Paragon Genesis

Marco's lifeless body slumped to the ground, his mocking smirk frozen in death. The room fell eerily silent, save for the distant echoes of sirens below. Alexander stood over him, his breath steady despite the storm raging inside him.

Victor and the rest of the team entered behind him, surveying the scene.

"It's done," Victor muttered, nudging Marco's body with his boot. "That bastard won't hurt anyone again."

Alexander holstered his gun but didn't relax. His mind replayed Marco's final words—Project Paragon is already in motion.

Mia.

He turned sharply to Victor. "Check his files. His servers. I want to know everything about Paragon—where, who, how."

Victor nodded and signaled the tech team to move in. Laptops were cracked open, cables connected, and within minutes, the team was hacking into Marco's system.

Then, a beep echoed from Marco's pocket.

Alexander knelt and pulled out a sleek black phone. The screen flashed with an incoming message:

"Phase One Complete. Awaiting Next Directive."

Alexander's grip tightened. He had killed the puppet master, but the strings were still moving.

Victor peered over his shoulder. "If there's a 'Phase One,' that means there's a Phase Two."

Alexander clenched his jaw. "And we have no idea what it is."

One of the tech specialists, Erin, looked up from her screen. "Sir, Marco's server is heavily encrypted, but we're finding fragments of an AI-based control system. It looks like… something is still running."

"What kind of system?" Victor asked.

Erin's fingers flew over the keyboard. "Something… autonomous. Like a fail-safe. Marco wasn't lying—Paragon is already in motion."

A cold dread settled over Alexander. "Can you trace it?"

Erin hesitated. "It's bouncing off multiple locations, but one address keeps repeating in the codes. A lab facility… offshore." She turned the screen so Alexander and Victor could see. The address was vague, but one word stood out in the metadata.

"Paragon Genesis."

Alexander's pulse quickened. "Mia."

Suddenly, another beep came from Marco's phone. This time, it wasn't a message. It was a video feed.

Victor's breath hitched. "It's live."

Alexander swiped the screen, and the video expanded. The feed was dark, grainy, but as the camera adjusted, Alexander's blood ran cold.

Mia.

She was inside a glass-walled room, unconscious on a medical bed. Wires were attached to her arms, a monitor beeping beside her. A figure moved in the background, a scientist in a white lab coat adjusting a syringe filled with a glowing blue liquid.

Then, a distorted voice crackled through the feed.

"You thought killing Marco would stop this? You have no idea what you've just begun."

The screen went black.

Alexander's heart slammed against his ribs. Mia wasn't safe.