The Rolls-Royce glided smoothly down the sunlit highway. Ethan sat quietly in the front passenger seat, staring out at the passing treeline, while Madison remained silent in the back.
As Jake adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, Ethan's eyes caught a flash of raw, discolored flesh along his left wrist—a fresh, nasty chemical burn.
"What happened to your hand?" Ethan asked, breaking the silence.
Madison leaned forward from the backseat, her sharp gaze instantly dropping toward Jake's left palm.
Jake didn't turn his head. "You were gone for quite a while..."
Ethan offered a faint nod, letting the dodge slide for a moment.
"Ethan," Madison spoke up, her voice laced with concern. "I saw a breaking news alert. A massive explosion occurred in the Northern region of Ottawa."
Ethan nodded again.
"Was that related to you?" she asked directly.
Ethan shook his head. "I was there... but I didn't trigger it. Whatever brought that place down happened while I was running through the escape tunnels."
Madison nodded, digesting his words. "What kind of place was it?"
Ethan stared out the windshield, pausing as he pieced together his blurred memories. "It looked like an isolated village on the surface. Suddenly, an injection struck my neck... and the next thing I knew, I woke up strapped to a chair. Underneath the village, it was a massive subterranean facility."
He trailed off, a cold shadow passing over his eyes.
"Whatever happened down there after that..." Ethan murmured, "I have no idea of it."
Madison nodded softly, choosing not to push him further.
"You did well, Ethan," Jake said suddenly, his tone grave.
Ethan turned to look at him in surprise, and even Madison glanced up from the backseat.
"That place was the backbone of Loop's operational power," Jake continued, watching the road ahead. "With that place destroyed and its experimental data vaporized, Loop has suffered a catastrophic blow."
Ethan nodded slowly, So that creature... it was an experiment. The mutant that Hayato fought. Ethan thought.
Experimental data...? That place...? Madison thought.
"However," Jake added, his knuckles tightening slightly against the leather wheel, "Loop will launch a desperate search to recover any surviving research. And they won't be the only ones. Other factions will step into the ashes to hunt for that research as well."
Ethan frowned. "Why? Was that research really that important?"
Jake glanced sideways at Ethan, giving a firm nod. "The data itself is priceless. But more than that, the location itself held immense historic value."
"How?" Ethan pressed. "Why is that specific place so important?"
Jake's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, his eyes locking on Madison. He didn't speak further.
So he won't speak while I'm listening? Madison thought, her eyes narrowing as she glared back at his reflection.
Ethan noticed the tense exchange in the mirror and realized the issue. "It's fine, Jake. You can speak in front of her."
Jake let out a faint, quiet breath, a fleeting smirk touching his lips. "Very well."
He adjusted his position, his voice dropping into a measured narrative cadence.
"To understand that facility, we have to turn back the clock... nearly thirty years."
Madison listened attentively. Thirty years ago...?
Even Ethan sat up straight, focusing entirely on Jake's words.
"...There was a man named Philip," Jake began. After a short pause, he continued, "The man was an absolute lunatic—the literal definition of a mad scientist. He originally worked directly under that Threat... the one I told you about before."
Ethan gave a silent nod.
A threat? Jake told Ethan about it? Madison thought.
"That isolated village north of Ottawa... Canada was a peaceful country even back then," Jake explained. "No one expected it—not even the Canadian government. No one realized that The Greater Threat had established a hidden forward base right there in the northern wilderness."
Ethan and Madison absorbed the historical reveal in complete silence.
"It was rumored that the village was originally built by a group of refugees who migrated from an ancient, off-the-map city called Heronics," Jake continued. "Those migrants built a secluded community completely cut off from the outside world. But by the time the authorities finally discovered its existence, the entire village was already in ruins."
Heronics...? Ethan thought, the name striking a deep chord in his mind.
"Professor Philip took over those ruins, converted the underground sector into his primary headquarters, and aided the Threat in every way he could," Jake said, glancing briefly at Ethan. "Later on, Mr. Beast launched a direct strike against the complex with his squadron. They crushed Philip's forces and captured the professor himself."
Jake paused, letting the weight of the name linger. "After securing the area, Beast deployed to other battlefronts, leaving John Levi behind to manage the territory. And John Levi... as you know... eventually went on to found Loop."
So that's the true origin of the Syndicate... Madison thought, her mind racing.
"John Levi took Professor Philip under his wing," Jake said. "That facility became Loop's very first headquarters. Years later, as the organization expanded, it was designated as the Second Branch, and two additional primary headquarters were constructed."
Ethan processed the intelligence quickly. So Loop has two remaining major strongholds... on top of the First Branch.
"As the years went by, Philip grew old," Jake continued. "However, he had a daughter whom he raised as his apprentice. Some say that she was an adopted child. Whatever the truth of her origins was, her capabilities were on par, if not better than his own, and Philip officially acknowledged her as his successor."
"A few years ago," Jake concluded, "his daughter took over his position entirely... rising through the ranks until she claimed the title of Number 3."
Number 3...? Ethan's eyes widened in realization. I remember seeing 'Number 3' stamped on the security doors in the lower levels. That entire lab belonged to her... So that woman... she was Philip's daughter all along.
Madison brought him back to the present. "What happened to the father? Where is Philip now?"
"Nobody knows," Jake replied smoothly.
"Is he dead?" Ethan asked.
"Dead or alive... his current status remains a complete blank," Jake said.
Ethan leaned in slightly. "Jake... who was The Greater Threat? Who were they working for thirty years ago?"
Madison's attention peaked, her breath catching as she waited for the answer.
Jake glanced at Ethan through the mirror, his expression completely blank. "Remember, Ethan... one question at a time."
Ethan clicked his tongue, nodding reluctantly.
"One question?!" Madison echoed incredulously.
Ethan turned his head toward her. "That's the deal we made. Jake answers one question every time we meet."
Madison glared at the back of Jake's head with pure irritation. Leaning forward over the center console, she leaned close to Ethan's ear and whispered in a low, sharp tone, "Do you honestly trust this guy?"
Ethan stared back at Jake's composed profile, unable to give an immediate answer.
Madison's voice dropped even lower, laced with deep warning. "This guy is far more suspicious than any of those scientists or villages, Ethan."
Ethan looked at her, offering a slow, quiet nod. "I know."