The sea raged beneath the metal hull of the stealth vessel as it cut through the waves under a starless sky. Alina stood at the bow, the salty wind whipping her hair around her face, eyes fixed on the dim outline of land rising from the ocean—Maine's abandoned coastal island, known to fishermen as "Deadman's Spine."
But beneath it?
Experimental Site 1.
She could feel it in her bones—the memories, the shadows, the buried screams trapped beneath decades of concrete and lies.
Behind her, Leonard stepped out from the control room. "ETA—ten minutes. Rafe's prepping the ground team. This is our only window before the current shifts."
Alina turned, jaw tight. "And if we don't make it out in time?"
Leonard hesitated. "Then we won't get another shot for 12 hours."
"Then we finish this in six."
As the ship docked at the crumbling pier, Selena leaped down first, scanning the area with infrared goggles. "No guards. No sentries. That's not a good sign."
"It's bait," Rafe muttered, checking his weapon. "Elara wants us inside."
"Then let's not disappoint her," Alina said, leading the way.
They crossed the island, through dying brush and crumbled foundations from long-abandoned watchtowers. Finally, they reached what looked like a rusted ventilation shaft buried beneath moss and stone. Rafe opened the hatch using a magnetic key lifted from one of the Novacore soldiers they'd captured.
A gust of sterile, artificially cooled air rose from the shaft.
Leonard looked down the ladder. "Welcome home."
The descent was silent—twenty meters into the earth. Alina's boots hit concrete with a muffled thud. She scanned the corridor—gray walls, dim lights flickering overhead, the faint scent of antiseptic and rust lingering in the air.
"This place hasn't seen sunlight in years," Rafe whispered.
"Not since they buried the Rossi Program," Alina said. "But something tells me it never died."
They moved as a unit—silent, efficient, deadly. Alina led them through the facility's main hall, past cracked observation windows and dusty consoles. Then they reached the central dome: a circular chamber with glass panels overhead and dozens of locked doors surrounding it.
A voice crackled through hidden speakers.
"Alina Ross."
Elara's voice.
Smooth. Cold. Terrifying.
"I must say, I didn't expect you to return. Especially not with Leonard. How poetic."
Alina raised her head. "Show yourself."
"In time. First, a gift."
The doors hissed open one by one.
Figures emerged—some in uniforms, others in patient gowns. Their eyes were glassy. Movements robotic. All bore the Novacore crest.
"They're still active," Selena gasped. "She kept the Rossi subjects alive."
"Alive is generous," Rafe muttered. "They're shells."
"Let's test your progress, Subject A," Elara continued, her voice laced with amusement. "Can you save your friends… or will you break again?"
The first subject lunged.
Alina ducked, sweeping its legs and pinning it to the floor. Its eyes didn't blink. No emotion. No pain.
Selena and Rafe engaged the others while Leonard dragged Alina toward the side corridor.
"This isn't a fight," he said. "It's a distraction."
"I know," she panted, kicking off another attacker. "She's leading us away from something."
Leonard cursed under his breath. "The data core. The Rossi mainframe. She's wiping it."
"Then we split." Alina turned to Selena. "Secure the chamber. Knock them out. Do not kill unless forced."
"What about you?"
"I'm going to find her."
Alina ran deeper into the maze of corridors, memories flashing with every step. The cold white rooms. The tests. The screams at night. She passed what used to be her cell—Unit A03—her name still scratched faintly into the wall.
Then she reached the door marked REDACTED.
She kicked it open.
Inside, glowing screens lined the walls. Elara stood before them, hands folded behind her back, dressed in a sterile white lab coat. She hadn't aged a day. Her blonde hair was pinned tight. Her expression? Serene.
"Alina," she said with a smile. "You look… stable."
"You ruined lives," Alina spat, stepping forward. "You made us weapons."
"No," Elara corrected. "I made you gods."
Alina's fists clenched. "Where is Lily?"
"She's safe. For now. But I must admit… you surprised me. Bonding with Leonard? Motherhood? Fascinating."
"I'm not here for your analysis."
"Then let's talk truth."
Elara turned and tapped a screen.
A video played.
A young Leonard stood in a lab coat. Speaking into a recorder.
"Subject A is responding well to memory suppression. Emotional triggers are stable. We begin bonding protocol tomorrow."
Alina froze.
No.
Elara smiled coldly. "You didn't know, did you? Leonard wasn't just your husband. He was your handler."
Alina stumbled back.
The room spun.
"No… he said he didn't know. He told me—"
"He lied."
Elara stepped forward, her voice a knife. "He married you under orders. Monitored you. Reported on you. You were a science project. A job."
Tears welled in Alina's eyes.
"Lies."
"Ask him," Elara whispered. "But by then, it won't matter. Because this was always your destiny, Alina. Not as a mother. Not as a wife. But as a weapon."
Behind her, the monitors flared red.
A countdown began: 02:00… 01:59…
"What did you do?" Alina demanded.
Elara turned away.
"I freed you."
Leonard found Alina moments later—standing frozen in front of the console, Elara gone.
"What happened?"
She turned, eyes burning.
"Is it true?" she asked quietly.
Leonard hesitated.
"Tell me."
His jaw tensed. "Yes. I was assigned to you at first. But I didn't know what they'd done. Not fully."
"Did you lie to me?"
"Only once," he whispered. "When I said you were just a mission. You never were."
A flicker of pain crossed her face. "There's a bomb."
"I know. Rafe found the detonation relay. He's trying to override it. But if he can't—"
"We're all dead."
"No," Leonard said. "You and Lily get out. I stay."
She grabbed his arm. "Don't you dare—"
"I owe you that much."
Suddenly, the monitor flickered. A new video played—Lily's face. Eyes closed. Strapped to a neural interface.
"She's uploading the Protocol into Lily," Alina gasped. "If the bomb goes off, it'll activate."
"Then we stop it."
They reached the relay room with fifteen seconds left.
Rafe was typing furiously, sweat on his brow.
"Too many firewalls. I need more time."
"You don't have it," Selena snapped, holding off another wave of brainwashed soldiers.
Alina scanned the room. Her gaze landed on a manual override—a lever marked with red tape.
"Backup trigger," she whispered. "If pulled, it disables the core."
"But you'll lose power to the entire facility," Rafe said.
"Then get Lily out now."
Before anyone could stop her, Alina sprinted toward the lever and yanked it.
The lights flickered.
Alarms silenced.
The countdown stopped at 00:02.
Silence fell.
Then a new voice echoed through the chamber.
Lily's.
"Mommy?"
Alina's knees buckled.
"Lily!"
"She's awake," Leonard said, checking the monitor. "She's in the medical chamber. Alive."
Alina wiped her tears.
"She's safe."
"For now," Rafe said grimly. "But Elara's still out there. And we've only begun to uncover what she planned for Lily."