Chapter 5: Into the Abyss

The night air was thick with anticipation. Darius stood in the cold, his breath visible in the darkened street as he surveyed the city from the rooftop. The night was still, but his thoughts raced. He could almost feel the pull of the unknown, the creeping realization that the final stretch of his journey had begun. The facility in the mountains was no ordinary base—it was a fortress, and inside it, the answers to everything he had been searching for.

But at what cost?

Isla had been preparing for the mission for hours, pulling together weapons, gear, and the small team Quinn had reluctantly agreed to assist them with. Darius had barely spoken since the decision was made. It was hard to focus on anything other than the overwhelming need to find his daughter. His mind kept going back to Evelyn—her face, her voice, the memories of her smile. The image of her being part of this experiment tore at him.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the soft click of boots on the rooftop. Isla appeared next to him, her face lit by the glow of distant city lights. Her expression was unreadable, but the tension in her posture told him everything he needed to know. She was ready—but ready for what, exactly?

"We're good to go," Isla said, her voice steady despite the weight of the task ahead. "Quinn's setting up the final details with the team. We leave in twenty minutes."

Darius nodded, his gaze fixed on the horizon. He wasn't sure what he was feeling anymore—fear, anger, determination, guilt. Perhaps all of them, swirling together. But no matter the emotion, there was one thing that was certain: there was no turning back.

"I don't trust Quinn," Darius muttered, his voice low.

Isla's gaze softened for a brief moment, but only for a moment. She knew Darius wasn't just talking about Quinn's skills or trustworthiness. It was deeper. It was about the nature of the world they were stepping into. The stakes were too high, the risks too great. Darius had always been a man who preferred to work alone, but now, in the face of something larger than himself, he had to rely on others—on Quinn, on Isla. He was no longer just fighting for his own survival. He was fighting for his family.

"I don't trust him either," Isla said, her voice tinged with a rare honesty, "but he's our best shot. The organization has eyes everywhere. If we're going to make it inside, we need him. No one else has the skills to hack their systems and get us in."

Darius turned to her, his face hard. "I'll handle the rest."

Isla studied him for a moment, and then nodded. She reached into her jacket and pulled out a small device, handing it to him. "Take this. It's a tracker. Just in case. If something goes wrong, you'll need to get out, and we'll need to know where you are."

Darius took the device, weighing it in his hand before slipping it into his pocket. "I don't plan on needing it."

Isla gave him a small, tight smile. "I hope you're right."

Without another word, they descended the fire escape and made their way to the waiting vehicles. Quinn's team was already assembled, a group of hardened mercenaries who, like Quinn, operated in the shadows. The plan was simple: infiltrate the abandoned military base, locate the server containing the data on Subject Zero, and extract it.

But nothing ever went according to plan.

Hours later.

The mountain road was treacherous, winding and narrow, surrounded by thick trees and jagged rocks. The black SUV cut through the darkness like a silent predator, the headlights barely cutting through the dense fog that had settled over the area. Darius sat in the back, his mind sharp despite the weariness that threatened to set in. Isla sat beside him, her eyes glued to the map on her tablet, while Quinn was at the wheel, occasionally muttering to himself as he navigated the rough terrain.

The facility was just up ahead.

Darius felt a tightening in his chest as they approached the entrance—a rusted, overgrown gate hidden behind a thicket of trees. The gate was the first physical barrier, but he knew there would be more. Much more.

As Quinn slowed the vehicle to a stop, Darius didn't waste any time. He grabbed his gear, strapping on his tactical vest. He could hear the faint hum of generators in the distance—the kind of noise that meant the facility was still operational. Still guarded. He was right.

"We're here," Quinn said, his voice low. "We'll be on foot from here."

Isla nodded, already stepping out of the vehicle, her face focused. Darius followed her, his senses on high alert. Every movement was deliberate, calculated. They couldn't afford to make a single mistake.

The team moved quickly, using the cover of the trees to approach the perimeter. The facility loomed ahead—an eerie structure, with cold, grey walls and darkened windows. There were no signs of activity, but that didn't mean it was empty. The organization was never that careless.

The closer they got, the more Darius's instincts screamed at him to turn back. Something wasn't right. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He glanced at Isla, who seemed to be sensing it too, but she didn't say anything. There was no room for hesitation now. They had to keep moving forward.

They reached the main entrance, a large, rusted door sealed shut. Quinn approached, pulling out a small device and attaching it to the door's control panel. The device blinked a few times, and then—

Click.

The door slowly creaked open.

They moved inside, and the darkness enveloped them.

Inside the Facility

The air was stale and thick with the scent of dust and decay. The corridor ahead was dimly lit by flickering overhead lights. Darius's boots echoed off the concrete floor as they made their way through the hallways, the sound amplifying in the oppressive silence.

They were deep in the heart of the base now. Every turn, every step, felt like they were getting closer to something horrible. And Darius couldn't shake the feeling that the organization had been expecting them.

He glanced over his shoulder at Quinn, who was hacking into the security system as they moved. "How much further?" Darius asked, his voice tight.

Quinn didn't look up, his fingers moving quickly over his device. "About five hundred meters. The server room is in the next wing."

Darius nodded, gripping his weapon tighter as they continued on.

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from behind them. Darius spun, his gun raised—but there was nothing. No sound. No movement.

Then, a voice.

"Darius."

He froze. The voice was familiar. Too familiar.

Turning slowly, Darius saw her. Evelyn. But she wasn't alone. She was standing in the doorway of a dimly lit room, her face expressionless. She wasn't the little girl he remembered. No, this was someone else—someone... changed.

"Evelyn?" Darius whispered, his heart racing. "What have they done to you?"

Her eyes were cold, empty. "You should have stayed away, Father."

Before he could say another word, a blast of gunfire rang out from the shadows.

End of Chapter 5