Nowhere Left to Run

The city lights blurred in the side mirror as Jared's car sped down the empty highway. Tricia sat in the passenger seat, gripping the flash drive so tightly that her knuckles turned white. The weight of what she had uncovered still pressed against her chest, Project S.O.L.A.C.E. wasn't just some secret operation. It was about her.

Lana had tried to control her. Carter had tried to use her. And now, someone else, someone even more powerful, had been pulling the strings from the beginning.

Jared glanced at her. "You're quiet."

Tricia exhaled sharply, shifting in her seat. "I'm thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

She turned to face him. "How screwed we are."

Jared smirked, but there was no humor in his eyes. "Yeah, well, I figured that out when we left a body behind in a penthouse and a laptop full of classified information."

Tricia sighed, rubbing her temples. "We need to disappear, at least for a while. If they find us now, we're dead."

Jared nodded. "Already on it."

He tapped the GPS, rerouting their course. Tricia watched as the familiar roads gave way to the outskirts, the buildings thinning out until they were surrounded by nothing but darkness and distant hills.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Someplace off the map," Jared replied. "A friend of mine has a cabin in the woods. No cameras, no cell towers, nothing that can track us."

Tricia arched a brow. "A friend?"

Jared chuckled. "Alright, fine. A guy I once worked with. Let's just say he owes me for not putting a bullet in his skull a few years back."

Tricia smirked despite the tension. "Charming."

Jared's expression turned serious again. "We won't have long before they realize we've gone dark. We need to figure out what's on that flash drive and what the hell Project S.O.L.A.C.E. really is before they find us."

She nodded, gripping the drive tighter. "Then let's hope your 'friend' still considers himself in your debt."

Off the Grid

Hours later, the car rolled to a stop deep in the woods. The cabin was barely visible, nestled between thick trees, with no sign of modern technology anywhere.

Jared killed the engine and turned to her. "Last chance to back out."

Tricia shot him a look. "We both know that's not happening."

He grinned. "Didn't think so."

They stepped out, the cold air biting at their skin. Jared led the way to the door and knocked twice in a specific rhythm. A few seconds later, the sound of locks clicking echoed through the silence.

The door creaked open, revealing a man in his late forties with sharp eyes and a scar running down his cheek. He studied them for a moment before stepping aside.

"Didn't expect to see you again," he muttered to Jared. "And definitely not with company."

Jared smirked. "Yeah, well, desperate times."

The man's gaze flickered to Tricia. "Who's she?"

Jared hesitated before answering. "She's the reason I'm still breathing. And the reason we need a place to stay."

The man let out a slow breath, then stepped aside. "Come in. But if you bring trouble to my doorstep, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in both of you."

Tricia nodded. "Fair enough."

Planning the Next Move

The cabin was small but well-equipped, canned food, a wood-burning stove, and enough security measures to suggest that its owner had spent years looking over his shoulder.

Jared tossed his bag onto the table. "We need to lay low for a few days. Maybe a week."

The man, who Jared finally introduced as Reed, crossed his arms. "And in return?"

Jared grinned. "I didn't collect the favor you still owe me."

Reed muttered something under his breath but didn't argue. "Fine. But don't make me regret it."

Tricia sat at the table, pulling out the flash drive. "I need a computer."

Reed raised a brow. "What's on it?"

She met his gaze. "Something people are willing to kill for."

Reed studied her for a moment, then walked over to a locked chest in the corner. He unlocked it and pulled out an old but functional laptop. "It's not connected to the internet. Safe enough?"

Tricia nodded, taking it. She plugged in the flash drive and waited as the files loaded. Jared leaned over her shoulder while Reed hovered nearby, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

The same Project S.O.L.A.C.E. folder appeared. Tricia clicked through, scanning the files again.

But this time, she found something new.

A hidden file. Encrypted.

Her heart pounded. "This wasn't here before."

Jared frowned. "Can you open it?"

Tricia's fingers hovered over the keyboard. "I can try."

She typed in the decryption command and waited.

Seconds stretched into minutes.

Then, the screen flickered, and a single image appeared.

A photograph.

It showed a young girl, no older than ten, standing between two men in lab coats. She had dark hair, piercing eyes…

And she looked exactly like Tricia.

She felt the blood drain from her face.

Jared stiffened beside her. "Tell me that's not,"

"It's me," Tricia whispered. "But I don't remember this. I don't remember any of this."

Reed let out a low whistle. "Looks like you just found out what they were really hiding."

Tricia swallowed hard. "This isn't just about who I am. It's about what they did to me."

She turned to Jared, her voice steady but filled with quiet rage. "We need to find out everything. Who ran this project. Who funded it. And why I was part of it."

Jared nodded. "And then?"

Tricia clenched her fists. "Then we burn it all to the ground."

Nowhere Left to Run,But Not Afraid to Fight

She had spent too long being hunted, too long looking over her shoulder.

Now, she knew the truth was out there, hidden, buried beneath layers of deception and erased memories.

She had nowhere left to run.

But for the first time, she wasn't running.

She was coming for them.