Chapter 6: Project Zero’s Truth

The city was built on a lie.

That was the first thought racing through Nikk's mind as he stared at the data flashing across the old computer screen. The underground safehouse smelled of damp metal and burnt circuits, the only light coming from Bria's terminal as she worked through the encrypted files.

The rest of the crew was gathered around, watching in stunned silence.

"How deep does this go?" Kaya muttered, arms crossed.

Bria's fingers moved quickly, her brows furrowed. "I don't know yet, but this… this isn't just about keeping the city in order. It's about control. They didn't just remove emotions because they were dangerous."

She turned to face them all, her voice lower now. "They removed them because emotions made people unstable. Unpredictable."

"Of course they did," Ace muttered, pacing. "A city without emotions? Perfect for them. No riots. No Rebellion. No love. Just machines in human skin."

Kaya shot him a glance. "You sound surprised. We always knew Project Zero was about controlling the people."

"Yeah, but this…" He gestured at the screens, frustration clear in his voice. "This is bigger. We're talking about rewriting what it means to be human. And we've all been living under it our whole lives."

Thick silence settled in.

They had spent years resisting Novacore, stealing classified intel, sabotaging government operations - but they had never understood the full picture.

Until now.

The files detailed everything.

Project Zero had started decades ago, after the city's leaders determined that emotions were the root of all instability. Wars, crime, revolutions, rebellions - every uprising in history had been fueled by human emotion. The solution? Erase it.

The first experiments were on animals. Mice, Rabbits, Cats all suffered irreparable damage to themselves. The results were mixed. Some survived for a few weeks, some few months. But none lived their full lifespans. Over time they perfected techniques, and experimentation was began on humans.

The first experiments were failures. The human brain rejected artificial suppression. People either went insane or their bodies shut down entirely.

Then came the breakthroughs.

Nanotechnology woven into the bloodstream. Microchips implanted at birth. Chemical suppressants disguised as 'Health Injections' & 'Vaccines'.

One by one, the city's people forgot what it meant to feel.

Children never knew the warmth of a mother's embrace. Lovers never whispered secrets in the dark. No one cried at funerals. No one laughed until their ribs hurt.

They functioned. They obeyed.

And for decades, it had worked.

Until now.

Until her.

Until Tia.

Tia sat in the corner, knees drawn to her chest. She hadn't said a word since the files started loading.

"Nikk," she whispered, calling to the one person who accepted her here.

He turned, seeing the way her hands trembled against her legs.

"They created me," she said, her voice shaking.

The room fell silent.

"They didn't just erase emotions," she continued, her voice hollow. "They studied them. Tried to find a way to control them. And when they couldn't… they made me."

A mistake. An anomaly.

She wasn't supposed to exist.

Ace exhaled sharply. "That's why they locked you up. Why they want you dead."

Tia nodded, hugging herself. "Because I'm…spreading it."

She looked at Nikk, her eyes full of something he couldn't quite possibly name. "I didn't mean to," she whispered.

Nikk crouched in front of her, gripping her shoulders. "It's not you fault."

She searched his face for a long time. Then, almost too softly to hear, she asked, "Whose fault is it then?"

Bria scrolled through the files, her voice growing sharper. "It's not just you, Tia. You're the catalyst, but -" she swallowed, glancing around at the others, "- we're all infected now."

A chill ran through the group.

Pryce leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

Bria pointed at the screen. "The project's failsafe was never about removing emotions permanently. The technology suppresses them, but only as long as the system is stable. Any external disruption - like, say, a person who still feels - can cause a chain reaction."

Nikk's pulse pounded. "So you're saying…?"

"Tia isn't just feeling. She is bringing emotions back. To us. To the whole city."

Ray let out a shaky breath. "That… that explains everything. Why we've been feeling things we shouldn't. Why it's getting stronger the longer we're around her."

Kaya stiffened. "And if the government figures that out…"

"They won't just kill her, " Bria whispered. "They'll wipe us all out."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

They had thought they were just protecting one girl.

But now, they realized the truth:

Tia was a virus.

And if she kept spreading…

The entire system would collapse.

Tia swallowed hard, pressing a hand against her chest.

"I don't want to destroy anything," she said, voice trembling. "I just… I just want to live."

For the first time, she sounded small. Like the weight of the entire city was pressing down on her.

Ray responded, "The government won't let you." His voice was filled with guilt.

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I know."

A few days ago, none of them would have understood. A few days ago, they were just thieves, hackers, rebels, surviving in the cracks of a broken world.

But now?

Now they knew what fear was.

What desperation felt like.

What love could do.

And none of them were ready for what came next.

For the first time, doubt crept into the group.

"We can't run forever," Ace said.

Nikk turned sharply. "What are you saying?"

Ace hesitated. "I'm saying… maybe we don't win this by running."

"We can't fight the entire system," Kaya muttered. "You saw those files. They have fail-safes for everything. Weapons, surveillance, contingency plans."

"So what do we do?" Bria asked.

No one had an answer.

But one thing was certain - they were running out of time.

And soon, someone would have to make a choice.

One that could save Tia.

Or doom them all.