Breaking the Code

The motel felt smaller with every passing second. Tricia paced near the window, staring into the night, her thoughts tangled. Dr. Malcolm Voss. The name carried a weight that suffocated her. He wasn't just another piece of the puzzle, he was the architect of everything she had suffered.

Nathan sat at the table, flipping through the last of Maya's files, while Jared checked their weapons. Reed leaned against the far wall, silent. The revelation of Voss had changed everything, but they still had no way to track him.

Then the burner phone on the nightstand buzzed.

Everyone tensed.

Tricia grabbed it, her voice steady despite the dread curling in her stomach. "Who is this?"

A distorted voice crackled through the speaker. "Someone who wants Voss dead as much as you do."

Tricia exchanged glances with Jared before answering, "Then tell me something useful."

The voice hesitated. "You want the location of the main S.O.L.A.C.E. archive? I have it. But there's a price."

Tricia clenched her jaw. "What price?"

"You come alone. Meet me at the old Monroe train depot in one hour."

The line went dead.

Nathan stood. "It's a trap."

"Of course it is," Jared muttered.

Tricia exhaled slowly. "We don't have a choice. If this person really has access to the archives, we might finally have a way to stop Voss."

Reed shook his head. "You walk in there alone, you don't walk out."

Tricia turned to Jared. "Then don't let me go in alone."

The Deal with the Devil

The Monroe train depot was a graveyard of rusted rails and forgotten machinery, cloaked in the eerie glow of flickering streetlights. Tricia walked in first, her boots crunching against the dirt-covered floor. Shadows stretched along the walls, each one a potential threat.

Then she saw him.

A man stood near an abandoned ticket booth, half-hidden in the dark. He wore a hood, his posture rigid. Tricia took another step forward, her hand brushing against the knife strapped to her thigh.

"Show me your face," she demanded.

The man exhaled sharply before pulling back his hood.

Tricia froze.

It was Dr. Lorne.

Jared and Nathan emerged from their hiding spots, guns raised. Lorne barely flinched. His face was gaunt, his usual arrogance dulled by something more desperate.

"You're supposed to be dead," Jared growled.

Lorne's lips twitched. "I've been dead to S.O.L.A.C.E. for a long time. That's why I'm here."

Tricia's mind reeled. Lorne had been their enemy for so long, the scientist responsible for so many horrors. Yet here he was, looking less like a villain and more like a hunted man.

"You have five seconds to tell me why I shouldn't kill you," she said coldly.

Lorne raised his hands. "Because I'm the only one who can get you into Voss's archive."

Nathan's finger hovered over the trigger. "Why would you betray him now?"

Lorne hesitated. His eyes, sharp even under exhaustion, met Tricia's.

"Because I finally understand what he's planning," Lorne said. "And if you don't stop him, he won't just erase your past, Tricia. He'll erase your future."

A chill ran down her spine.

"Explain."

Lorne exhaled. "Voss isn't just continuing the experiments. He's evolving them. The children S.O.L.A.C.E. used before? They were trials. You? You were the blueprint. But the final product?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "It's already in motion."

Jared stepped closer. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Lorne swallowed. "I can't say more here. The moment I turned against him, I became a loose end. He has people everywhere. We have to move,"

A gunshot rang out.

Lorne stiffened, his eyes widening in shock before blood bloomed across his chest. He collapsed.

"Sniper!" Nathan shouted.

Tricia dove for cover as more bullets tore through the station. Jared fired back, but the shooter was well-hidden.

Lorne gasped, blood trickling from his lips. Tricia crawled to him, pressing a hand against his wound.

"Where is the archive?" she demanded.

Lorne coughed violently. His shaking hand reached for the inside of his jacket. He pulled out a blood-stained flash drive and shoved it into her grip.

His voice was barely a whisper.

"Voss… is already one step ahead."

His body went limp.

Voss had just silenced his own man.

Which meant Lorne wasn't lying.

And now, they had the key to breaking the code.