and the rogue alliance have both been hunting her. The protocol to activate her is buried inside that embassy—if they trigger it, she becomes an extinction event."
Damien stared at the pod, then back at Nora. "We're not leaving her."
"You'll be sacrificing the mission," Ashford warned.
"I'll risk it," Damien said. "Because we're not them."
Shade stepped inside. "I can move her. My squad will cover the exit. But if we take her, every major faction will come for us."
Damien placed a hand on the glass. The girl stirred—her eyes fluttered open. And for a brief moment, they saw not fear—but conscious awareness.
Nora nodded. "Then let them come."
---
Outside, explosions rang out as Raven Squad cleared the extraction path. Black drones hovered overhead. Sirens echoed. But the moment Damien stepped out, carrying Subject Theta in his arms, the winds shifted.
Because now, Tavara wasn't just at war with spies and cartels.
Now, it held the most dangerous asset the world had forgotten.