Decoding the Truth

The apartment was silent except for the rhythmic clicking of keys as Ryan worked at his laptop. Jess sat beside him, nursing a cup of coffee, while Leanna hovered nearby, arms crossed, watching the screen with anticipation.

"Alright," Ryan muttered, scrolling through the lines of gibberish that filled the decrypted files. "We’ve cracked about 85% of the flash drive, but a lot of this is still dense technical data. I’m running it through an AI model now, cross-referencing terms with known government research projects. If something useful is in here, we’ll find it."

Jess exhaled, resting her chin on her hand. "You sound way too excited about this."

"That’s because this is cutting-edge encryption," Ryan said, flashing her a grin. "Whoever locked this down was really trying to keep people out. The fact that we got in at all is kind of insane."

Leanna smirked. "Which is why you’re here. Now, tell me you’ve got something."

Ryan tapped a few keys, and the AI-generated summary populated on the screen.

> PROJECT PROMETHEUS – STATUS: ARCHIVED
> Initiated: [REDACTED]
> Objective: Genetic enhancement through targeted DNA manipulation. Initial phase: Genetic Reconstruction and Biological Adaptation.
> Phase One: Viability of chromosomal reassignment and sustained biological function.
> Phase Two: Optimization of enhanced physical and cognitive abilities.
> Phase Three: Generational inheritance modeling and long-term genetic stability.
> Lead Researcher: Dr. Lazarus Vellum.
> Key Facility: [REDACTED], Sleepy Hollow, NY.

Jess’s breath caught in her throat. "Sleepy Hollow? Again? Didn’t we just find Erasmus Vellum’s grave there?"

Ryan leaned back, rubbing his jaw. "That’s the weird part. Erasmus Vellum is supposedly dead, but this file lists a Dr. Lazarus Vellum as the lead researcher."

Leanna’s expression darkened. "That name isn’t a coincidence. Lazarus? As in, biblical resurrection? What are the chances that’s just a regular last name?"

Jess shivered. "So either we’ve got a relative carrying on the work, or something even weirder is going on."

Ryan scrolled through more of the decrypted data. "We still don’t have exact details, but whatever was happening in Sleepy Hollow wasn’t just some one-off project. If Lazarus Vellum was running this, there’s a lot more to uncover."

Jess stared at the screen, reading the words over and over again. Viability of chromosomal reassignment. That was her. Phase One. But if Phase One was a success… what did that mean for the later phases?

She felt a chill crawl up her spine. "So what now? Do we just… go to Sleepy Hollow and knock on the door?"

Leanna frowned. "We need to be careful. If this was a black ops project, people might still be watching."

Jess swallowed hard. "And if they are?"

Before anyone could answer, Ryan’s laptop pinged with a new message.

> UNKNOWN CONTACT You’re getting close. Be careful who you trust.

The air in the room grew heavy. Jess’s heart pounded as she exchanged glances with Leanna and Ryan.

"Well," Ryan said, voice low. "Looks like we’re not the only ones looking for answers."

Jess exhaled slowly. Jason Carter never existed in Project Prometheus. But Jess? She was their proof of concept. And someone out there knew it. And now… they knew her.