The Calm Before The Storm

The crew worked quickly, the air inside the bunker thick with quiet urgency. Maps were spread across the table, weapons checked and reloaded, escape routes memorized. Each movement was practiced, efficient—there was no room for mistakes.

Maya tapped a section of the blueprint, her voice measured but firm. "This is their bio-research wing. If they have anything on Evie, it'll be locked in their secure database. Problem is, the lab is surrounded by automated defenses and patrolling guards. We'll need precise timing to get in and out without alerting them."

Leon dropped a loaded rifle onto the table, his gaze flicking to Jarad. "Alright, boss. Full frontal or stealth?"

Jarad didn't hesitate. "Stealth. No unnecessary casualties. If we trip an alarm, they'll have time to destroy the data or lock us out."

Leon smirked. "Right. No fun for me, then."

Frieda snorted. "Try not to blow anything up this time, Leon. We actually need the place intact."

Before Leon could fire back, Toni leaned over the map, scanning the blueprint with sharp eyes. "What about access points? Ventilation systems, maintenance shafts?"

Maya nodded, tapping a narrow passage on the layout. "There's a maintenance corridor here. It leads straight to the lab. Problem is, it's heavily monitored. We'll need someone to disable the security systems from inside first."

"I'll do it," Evie said suddenly.

Silence fell. All eyes turned to her.

Jarad stiffened. "No. Absolutely not."

Evie crossed her arms, her jaw tightening. "You need someone who understands their systems, their protocols. I've been inside those labs. I know how they operate."

"She's right," Toni added.

Jarad's glare was immediate. "She's also the reason we're doing this in the first place. If they catch her—"

"They won't." Evie's voice was steady, her eyes unwavering. "I'm not a liability, Jarad. Let me help."

For a moment, no one spoke. The tension between them was almost tangible.

Finally, Jarad exhaled, raking a hand through his hair. "Fine. But you'll have backup. Frieda, you're with her."

Frieda nodded, her expression serious. "Got it."

Jarad swept his gaze across the team. "We hit the lab at night. Minimum personnel, but still enough to be a problem if we're sloppy. Leon, Toni, and I will secure the exit route. Maya, you'll guide us remotely from here."

Maya hesitated, her fingers curling against the table. "There's one more thing." She met Jarad's eyes. "If the ORPHANAGE suspects we're coming, they won't just lock down the lab. They'll send reinforcements."

Jarad's expression darkened. "Then we make sure they never see us coming."

Leon grinned, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. "Now that's more like it."

Jarad turned back to Evie, his voice lowering. "Stay close to Frieda. No heroics. No risks."

Evie's resolve didn't waver. "We'll all make it back, Jarad. Together."

The bunker fell into silence as the crew made their final preparations. Evie tightened the straps of her gear, her pulse steady but quickening. For the first time, she wasn't just a pawn in someone else's game—she was taking control.

As they stepped into the night, the cold air biting at their faces, the team moved as one—silent, focused, and ready.

The ORPHANAGE had taken everything from them.

Now, it was time to take something back.

---

The Approach

The journey to the ORPHANAGE facility was long, the tension thickening with every step. The team moved through the outskirts of the Dome, their boots muffled against the damp earth. Overhead, the artificial sky cast a pale glow, the distant hum of drones slicing through the silence.

Jarad took point, his sharp gaze scanning the path ahead. Maya's voice crackled in his earpiece. "You're two clicks out. Satellite feeds show minimal patrols outside, but that could change fast."

"Understood," Jarad murmured. He motioned for the others to spread out.

Evie stayed close to Frieda, her fingers brushing against the cold metal of her sidearm. Despite her outward confidence, a knot of tension sat in her stomach. The last time she had been near this place, she was a prisoner. Now, she was the intruder.

Frieda nudged her. "You good?"

Evie exhaled slowly. "Yeah."

Ahead, Leon crouched near a ridge, peering through the scope of his rifle. "Got eyes on the target. Main facility's quiet. A little too quiet."

Jarad joined him, scanning the complex through his binoculars. The ORPHANAGE's facility loomed in the distance, a fortress of steel and glass. Guards patrolled the perimeter in calculated intervals, their movements precise, methodical. Cameras swept the area, but none seemed out of place.

Toni knelt beside him. "No signs of heightened security. Either they don't know we're coming…"

"Or they're waiting," Jarad finished grimly.

Maya's voice came through again. "I'm patching into their comms now. Give me a minute."

The team hunkered down, waiting. The only sounds were the distant buzz of machinery and the quiet rustle of wind through dead foliage. Evie's breath slowed as she focused, mentally mapping the facility in her mind. Every hallway, every lab, every place she had been held—she remembered them all.

Jarad's hand suddenly lifted, signaling for silence. The team went still.

A guard near the west entrance stopped mid-patrol, his head tilting slightly.

Then, slowly, he turned and walked away.

Leon exhaled. "Didn't even look up. Either we're lucky, or—"

Maya's voice cut in, tense. "I'm in. And we have a problem. Security logs show increased data transfers in the last hour. Someone inside is moving files."

Jarad's eyes narrowed. "They're wiping the system."

Evie's pulse jumped. "That means they know we're coming."

Jarad's jaw tightened. "Then we don't have time to wait. Everyone, move."

With that, the crew slipped from the shadows, their mission officially underway.

Failure wasn't an option.

And neither was hesitation.

---

The crew moved like shadows, slipping through the perimeter undetected. Evie's hands trembled slightly as she worked on the access panel, bypassing the outer security with practiced ease.

"I'm in," she whispered.

A soft click echoed in the night as the side door unlocked. Jarad gave a quick nod, and one by one, they vanished into the darkness of the ORPHANAGE facility.

Inside, the air was sterile, the walls a suffocating white. The hum of distant machinery buzzed in their ears as they advanced.

Maya's voice crackled through their earpieces. "You're clear. Take the left hallway, then through the maintenance access."

Evie and Frieda took point, moving swiftly toward the server room. Leon and Toni held position near an emergency exit, ready to cover them.

Everything was going smoothly. Too smoothly.

Then—

Maya's voice cut out.

Static filled their earpieces.

Jarad froze. "Maya? Do you copy?"

Nothing.

Then the lights flickered. Once. Twice. Then the entire hallway plunged into dim red emergency lighting.

Something was wrong.

Toni swore under her breath. "That's not normal, is it?"

Evie's fingers hovered over her wristpad, trying to reconnect. "We lost Maya."

Leon cursed. "Damn it. Either she got cut off, or—"

An automated voice crackled over the facility's speakers.

"Security override activated. Unauthorized access detected."

Jarad's stomach dropped.

The ORPHANAGE knew they were here.

And worse—without Maya, they were blind.