The ventilation shaft was tight, rusted, and barely held their weight. Each movement sent metallic creaks echoing through the tunnel. They were escaping, but not unnoticed.
Behind them, Graves' men were already trying to track their movement.
Raven whispered, "Where does this thing lead?"
X didn't have an answer. "Anywhere but back there."
The air grew thicker, damp, and stale. The further they crawled, the hotter it became.
Then—a dead end.
A grated exit below them, covered in grime and rust. X tested it. Bolted shut.
"Damn it," Raven muttered. "We can't turn back."
X drew his silenced pistol and aimed at the bolts.
POP. POP. POP.
The metal groaned before finally giving way.
X and Raven dropped down into the unknown.
They landed in a dark, flooded corridor. The floor was covered in shallow, murky water that rippled with their every step.
It didn't feel like part of the old tunnels. This was older. Forgotten.
Raven glanced around. "Where the hell are we?"
X scanned the surroundings. Crumbling stone pillars. Faded markings on the walls.
Not just tunnels. A hidden underground facility.
Then—a noise.
A soft mechanical hum.
X raised his pistol. They weren't alone.
A shadow moved. A figure emerged from the darkness.
X tensed. Not a soldier. Not a mercenary.
A scientist.
The man—thin, nervous, in a torn lab coat—stared at them with wide eyes. "You're not with them."
X didn't lower his gun. "Who are you?"
The scientist hesitated, then whispered, "My name is Dr. Elias Kessler. I used to work for Echelon."
Raven narrowed her eyes. "Used to?"
Kessler swallowed hard. "I defected. I've been hiding down here for years."
X didn't trust him. But something about the fear in the man's eyes was real.
Kessler continued, voice trembling. "You—you're Agent X, aren't you?"
X stayed silent.
The scientist took a shaky breath. "I know what they did to you."
X's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Kessler hesitated. Then—he stepped aside, revealing a metal hatch in the floor.
"What's down there?" X demanded.
Kessler looked at him. "The truth about your creation."
Silence.
X felt a cold knot form in his chest.
Raven glanced at him. "This could be a trap."
X knew that. But something inside him needed to know.
He took a breath—and pulled the hatch open.
Darkness yawned below. A descent into the past.