Fragments

The abandoned facility was larger than it seemed from the outside. As they entered, the group was immediately enveloped by a dense, heavy air, laced with the smell of rusted metal and mildew. The walls were lined with worn steel panels, and wires dangled from the ceiling. The lighting was almost nonexistent, save for a few emergency lights flickering with an ominous red glow.

Rubi activated her scanner, which cast a bluish beam over the surfaces. “There’s some residual activity, but the signals are intermittent. Something or someone has been here recently.”

Alice motioned for the group to spread out. “Look for clues. But stay alert. This place might not be as abandoned as it seems.”

Leo and Diego moved together down a side corridor while Alice and Rubi investigated the main hall. Leo’s boots echoed against the metal floor. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

“Notice how this place was designed?” Diego said, breaking the silence. He pointed to the reinforced walls and broken cameras. “This facility once held something important.”

Leo only nodded, his attention drawn to a partially open door at the end of the corridor. He approached cautiously, his hand instinctively moving to the pendant Lucy had given him. The cold metal served as a constant reminder of why he was here.

“Diego, take a look at this,” Leo called, pushing the door open to reveal a staircase leading to a lower level. The smell of rust grew stronger, and a faint, flickering light illuminated a control panel near the entrance.

Diego examined the panel. “Looks like restricted access. Something deeper... Maybe the real heart of this facility is behind here.”

Alice and Rubi joined them moments later. Rubi analyzed the panel, connecting her device. The symbiont on her arm adapted quickly, transforming into a tool that unlocked the system.

“We’re in,” she said with a hint of satisfaction. “But we don’t know what we’ll find down there.”

“Then we proceed carefully,” Alice replied, taking the lead as they descended the stairs.

The subterranean level tightened around them, a maze of narrow passages and oppressive walls. Steam pipes hissed intermittently, their whispers amplifying the silence. As they moved forward, voices could be heard in the distance. Alice raised her hand, signaling them to stop. Everyone fell silent as the voices grew clearer.

“Please, you have to understand,” a desperate male voice pleaded. “It wasn’t our fault, I’ve told you.”

“Shut up. You know what happens when you fail,” another voice snapped, punctuated by a punch. “Ron is watching. He’s always watching. Do you want him to hear you whining? You’ll end up like that woman no matter how much you talk.”

Leo leaned closer, his heartbeat quickening at the mention. “That’s the second time I’ve heard that name,” he murmured to Alice.

Alice didn’t respond, her breathing steady but tense. Through a crack in the wall, the group could see Vanguard agents in a wide hall dimly lit by unstable floodlights. Three of them were being brutally beaten by others, while a few stood silently, their terror evident.

“They’re punishing their own?” Diego’s voice carried disbelief. “Why would they do that?

“They must have failed something important,” Rubi replied, adjusting her scanner. “And the woman they mentioned...”

Lucy... Leo almost said aloud but stopped himself. He couldn’t be certain, but the mention seemed to connect to her.

The agents continued their conversation as the beatings went on.

“You know the risk of exposure. What happens at NeoVital is a secret,” one of the enforcers spat, his voice venomous. “There’s no room for mistakes.”

Rubi exchanged a glance with Alice. “NeoVital?”

A sharp sound echoed through the hall before they could decide their next move—a gunshot. One of the agents collapsed lifelessly, and the others were swiftly executed. The ensuing silence was deafening.

“Bastards,” Diego spat, his fists trembling with suppressed rage. “Do they really think this is justice?”

Pushing further into the facility, the group found a partially intact control room. Rubi was the first to notice the still-active terminals.

She adjusted her symbiont, connecting it to the terminal. Her eyes scanned the fragmented lines of data. “Here... Project Nexus. There are cross-references, but they’re heavily encrypted.”

Alice leaned in, studying the screen. “What can you access?”

Rubi typed rapidly, her brow furrowing as more fragments appeared. “Something about tests... but the descriptions are vague. They use technical terms that don’t make sense out of context. ‘Optimized responses,’ ‘cognitive interference,’ ‘state induction’... But no details.”

A chill ran down Leo’s spine as he listened to Rubi describe the data. He stared at the projected lines on the screen, but all he could see were disconnected terms and technical jargon. Optimized responses... cognitive interference... The phrases hung in the air like broken pieces of a puzzle, disconnected and taunting.

“And here,” Rubi added, highlighting another fragment. “Prototype R-01b. It seems connected to Project Nexus. But most of the information is locked behind multiple layers of encryption.”

“Prototype?” Diego asked, crossing his arms. “Some kind of device?”

“Probably,” Rubi replied, biting her lip as she navigated the data. “But we don’t know if it was completed or even tested. What little I can access mentions something about ‘neural tuning.’ Whatever it is, it’s significant.”

Alice exchanged a glance with Rubi. “Any clues about locations or active operations?”

Rubi nodded. “NeoVital appears repeatedly in the metadata. They’re likely directly involved. But there’s no clear information on where or what. Just fragments...”

Alice crossed her arms, her expression grim. “Anything tied to Vanguard projects is never a good sign. And this prototype... If they finished whatever it is, it could be dangerous.”

Rubi disconnected from the terminal, pocketing the device with the collected data. “We need to get out of here and decrypt this. There’s nothing more we can gather from this system.”

Leo nodded, though his thoughts remained on the words he’d heard. And Lucy... How did it all connect to her? Each passing moment deepened his dread. The answers felt like a storm he couldn’t avoid—but he knew he had to confront.

Alice sighed. “Fine. We take what we’ve got. It’s more than we had before.”

The rhythmic clang of boots against steel echoed through the corridors, reverberating like a distant war drum. The sound grew louder, closer. Everyone froze.

“They’re coming,” Diego whispered, his voice tight with tension.