INN HQ – NEW ATLANTIS – COMMAND HALL – MORNING
A cold, corporate silence hangs in the vast white hall.
The INN emblem glows faintly on the far wall as agents gather in disciplined rows. Their faces are strained — from the Hydra assault, from sleepless nights, from the weight of public anger.
Then—
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Bootsteps echo sharply.
DIRECTOR CHARLES LIVINGSTON enters.
Tall, sharply dressed, early 50s, eyes like sharpened steel. His presence hits the room like a sudden storm. His posture is rigid, his jaw tight, his aura authoritative — but beneath it, a man carrying the burden of responsibility.
Agents straighten instinctively.
Livingston surveys them slowly — letting the silence discipline the room.
[LIVINGSTON]:(loud, measured)"New Atlantis is burning in rumors.
The government demands answers.
The media screams for accountability.
And our enemies treat us like playground toys."
A quiet inhale sweeps the agents.
He steps forward.
[LIVINGSTON]:Hydra-07 walked into our headquarters.
They fought our agents.
They injured our city.
And they left. Alive.
He lets that sting.
Then his eyes lock directly on the one man standing slightly apart from the rest…
JAXON STEEL.
Livingston gestures.
[LIVINGSTON]:Agent Steel. With me.
The hall releases a shared breath as Livingston walks out.
Steel follows.
---
INN HQ – PRIVATE STRATEGY ROOM – DAY
The door shuts with a magnetic click.
The room is dim, lit by a single strategic table projecting holographic mission logs. Livingston stands at its head, not looking at Steel yet — letting the pressure build.
Finally, he turns.
[LIVINGSTON]:You're talented, Steel.
Resourceful.
Courageous.
But talent without discipline is a liability.
Steel maintains his composure.
[Agent Steel]:Sir, if this is about the Hydra incursion—
[LIVINGSTON] :(cuts in, sharp)
It is about Hydra.
It's about a city that no longer trusts us.
It's about you being at the center of every major security event of the past month."
He steps closer.
[LIVINGSTON]:You're reckless. Unpredictable. You improvise when you should plan.
You act with instinct when protocol demands strategy.
Steel clenches his jaw — not offended, but weighing those words.
Livingston studies him.
[LIVINGSTON]:(lowering voice)
Jaxon… I'm tough because I have to be.
Because this agency cannot survive another misstep.
And because right now… you are one of our biggest assets — and risks.
Steel looks up, surprised at the honesty beneath the steel exterior.
[Agent Steel]:I'm committed to the job. I just—
[LIVINGSTON]:Make me believe it.
A moment of silence
Livingston's tough mask cracks — just enough to show the decent man behind it.
[LIVINGSTON]:I'm not your enemy. I'm here to keep the agency alive.
So tighten up.
Be better.
For all our sakes.
He steps back, his voice resuming its corporate command tone.
[LIVINGSTON]:You're dismissed.And Steel…? I expect evolution, not excuses.
Steel nods and exits — respect mixed with challenge in his eyes.
---
ANCIENT INN FACILITY – DEEP FOREST – AFTERNOON
The forest feels older today.
A faint mist swirls around the abandoned buildings, as though the very trees know secrets are being disturbed.
MADISON CONNOR is again leading the charge. Determined. Quiet. Focused.
Beside her:
AGENT RISE
AGENT VERO
DR. IRIS KADE
They stand before Subject-09's emptied stasis pod, the frost still melting off cold steel.
A metallic silence lingers.
Rise and Vero lift the frail body of Subject-09 — respectfully, grimly — and cover it for disposal.
Madison rubs her temple — fatigue, fear, and responsibility blending into a single ache.
[Dr. Iris Kade]:(confused, studying equipment) The cryo systems shouldn't have been functioning after twenty years.
Someone preserved him intentionally. Someone kept this alive.
[MADISON]:Not Someone…Something.
She opens a drawer beside the main console.
Dust spills out, followed by the file she had spotted last episode — brittle, half-eaten, ancient.
A label burned into its cover:
NEURAL AUGMENTATION – SERIES I
LEAD SCIENTIST: DR. ELIRA CROSS
Madison swallows.
Her hands tighten around the file — her mind racing with implications she can't yet process.
She carefully slips the document into a reinforced INN briefcase.
[Agent Vero]:Director? Should we pull out? This place isn't stable.
Before Madison answers—
CRAAAAAACK!
A deep metallic groan tears through the facility.
Dust rains from the ceiling.
Vines twitch like something alive.
The floor trembles beneath their boots.
Everyone freezes.
Rise and Vero grip their weapons instantly, forming defensive positions.
Iris holds her breath, eyes darting across the shadows.
Madison sets the briefcase down silently, draws her sidearm…
Her voice drops to a whisper.
[MADISON]:Positions.No sudden moves.
The cracked walls stretch inwards like a creature inhaling.
A distant mechanical echo —
KRRR—KRRRR—CHK.
Vero whispers.
[AGENT VERO]:That's… not structural.
[AGENT RISE]:That's footsteps.
Madison steadies her aim.
[MADISON]:Eyes sharp. Don't fire unless I say.
Then—
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Something hunts the corridors.
The team braces.
The lights flicker once — dying — plunging the lab into darkness.
---
NEW ATLANTIS – SUBURBAN BLOCK – EVENING
A calm, normal street.
Children cycling.
Old shops closing.
Streetlights humming awake for the night.
It's peaceful.
It shouldn't be.
Because across the road…
Standing perfectly still…
Watching from the shadows…
TWO HYDRA AGENTS.
Helmets dark.
Armor scarred.
Breathing steady.
RAVENSTRIKE
SHARDEYE
Their posture casual — like predators surveying a sleeping herd.
Before them:
A modest apartment building.
Agent Lopez's home.
Ravenstrike examines the window layout like scanning a battlefield map.
Shardeye's mechanical eye clicks softly, zooming in on the balcony.
[SHARDEYE]:(monotone, analytical)
"Thermal readings consistent.
Agent Lopez is inside."
Ravenstrike chuckles quietly.
[RAVENSTRIKE]:Good.
Let him rest.
Makes the fear taste sweeter when it breaks.
Shardeye tilts her head — almost curious.
[SHARDEYE]:We proceed tonight?
Ravenstrike looks at the apartment lights flickering through curtains.
He inhales the calm air — savoring the innocence of the neighborhood like a taunt.
[RAVENSTRIKE] :No.Tonight we watch the lion's den.Tomorrow…we turn it into a graveyard."
Shardeye nods once.
Together, they melt back into the darkness — silent, untraceable.
The street remains the same.
Peaceful.
Unaware.
But danger has taken its first step toward INN's most vulnerable point.
---
NEW ATLANTIS – GOVERNMENT MONITORING ROOM – SAME TIME
Media screens flash headlines:
"INN UNDER INVESTIGATION"
"HYDRA-07 ATTACK EXPOSES SECURITY BREACH"
"PUBLIC DEMAND ANSWERS NOW!"
Government officials exchange heated whispers.
A storm is gathering.
And INN is standing directly beneath lightning.
TO BE CONTINUED....