The resistance base was buried beneath an old subway interchange—steel corridors reinforced with salvaged armor plating and dim, battery-powered lights humming overhead. It was a strange mix of military grit and scavenged desperation.
Jaden walked behind Cole, Tess at his side, as they passed guards in mismatched gear and Awakened warriors resting against cold walls. Some eyed him warily. Others nodded, recognizing the tension in his stance, the quiet danger he radiated.
Cole led them into a command center where glowing monitors displayed heat maps, audio logs, and flickering files tagged with Project Eclipse. Jaden's attention, though, was split.
His System buzzed quietly in his mind.
[Lock Candidate Detected Nearby]Lock Opportunity: Compatible Bio-Signal Source FoundProximity: 12 metersUnlock Window: Limited – 00:05:00
He stiffened.
Tess noticed the shift. "What is it?"
"Give me a second," Jaden said, slipping away before she could press further.
He moved down a side corridor, following the signal pulsing like sonar in his thoughts. It led him to a locked maintenance room. With a glance to confirm no one was watching, he popped the latch with a hairpin and slipped inside.
The room was dark except for the eerie glow of a containment pod—cracked, ancient, but still faintly powered. Inside floated the desiccated remains of a humanoid creature. Its spine was exposed metal, and its limbs were bound by some kind of restraint harness. A glowing blue node blinked weakly on its chest.
[Lock Interface Found – Initiating Synchronization]Confirm Lock Integration: Y/NWarning: Unknown compatibility. May induce strain.
Jaden didn't hesitate. "Yes."
The pod sparked violently as the system surged into him like lightning.
[Lock #012 Acquired – Phase Trigger (Active Skill)]Skill: Phase Trigger – Temporarily shift body out of sync with the physical plane. Gain 3 seconds of intangibility. Cooldown: 60s.Lock Type: Tactical Escape / EvasionUser Sync: 87% – Stable Integration
Jaden staggered, gasping as cold air rushed over his skin. His body felt… lighter, like the world had briefly stopped pressing down on him.
His vision returned to normal just as a voice echoed from behind.
"You're not just any Awakened, are you?" Cole said, leaning against the doorframe.
Jaden didn't flinch. "You followed me."
Cole shrugged. "Wasn't hard. You move like you're hiding something. Most of us are. But you… you've got that look like the world gave you something and forgot to tell you what it costs."
Jaden stayed silent.
Cole's eyes narrowed. "That thing in the pod? It's a relic of Phase One. The first experiments. Before Subject Zero. We called them Phasewalkers. Not quite alive. Not quite dead."
"I've seen worse," Jaden muttered.
"Then you know what's coming," Cole said. "Subject Zero didn't just mutate. It learned. It remembers the labs. The pain. It's not just growing stronger—it's getting smarter."
Jaden clenched his fists. The System pulsed again, the new Lock stabilizing inside him like a heartbeat.
"We need intel," he said. "Maps. Movement logs. Anything on Zero's current location."
Cole smirked. "Already ahead of you. You up for a deep run into Zone 6?"
Tess's voice crackled on Jaden's radio. "You disappeared. What's going on?"
Jaden exhaled and tapped his comm. "I found something. We're heading out again soon. Tell the others to gear up."
As he rejoined her in the control room, the Lock quietly integrated into his being, ready to activate at a moment's notice.
The war was no longer just survival.
It was evolution.
And Jaden Knightley had just taken his next step.