The Journey to Patagonia

The wind howled through the open landscape of Patagonia, cutting through the team’s layers of clothing like a knife. The SUV bounced along the uneven road, dust kicking up behind them as they headed deeper into the unknown. Santiago’s coordinates led them further south than they had anticipated, past the last vestiges of civilization into a region where the sky stretched wide and the land seemed untouched by time.

Jessica sat in the passenger seat, staring at the horizon. She had barely spoken since they left Buenos Aires, her thoughts a tangled mess of memories, paranoia, and the grim certainty of what awaited them. The closer they got to the facility, the more she felt something stir inside her. It wasn’t fear, but a cold, calculated acceptance.

"We should be close," Olivia said from the back, scanning the map on her tablet. "If this mining operation was abandoned years ago, it won’t be easy to spot from a distance. But there’s a service road ahead. That might be our way in."

Leanna, at the wheel, nodded. "If it’s still intact."

Kevin sighed, shifting uncomfortably. "You know, part of me was hoping this was all just some elaborate hoax. That we’d get here and find nothing but rocks and some old mining equipment."

"It won’t be that easy," Jessica muttered. "Vanguard never leaves loose ends."

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The dirt road wound its way through rocky cliffs and sparse vegetation. The deeper they went, the more unnatural the silence became. No birds, no insects, just the wind and the crunch of tires over dry earth.

"This place is giving me the creeps," Hannah murmured, staring out the window.

"Good," Olivia said flatly. "That means we’re in the right place."

A half-hour later, Leanna slowed the vehicle, nodding toward a barely visible chain-link fence half-buried under vegetation. The facility was hidden in plain sight—an old mining compound, long abandoned to the elements, its rusted structures blending into the landscape.

"There it is," she whispered.

They parked a few hundred yards away, exiting cautiously. The air was thick with dust, the scent of metal and decay clinging to the wind. From the outside, it looked dead—but Jessica knew better.

She turned to the group. "We go in quiet. No heroics. We need to find out what’s inside before we do anything reckless."

Kevin smirked. "I take offense to that. Recklessness is my specialty."

"Then consider this your vacation," Olivia deadpanned.

Despite the tension, the joke managed to cut through the heavy atmosphere, if only for a second. Then, without another word, they moved forward, disappearing into the ruins of Project Prometheus’ last stronghold.