Not again

Back in the war room, Mia and Alexander stared at the screens, the captured dealer's face displayed prominently as he was interrogated. His eyes were wide with fear, and his lips trembled, but he had already been broken. The information he provided was a goldmine.

"Project Paragon," he muttered repeatedly, as if the name itself held some sort of significance.

Mia exchanged a glance with Alexander. "Not again," she whispered, her throat tightening.

Victor leaned forward, eyes glued to the screen as the dealer continued. "They... they were creating a new kind of weapon. It's not just military technology—they were experimenting on people. They were trying to perfect something... a super soldier, or a genetic prototype. The Paragon project wasn't about control—it was about power."

The words hit Mia like a ton of bricks. Her mind raced, thinking back to Marco's final message. "Mia was the key to something he called Paragon." Had it all been leading to this? Was her involvement in this twisted project the real reason for everything?

"What does this mean for us?" Alexander asked, his jaw set in a hard line.

Victor sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "It means that the Ascendant Order isn't just a criminal organization—they're building an army. And they're using genetic manipulation to do it. Whoever controls Paragon controls everything."

Mia's stomach twisted. "Genetic manipulation? So, they've been experimenting on people… and I'm somehow connected to it?"

Victor nodded, his expression grim. "Yes. It's possible your DNA was part of their research. The more we uncover, the clearer it becomes—they were looking for the perfect combination, the perfect specimen."

Mia could feel a lump form in her throat, but she refused to let it break her. She'd already been through so much—she couldn't let this revelation bring her down now. "So what's next?"

Victor turned back to the screen, zooming in on a document that the dealer had provided. "We need to locate their main laboratory. From the intel we've gathered, they're building a base of operations in an undisclosed location. If we can find that, we can destroy their work before it goes any further."

Mia felt a surge of anger rise within her. The Ascendant Order had already taken so much from her, from Alexander, and from everyone they loved. And now, they were trying to turn people into weapons—abusing genetics to create something monstrous.

She clenched her fists. "Let's find them. Let's end this."