Twelve Years Dead

Jessica sat at the scarred wooden table, the single bulb above casting shadows across the name that refused to explain itself.

Gabriel Voss.

The name meant nothing to her brain—but her body disagreed. A chill she couldn’t place crawled up her spine like an old scar.

"Anything?" Leanna asked, perched on the table’s edge like a crow sizing up a battlefield.

Jessica shook her head. "No. But if the Suit thought it was important enough to leave us this, it means we need to find him."

Olivia was already typing on her laptop. "Gabriel Voss… Let’s see. Nothing in normal databases. But give me a second."

Jessica drummed her fingers on the table. Why did she feel like she should know that name?

Elias leaned against the wall, his gaze locked onto the paper. "Vanguard covered up a lot of names. If he was erased, he either knew something… or he was part of something."

Olivia suddenly sat up straighter. "Got something. Voss was a senior researcher at Vanguard. One of the key scientists behind their genetic augmentation programs. But here’s the kicker—officially, he died twelve years ago."

Leanna frowned. "Then why is he still making transactions?"

Olivia turned her laptop toward them. "Because someone using his name moved money through Geneva. Six months ago."

Jessica exhaled sharply. "That means he’s alive."

Elias narrowed his eyes. "If he was part of the Lazarus project, he might have answers about me."

Jessica nodded. "Then we need to find him."

A sharp knock at the door made everyone freeze.

---

Leanna pulled her gun. Olivia shut her laptop. Elias edged toward the window, peeking out into the dark Buenos Aires street.

A second knock. Slower. Like they already knew she was listening.

Jessica exhaled. "They know we’re here."

Leanna muttered, "This feels wrong."

Jessica pressed her palm to the door. No fear. Just inevitability. Whoever was on the other side wasn’t a random stranger. They had come here for her.

She pulled the door open. A man stood there. Older, weary eyes, scar across his jaw. He exhaled as he met Jessica’s gaze, studying her carefully.

Then he spoke. "Took you long enough to find me."

Jessica’s breath caught mid-step. Gabriel Voss. In the flesh.