Phase Two

Smoke and ash hung heavy in the air as Mia and Alexander stared at the smoldering ruins of Marco's lab. The ground beneath them trembled from the aftershocks of the explosion, but the true weight pressing down on Mia's chest was the lingering echo of Marco's words.

"You were never meant to be just an observer in all this…"

Mia shivered despite the heat from the fire. What had Marco meant? What had she unknowingly been a part of?

Alexander pulled her close, his touch grounding her. "It's over," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Marco's finished."

Mia wanted to believe that. She wanted to hold onto the relief in his voice. But deep down, a gnawing fear told her that this wasn't the end.

Victor and the rest of the team moved quickly, securing the perimeter, making sure there were no survivors from Marco's twisted experiments. Subject 47 stood among them, his face unreadable as he watched the wreckage.

Mia approached him cautiously. "You saved me," she said softly.

47's gaze flickered to hers. "You saved me first."

Before she could respond, Victor walked up to them, a grim look on his face.

"We need to talk."

Alexander straightened. "What is it?"

Victor hesitated, his fingers tightening around the tablet in his hands. "Before the explosion, I managed to pull a final data transfer from Marco's mainframe. It's… disturbing."

He turned the screen toward them. Rows of encrypted files scrolled across the display, but one folder was highlighted in red.

Project Paragon: Phase Two

Mia's breath hitched. "Phase Two?"

Victor nodded. "Marco wasn't just experimenting on random people. He had a specific target in mind."

He tapped the screen, pulling up a list of genetic profiles. As the data loaded, Mia's stomach twisted into knots. Her name was at the top.

Mia Kingston – Primary Subject

Alexander's entire body went rigid. "What the hell is this?"

Victor exhaled sharply. "Marco wasn't just watching Mia. He was planning something with her DNA. Something tied directly to Paragon."

Mia's heart pounded in her chest. "Why me? What was he planning?"

Victor scrolled further, his expression darkening. "We don't have all the answers yet, but whatever he was doing—it wasn't just about revenge against Alexander." He hesitated before adding, "Marco believed Mia was the key to something much bigger."

Alexander immediately pulled Mia behind him. "Whatever Marco planned, it dies with him."

Victor grimaced. "Maybe. But Marco wasn't working alone. There are names in these files—scientists, investors, people who believed in Paragon. Some of them are still out there."

Mia's fingers dug into Alexander's arm. "Then we're not safe."

Alexander's jaw clenched. "We'll find them. We'll end this."

Victor nodded. "I'll start decrypting the rest of the files. But there's more. Marco left one last message before the lab exploded. It's addressed to you, Mia."

Mia's throat went dry.

Victor tapped the screen, and a video played. Marco's face flickered to life, his expression calm, almost amused.

"Ah, Mia. If you're watching this, then you survived. I always knew you would."

She felt a chill crawl down her spine.

"I don't expect you to understand yet," Marco continued. "But you will. You were never just an innocent bystander. You've always been part of this story, whether you wanted to be or not."

Alexander growled under his breath, his grip tightening around Mia's waist.

Marco leaned forward, his smile widening. "And here's the best part—you don't even know the truth about yourself yet."

The screen went dark.

Mia's legs felt weak. Alexander caught her before she could stumble.

"What… what does he mean?" she whispered.

Victor shook his head. "I don't know. But we're going to find out."

Alexander's voice was like steel. "No matter what it takes."

Mia swallowed hard, the weight of Marco's final words settling in her chest.

The battle wasn't over.