The others

There were others.

The folder was thick, filled with reports, surveillance images, and classified documents bearing the insignia of S.O.L.A.C.E. Some were marked "Deceased." Others were labeled "Unaccounted For." But what made her pulse hammer was the third category, "Active."

She flipped through the pages, absorbing the names and faces of those who had survived.

Gabriel Knox. Casey Lin. Rowan Asher. Joseph Anderson.

The list went on.

"They weren't just experiments," Jared said grimly. "They were survivors. Like you."

Tricia's fingers tightened around the paper. "And they're still out there."

Jared nodded. "Some of them, yeah. We don't know how many are alive, but S.O.L.A.C.E. does. And if they know, they're either using them… or eliminating them."

Tricia's mind raced. She had spent so long fighting her own battles, convinced she was alone. But she wasn't. There were others who had lived through the same nightmare. Others who might have answers, who might have suffered even more than she had.

She pushed the file aside. "Where do we start?"

Jared exhaled. "Gabriel Knox. Last confirmed sighting was in Warsaw two months ago. He's been off the grid since, but I have a contact who might know more."

Tricia grabbed her jacket. "Then we find him before S.O.L.A.C.E. does."

Warsaw was cold, the streets lined with frost and shadows. Tricia and Jared moved quickly, weaving through the crowds, their breath visible in the night air. They had arranged to meet Jared's contact at a rundown café near the river, a place where secrets were traded like currency.

The contact, a wiry man with deep-set eyes, slid into the booth across from them. He didn't bother with pleasantries. "You're looking for Knox."

Tricia nodded. "Where is he?"

The man hesitated. "Knox doesn't want to be found. And if you're looking for him, you're either a friend or a threat."

Jared pulled out a thick envelope and slid it across the table. "Consider this an incentive."

The man took it, flipping through the bills before pocketing them. He leaned in. "Last I heard, Knox was holed up in an old train depot outside the city. But you won't like what you find."

Tricia narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

The man's expression darkened. "Because he's not alone."

Reunion in Ruins

The train depot was abandoned, covered in rust and overgrowth. Tricia and Jared moved cautiously, weapons drawn. The intel had been vague, but one thing was certain, Knox was here.

A sudden movement in the shadows.

Jared barely had time to react before a figure lunged at him, knife flashing. He blocked the attack, shoving his assailant back, and Tricia aimed her gun.

"Stop!" she ordered.

The attacker hesitated. He was tall, his face partially hidden by a hood, but his eyes, sharp and calculating, locked onto hers.

Then, recognition flickered.

"You're Tricia," he said, his voice low.

Her grip on the gun tightened. "And you're Gabriel Knox."

Another movement. More figures emerged from the darkness. A woman with short-cropped hair. A man with a scar running down his cheek.

They weren't just survivors.

They were a unit.

And Tricia had just walked into their stronghold.