Infiltration

The old industrial district grew darker as Jill, Dr. Park, and Henry drew closer to the government research facility. A large block of concrete and steel, the high fences seemed to have security cameras at every regular interval. The maintenance entrance, on the west side-just as SEA-Z had said was less heavily guarded, but Jill knew better than to underestimate the building's defenses.

When they came to the edge of the fence, Jill stopped them with a raised hand. "Henry, you said that you can get us past guards. How do you intend to do that?" His voice wasn't skeptical but carried an edge of urgency.

Henry smiled, pulling a small device no larger than a deck of cards from his jacket pocket. "This little gizmo puts out a low-frequency EMP burst. It'll knock the cameras and some of the sensors out for a little while. Won't give us a big window, but it should be enough to slip past."

Jill nodded. "All right, but let's keep it quiet. Less disturbance we cause, the better." He said as he didn't want to alert anyone

Dr. Park hung back, a little apprehensive, as she scanned their surroundings. Her head was spinning from everything that had happened over the course of the last few hours. She had gone from a normal day spent in her lab to being chased by some sort of shadowy organization, and now she was about to break into a government facility. It was as if she were living another person's life-someone far more reckless and daring than the scientist she took herself to be.

Henry activated the EMP device and sent a low humming noise into the air. In that quick second, several of the cameras above the maintenance entrance sputtered to a stop, their night vision shutting off, with the red lights on the motion sensors dimming down. Jill motioned for Dr. Park to stay close to him as  started running toward the now-vulnerable maintenance door. He quickly produced a small toolkit from his belt and bypassed the electronic lock.

They slipped inside; the metal door closed behind them with a soft click. The hallway was narrow and dimly lit; the hum of fluorescent lights filled the air above. Jill kept his steps light as they moved down the corridor, heading toward an access staircase that SEA-Z had marked on the facility schematics.

"SEA-Z, keep scanning for any heat signatures," Jill whispered. "We need to avoid patrols.

"Scanning now, Host," SEA-Z replied. "Two guards are stationed on the floor above. They appear to be making regular rounds."

Jill looked back at Dr. Park and Henry. "Stay behind me. If we're spotted, we stick to non-lethal methods. We're here to get to Dr. Grant, not start a fight."

They reached the stairs to the access, and Jill bent forward, peering through a narrow window in the door out onto the upper floor. There they were, the two guards SEA-Z had informed him of pacing back and forth, their footsteps echoing off the silent building. He timed their movements, and when the guards disappeared around a corner, he passed silently through the door, gesturing for the others to do likewise.

As they navigated through the maze of corridors, Jill's senses were on high alert. They hadn't come across any agents from Nexus so far, but he could feel the air thick with tension, like that just before a storm breaks. His instincts whispered to him that they were not the only people interested in Dr. Grant tonight.

"SEA-Z," Jill whispered back as they neared Dr. Grant's lab, "anything about Nexus?

"Negative, Host. No unauthorized personnel present around the perimeter. Still, local network use indicates an external intrusion attempt on this building's security system," SEA-Z replied.

Jill's jaw clenched. "So they're trying to hack their way in. And if they manage to make it past all that.then we will have an ambush on our hands".

They soon arrived at the lab of Dr. Grant, a large room filled with the most sophisticated equipment and busy workstations. Jill could see Dr. Grant himself through the observation window, he is a gray-haired, older man going over some holographic display. He was totally oblivious to the situation unfolding just outside his lab.

Jill carefully opened the lab door and stepped inside, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "Dr. Grant, we don't have much time. We need to get you out of here."

The scientist looked up, startled. "Who are you? How did you get past security?" His eyes darted between Jill, Dr. Park, and Henry, suspicion etched on his face.

"We're here to help," Dr. Park said, stepping forward to stand beside Jill. "I'm Dr. Amelia Park, and this is Jill Alexander. And we have reason to believe you're in danger. Nexus targets scientists like us."

Dr. Grant's face eased a little when he heard Dr. Park's name. "Oh it's you! Amelia Park… how have you been?. But what exactly do you mean by 'Nexus is targeting scientists'? Why would they come after me?"

Henry stepped forward, speaking in urgent tones. "We don't have all the details yet, but they're targeting individuals involved in high-stakes research projects, particularly those with military applications or advanced technologies.

Dr. Grant's face went pale. "If Nexus is after me, then they're looking for something specific," he muttered, turning back to the holographic display where streams of complex data flickered across the screen. "It must be the work I've been doing on quantum energy manipulation.

Before Jill could answer, SEA-Z's voice cut through his mind clear and urgent. "Host, multiple heat signatures closing from the north. ETA to contact: sixty seconds."

"Nexus," Jill said icily as he pulled out his sidearm. "They're here. We need to move on, now!

Jill sprang to the door, peering down the hall. Far away, he saw three figures moving in formation, guns drawn. They moved fast. "SEA-Z, initiate a facility-wide alert," he said. "Make it look like a system malfunction, but keep Nexus distracted.

The instant alarms began to shrill and the facility's emergency lights strobed red, Jill seized Dr. Grant by the arm and tugged him toward a secondary exit. "Stay close to me and move quickly!" he yelped, glancing back toward Henry and Dr. Park. "We head for the rooftop, there's a helipad, we can use it to extract.

They were running down the hall, the Nexus agents closing in not very far behind. Jill's mind was racing, sizing up the situation. If they could only reach the roof, he had an extraction plan, but the route to it was less than uncomplicated. 

As they approached the stairwell leading to the higher levels, Jill heard shots being fired. Bullets whizzed overhead, caroming off the metal walls and barely clearing their heads.

Henry produced a smoke grenade and threw it back down the corridor. A thick stream of smoke belched out, concealing their pursuers from view. "That should buy us some time!" he yelled.

Jill took the lead, bounding up the stairs two at a time, with Dr. Park and Dr. Grant right behind him. The sounds of pursuit echoed below them—Nexus agents shouting orders, the metallic clink of weapons readied. They reached the rooftop door and Jill slammed it open, stepping out into the cold night air.

Before him was the helipad-a large area outlined in darkness by the city's contour. Jill now took a swift glance at the sky, and as if on cue, a small VTOL aircraft approached, blinking its lights. 

"SEA-Z, identify the aircraft," Jill said, squinting his gaze at the craft.

"Identification confirmed," SEA-Z said. "Trusted contact from the Special Response Unit; they're here for extraction.

The aircraft hovered over the helipad, its rear hatch opening as a rope ladder was dropped down. Jill helped Dr. Grant and Dr. Park up first, then climb after them, then Henry last.

The Nexus agents had just burst through the rooftop door, firing a volley of rounds toward the departing VTOL, as they climbed into the aircraft. With the door rumbling shut, the aircraft ascended steeply, leaving the facility-and their pursuers-behind.

Jill took a deep breath in, settling back against the cabin wall as relief washed over him. "We made it… for now," he said, casting a look over at Dr. Grant. "But this isn't over. We need to know exactly what you were working on-and why Nexus wants it so badly.

Dr. Grant turned to Jill, a look of hauntedness in his eyes. "There is something I have not told you," he admitted. "My research… it's part of something much larger. Something called Helix Protocol."

As the VTOL flew off into the night, Jill knew that whatever lay ahead, the danger would surely increase. The more they unraveled Nexus's plans, the deeper they were being dragged down a web of secrets that threatened, if not the lives of a few scientists, then the fate of the world itself.