A Ghost from the Underground

Agent X moved through the darkened streets of Paris, his hood up, blending into the shadows. The city was alive with noise—horns blaring, voices murmuring, the faint hum of distant sirens. But his mind was elsewhere.

He needed firepower.

If he was going after Director Kane and dismantling Echelon, he couldn't do it alone. He needed someone who had no love for the organization. Someone dangerous. Someone who had already been burned by the system.

He needed Matthias Voss.

Voss had once been Echelon's top weapons supplier—until they turned on him. Now, he ran an underground operation, selling arms to whoever had the cash. He was paranoid, ruthless, and unpredictable.

Exactly the kind of ally X needed.

X navigated through an abandoned metro tunnel, following a path only a handful of people knew existed. He reached a rusted maintenance door, knocked twice, then paused before knocking three more times.

Seconds later, the door creaked open, revealing the barrel of a shotgun.

A voice growled from the shadows. "If it isn't the dead man himself."

X smirked. "Nice to see you too, Voss."

The gun lowered, and a man stepped into view. Mid-forties, German, a scar running from his temple to his jaw. His sharp green eyes studied X carefully.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here," Voss said. "Echelon put a price on your head so high, half of Europe is looking for you."

X stepped inside, unfazed. "Then it's a good thing you don't sell to them anymore."

Voss chuckled, locking the door behind them. "That depends. What do you want?"

X's expression hardened.

"I need weapons. A safehouse. And information on Project Revenant."

Voss's smirk vanished.

"Project Revenant?" he repeated, voice lower now. He moved toward a cluttered desk, pushing aside stacks of ammunition and blueprints. "That's a name I haven't heard in years."

X stepped closer. "You know something."

Voss exhaled. "I know it was shut down. Buried. And anyone who got close to it…" He dragged a finger across his throat. "Gone."

X's jaw tightened. "Do you have access to any files?"

Voss hesitated, then pulled open a hidden drawer beneath his desk. He retrieved a small black USB drive and held it up.

"This is all I have. Stolen from an Echelon data vault before they cut me loose. But if you dig too deep, X…" His eyes locked onto X's. "You'll wish they had just killed you."

X took the drive. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

Voss sighed, then smirked. "I figured. Now let's talk firepower."

Twenty minutes later, X was suited up.

A modified HK416 assault rifle, suppressed and customized for urban combat. A pair of silenced Glock 19s, perfect for close-quarters execution. A combat knife. Smoke grenades. And a tactical vest lined with extra ammunition.

Voss handed him a burner phone. "Encrypted. I programmed it with only one number—mine."

X took it and pocketed it.

"You really going after Kane?" Voss asked.

X nodded. "I'm going to tear Echelon apart, piece by piece."

Voss grinned. "Then let's make some noise."

As X secured his gear, his phone buzzed. Whisper.

He answered.

"I cracked part of the files," she said, her voice tense. "X, you're not going to believe this. Project Revenant wasn't just about assassins."

X's grip tightened. "Then what was it about?"

Silence.

Then, Whisper said one word.

"Mind control."

X's pulse pounded. "What?"

"Echelon was experimenting with neurological implants—trying to create the perfect assassin, completely obedient, completely untraceable." She paused. "And X… your name isn't just in the files because you were looking into it."

X's breath slowed.

"Your name is there because you were part of it."

Silence filled the room.

Voss frowned. "What is it?"

X didn't answer. His mind was reeling.

Had Echelon done something to him? Was he just another one of their experiments?

His fists clenched.

No.

He wasn't just going to run from the truth.

He was going to burn it to the ground.