Phantom of the Past

Location: Classified Military Airspace, En Route to Skye

The stealth jet cut through clouds like a silent predator. Damien sat rigid in his seat, eyes locked on the flickering image of Ezekiel Voss captured from the Site 17 facility. His fingers curled into fists.

Ezekiel Voss. A ghost. A name buried in military conspiracy theories and forbidden Kane archives.

"How is he still alive?" Raven muttered from the co-pilot's seat.

"He isn't," Damien said coldly. "Not in the way we remember. That man died ten years ago in the Siege of Velcrest. Or so the world believes."

"But someone resurrected his ideology," Nora's voice came from the secure comm link. "Or worse—he planned this disappearance himself."

Damien's mind raced through decades of classified briefings, cross-border military reports, and Kane family secrets. Voss had once been a military tactician—brilliant, ruthless, and loyal to no one. He vanished after orchestrating a coup that had almost torn Tavara in half.

Only one person had ever defeated him.

Damien's father.

---

Location: Kane Family Archives, Hidden Wing – Skye

Nora stood alone in a cold vault, her breath visible in the air. Ancient tomes and biometric-locked cases lined the walls. She had overridden access with Damien's DNA and her own retinal signature.

She pulled a worn dossier from a hidden compartment.

Ezekiel Voss – Project Revenant

Her eyes scanned hastily scribbled notes. Biological augmentation. Neural preservation. Tactical foresight models. A project buried by the United Forces after deeming it too dangerous.

But Voss hadn't just survived. He'd become the contingency plan for global domination.

> "He embedded himself inside military AI," she whispered.

Nora slammed the file shut. "He's not just a man anymore. He's a system."

---

Location: Tavara's Southern Coast – Abandoned Radar Station

A group of hooded figures gathered around a pulsing terminal. One of them—taller, posture rigid, face hidden by a steel mask—watched the projected image of Damien departing Site 17.

"He's found the trail," the masked figure said, voice hollow but calm.

"Shall we activate Protocol Nemesis?" another asked.

"Not yet," replied the leader. "Let him think he's winning. It will make his downfall more poetic."

He turned to the others.

"The era of families… kings… and thrones is over. We are the dawn of something beyond bloodlines."

Behind him, an enormous mural came into focus—of Ezekiel Voss, cloaked in shadows, eyes glowing like an artificial god.

---

Location: Damien's Private Command Chamber – Skye Fortress

As the jet touched down, Damien walked straight into the war room. Nora met him at the door, dossier in hand.

"Voss isn't working alone," she said. "There's a faction loyal to his system. A self-governing intelligence network with protocols none of us have access to."

Damien scanned the pages. "What do they want?"

"Not dominance," Nora whispered. "Erasure. They want to wipe every legacy clean and build a new order that isn't built by humans… but optimized by artificial minds."

His face hardened. "Then we burn it before it learns to crawl."

He looked at Nora. "Prepare the Phoenix Protocol. It's time we rewrite the rules."