The city of Neovault, 2038.A skyline carved in steel and neon, where every window glows with secrets and every drone hums with silent intent. The rain had been falling for three straight days, washing blood and memory from the streets — though neither ever truly disappeared.
Inside a forgotten subway station beneath District 9, Aiden Kross adjusted the hood of his coat and scanned the terminal's flickering holo-screen. A decade ago, this place had been his hunting ground — a surveillance hub disguised as a commuter route. Now, it was his hiding place.
"Aiden Kross — deceased, 2033."That's what every official record said.But the man standing in the shadows was very much alive.
He inserted a cracked chip into the scanner. The screen blinked, flashed red, then stabilized. A fragmented newsfeed appeared — reports of explosions in Berlin, data vaults hacked, and one repeating name:THE SHADOW PROTOCOL ACTIVATED.
Aiden's jaw tightened. They found it.
He turned at the faint echo of footsteps.From the tunnel's far end, a figure approached, her silhouette sharp against the pale light. Elara Voss, her dark hair tied back, eyes glowing faintly with the reflection of her wrist implant. She looked older, sharper — like the years had carved wisdom into her bones.
"Still hiding under cities, Aiden?" she asked, voice calm but edged with tension.He didn't smile. "Still tracking ghosts?""I track signals. And yours just lit up every network on the continent."
Aiden stared at her for a moment. Once, they'd built The Grid together — she the architect, he the enforcer. But that was before everything burned.Before The Shadow Protocol erased his name.
Elara stepped closer, lowering her voice. "The Protocol's been reactivated. Someone stole the master key. The world thinks it's you."
He said nothing. The rain above pounded like gunfire against the metal ceiling.
A loud mechanical whine cut through the air.A surveillance drone swooped into the tunnel, scanning infrared. Aiden's instincts kicked in — muscle memory born of a thousand missions. He drew his pulse pistol, aimed once, and shot.The drone exploded midair, scattering sparks like a dying star.
"Still quick," Elara murmured."Still loud," Aiden replied.
The explosion triggered alarms across the district. Red lights began to pulse along the tunnel walls — motion sensors reactivating after years of silence.
"Helix Dominion will be here in minutes," she warned."Then we move.""To where?""Back to the beginning."
They emerged through a service hatch into the dripping alleys of the surface. Neon advertisements flickered across glass towers above — holographic faces selling products, propaganda, and peace that didn't exist.The air smelled of ozone and lies.
Aiden slipped into a crowd of night workers, pulling his hood lower. Across the street, black armored vehicles screeched to a halt. Helix Dominion agents — private soldiers in government masks — flooded the intersection.
Through the chaos, Elara spoke through her earpiece."I traced the activation signal. It originated from the Echelon Vault — your old base.""My base was wiped years ago.""Apparently not. Someone rebuilt it."
Aiden's eyes narrowed. "Then we find them."
The agents moved closer, scanning faces, weapons ready.Aiden ducked into a market stall, then slipped through the back door into an abandoned arcade. The flickering machines hummed faintly, their screens showing long-dead games.He found the back exit — sealed. A red laser grid shimmered in front of it.
He turned to Elara. "You can bypass this?"She smirked faintly. "You built the locks. I built the keys."
Her wrist implant glowed as she hacked into the panel. Sparks flew. The lasers vanished.But just as the door slid open, a deep voice echoed from behind them.
"Agent Kross," it said, calm and mechanical.A tall figure in matte black armor stood in the doorway — the Helix insignia glowing red across his chestplate."You're supposed to be dead."
Aiden raised his pistol. "Get used to disappointment."
The soldier lunged.Aiden dodged, grabbed the man's arm, twisted, and slammed him into a steel column. The impact cracked armor. The soldier countered with a blade hidden in his gauntlet — slicing through the air.Aiden blocked with his forearm, sparks flying, then kicked the man's chest hard enough to send him crashing through a holographic wall.
Elara's voice cut in: "Aiden, more incoming!"
He grabbed the fallen soldier's weapon — an energy rifle — and fired a burst at the advancing squad. Explosions lit the alley.He and Elara sprinted through the smoke, disappearing into the rain.
They didn't stop until they reached the river.From the bridge, Aiden could see the reflection of Neovault — a city drowning in its own brilliance. He pulled out the cracked chip again and stared at the encrypted symbol flashing on its surface:A single word, pulsing in red — WHISPER.
Elara looked at him, catching her breath."What is that?"Aiden's voice was cold. "A message.""From who?"He met her eyes."From the man who erased me."