The main complex of New Human Corp stood at the heart of an isolated industrial zone, a technological fortress concealed behind tall fences and walls bristling with sensors.
Despite the late hour, the site was teeming with activity: drones patrolled the perimeter, their blue lights sweeping the ground, while uniformed guards roamed the pathways. Everything hinted at the extraordinary nature of tonight's meeting.
Carla clung to the edge of an adjacent building, observing the scene from a strategic vantage point.
Dressed in black, equipped with a heat-absorbing suit and tactile gloves, she was invisible to infrared sensors.
A simple suitcase rested at her feet, holding all her equipment: miniature cameras, directional microphones, and a custom laptop designed to hack into New Human's communication frequencies.
She adjusted her earpiece.
"Post 4, report?" murmured a gruff voice through the intercepted channel.
"All clear. No suspicious activity," responded a guard.
Carla smirked. Their vigilance was commendable, but such systems weren't designed to detect someone like her. She activated her miniature drone, a device no bigger than a fly, and launched it toward the underground warehouses.
Through her visor, the image stabilized, revealing a series of metallic doors and a heavily secured elevator.
The infiltration plan had been weeks in the making. The main complex had three underground levels, each protected by different security systems.
The exact location of the exchange was on Level -3, inside a conference room in the center of a secure zone.
Her contact in intelligence had only been able to provide a partial list of participants, but one name had caught her attention:
Asher Adams a former renowned researcher involved in controversial human experiments before disappearing from the radar.
Carla knew that if this man reappeared here, John Wall was likely not far behind.
She packed her equipment, adjusted her bag, and descended the neighboring building using a magnetic grappling hook.
Once on the ground, she slipped into a shaded area, monitoring the guards' movements. Her years of experience had made her an expert in blending into the environment.
When she reached the back of a secondary entrance, she knelt and pulled out an interception device.
"Let's see what secrets you're hiding," she muttered, hacking into the electronic lock. A soft click confirmed the door's opening a few seconds later.
She slipped inside.
The atmosphere changed immediately. From the outside, the complex looked almost ordinary, but inside, it was a different story. The hallways were bathed in cold white artificial light, bordered by tinted glass revealing laboratories.
Figures in white coats moved back and forth, absorbed in their tasks.
Carla made sure to remain unnoticed, hugging the walls and evading cameras with her jamming devices.
She located an elevator leading to the lower levels.
Before entering, she inserted a fake badge acquired at great cost from another infiltrating agent.
The doors closed without an alarm, and she pressed the button for Level -3.
But she wasn't alone.
A scientist hurriedly entered the elevator, holding a tablet. He gave her a brief glance before focusing again on his data.
Carla remained still, her face neutral, praying her disguise would hold. The man eventually exited on Level -2, noticing nothing unusual.
When the elevator reached its destination, she took a deep breath and stepped out.
Secure Zone Level 3
Here, the atmosphere was even more unsettling. The metallic walls seemed to absorb sound, making every step almost ghostly.
Panels marked the doors with coded names: Project Epsilon, Chimera Lab, Archive 17. Carla noticed moisture on the floor and a persistent metallic odor.
She quickly recalled the mental map she had memorized. The conference room was only a few meters away but was guarded by two armed men.
Carla discreetly placed a miniature camera at the corner of a wall, then retreated to find another approach.
She spotted a ventilation duct just above the door. It was risky—one wrong move or a fall could give her away—but it was her only option.
She climbed nimbly, using magnetic attachments to stabilize her position, and crawled into the vent.
From the ventilation shaft, she could see inside the room. Three men were already present, speaking in low voices around a long glass table.
One of them was Asher, recognizable by his slender frame and thick-rimmed glasses. The other two wore impeccable suits, their faces serious.
But what truly caught her attention was John Wall's arrival.
He entered silently, accompanied by two personal guards. His presence seemed to suck the air out of the room, imposing immediate silence. Carla watched, fascinated, as he sat at one end of the table.
"Asher Adam," he began, his voice calm but commanding, "I trust you have what I want."
Asher Adam nodded, opening a briefcase he had brought with him. Inside, a series of vials containing a greenish liquid shimmered under the light.
"This is the prototype," Asher explained.
"This serum can rewrite the human genome in real time. One dose is enough to transform anyone… into whatever you want."
Carla's heart raced. She recorded everything with her cameras, knowing this information was priceless. However, before she could think further, a sudden noise startled her.
Someone was crawling through the duct behind her.
Carla turned slowly, her hand sliding toward her weapon. But before she could act, a cold breath brushed the back of her neck. She spun just in time to see a massive figure grab her and pull her out of the vent.
She hit the ground hard, dazed but still conscious. When she looked up, John Wall was standing over her, a chilling smile on his lips.
"You should've stayed home, miss," he said, his eyes glinting with an ominous light.
Carla tried to get up, but one of the guards placed his foot on her arm, pinning her down. She gritted her teeth, refusing to show fear.
John knelt beside her, his face unnervingly calm.
"I'm curious. Who sent you?"
Carla remained silent, her mind frantically searching for an escape. She knew that speaking would seal her fate. But if she did nothing...
Carla's mind raced as she struggled beneath the weight of the guard's boot.
Her thoughts were in overdrive, calculating every possible escape route, but nothing came to her in time. She couldn't let herself be caught. The stakes were too high, and she knew too much.
John's gaze never left her face. His cold smile only deepened as he waited for an answer.
"You're clever," he said softly, his voice almost a whisper, "But cleverness won't save you now."
Carla's pulse quickened, but she forced herself to remain calm. She couldn't let him see her fear. She had no intention of talking, not yet. Not if she could find a way out.
Suddenly, the door to the conference room opened, and another figure entered. It was Asher Adam. His gaze shifted between Carla and John, confusion flickering across his face.
"I… I thought we were supposed to meet in private,"Asher said cautiously, eyeing the scene.
John's smile faltered for just a moment, but then he stood, straightening his suit.
"Your guest was… unexpected," John said, his tone icy. "Perhaps she's here to sabotage everything."
Carla's heart pounded. She could hear the tension in John's voice. Whatever was going on here, it was more dangerous than she'd realized. Asher Adam looked at her again, his brow furrowed, then shrugged as if to dismiss the issue.
"Shall we continue?" Asher asked, glancing at the briefcase with the serum.
John turned back to the table, dismissing Carla with a wave of his hand. "Leave her. We'll deal with her later. For now, let's focus on what matters."
As the guards removed their weight from her arm, Carla felt a surge of relief. She used the moment to slowly rise to her knees, her eyes never leaving John. He was dangerous, but she hadn't been caught yet. And she wasn't about to start talking.
She could feel the cold sweat on her brow, but her mind was already working out her next move. She needed to stay calm. Focus.
John was speaking again, his voice low, but she could only catch bits and pieces of the conversation. It seemed they were discussing the distribution of the serum, and there was mention of a "project launch."
Asher spoke, his voice hesitant. "But the tests—are we sure it's ready?"
John's answer was firm. "It's ready, Asher. The world will be ours."
Carla clenched her fists. Whatever they were planning, it was far worse than she had imagined. She had to stop them. But first, she had to get out of here alive.
Her eyes darted around the room, taking note of everything.
The guards were distracted, and Asher was deep in conversation with John. She could make a move.
Carla took a deep breath and prepared to act.
Carla's pulse quickened, but she remained still, calculating her next move. The guards were preoccupied, but she couldn't afford to make a mistake.
Her mind raced through the escape routes she had memorized earlier, but she needed the right moment. She couldn't afford a misstep, especially with the prototype serum so close.
As the conversation between John and Asher continued, Carla surveyed the room more carefully. The conference table, sleek and modern, was surrounded by high-backed chairs.
One of the guards was standing near the door, but he was facing away from her, his attention diverted by the ongoing discussion.
The other was closer to the table, but he seemed engrossed in what John was saying.
Carla's eyes flicked to the far corner of the room, where a door led to what appeared to be a hallway. If she could get there undetected, it would lead to the building's exterior and possibly a way out. She weighed her options.
Suddenly, Asher collegues voice broke through the tension, loud and commanding. "Asher you're still hesitating. We've come this far. The next phase begins tomorrow. There's no turning back now."
Asher's voice quivered slightly. "I just want to be sure. The serum is still volatile—"
John cut him off, his voice icy. "I'm not asking for your doubts, Asher. You've delivered what I wanted. Now you'll deliver the results."
The finality in John's words was unmistakable, and Carla could sense the shift in power.
This wasn't just a business transaction; it was personal. John Wall was in control, and Nathaniel was in too deep to back out now.
Carla's mind shifted into action. She could use the distraction of their argument to slip away.
Quietly, she shifted her position, making her way toward the side of the room, where a vent shaft was just above the floor. She had to move quickly.
Taking a deep breath, she sprang to her feet, her movements swift and silent. She crouched low to avoid detection, gliding along the wall toward the door.
But just as she was almost out of the line of sight, her boot brushed against the floor with a faint scrape.
The guard closest to the door snapped his head in her direction, his eyes narrowing.
"Who's there?" he demanded, his voice sharp.
Carla froze, heart pounding in her chest. She was exposed.
But before the guard could fully react, a loud crash echoed from the far side of the room. One of the lab windows shattered as a figure in black rushed into the room.
It was another agent—someone she hadn't expected, but at that moment, it was exactly what she needed. The guard turned toward the new threat, distracted.
Carla didn't hesitate. She dashed for the door.
The moment she crossed the threshold, she heard shouts from inside the room. "Stop her!" John's voice thundered, but it was already too late. Carla was gone.
The hallway was dimly lit, and the walls seemed to close in on her as she sprinted toward the exit. She knew she didn't have long before the alarms would sound, but she couldn't stop now. Her mission was too important.
She rounded the corner and almost collided with a security guard. But Carla was faster. She ducked, sidestepping him and using his confusion to slip past.
The guard turned, but by then, Carla was already through a door that led to the outside.
Fresh night air hit her face, and she paused just long enough to glance back at the imposing structure of New Human Corp.
Her heart was still racing, but she had done it. She had gotten the information she needed. The serum, the project—it was all connected, and now she had the proof.
But the danger was far from over.
Carla's mind shifted from survival to strategy.
She needed to find her contact and get the data back to her superiors.
The world had to know what was happening here. But for now, she couldn't afford to be caught. Not yet.
She adjusted her hood, blending into the shadows as she moved quickly through the industrial district.
Her pulse began to slow as she entered the alleyways, taking care to avoid the security drones that still patrolled the area. There was no time to waste.
Back at New Human Corp, John Wall stood at the conference table, his hands resting on the edge as he stared at the shattered window. His face was a mask of cold fury.
"Find her," he ordered, his voice low but venomous. "She's not getting away with this."
Asher, who had been silent during the entire confrontation, finally spoke, his voice hesitant. "She… she has the footage, John. She knows everything."
"..."
John's eyes turned to Asher, his gaze searing. "Then we make sure she doesn't live long enough to share it."
Asher swallowed hard, knowing that there was no escaping the consequences of his involvement. This was a game with far higher stakes than he had ever imagined.
As the door to the conference room slammed shut, John turned to the guards, his orders clear.
"Do whatever it takes."
Carla didn't know how long she had before they would come after her. But she wasn't going to let them win. Not after everything she had seen, everything she had learned.
She knew the risks, and she knew she had to act quickly. This was only the beginning.