The night was unnervingly silent as Ethan, Ava, and Marcus trudged through the dense undergrowth, their escape from the collapsing vault still fresh in their minds. Smoke from the explosion lingered in the air, blending with the damp scent of the forest. Ethan clutched the data drive tightly—inside it lay the key to dismantling Jason's plans.
They reached a clearing where Ava paused, scanning the darkness. "Where do these coordinates lead?" she asked.
Ethan plugged the drive into his handheld device, his eyes narrowing as the screen flickered to life. "Multiple locations," he muttered. "Jason spread Project Echo across different sites. He knew we'd come for him."
Marcus exhaled sharply. "So it's not just one facility? We'll have to take down each fragment separately?"
Ethan nodded. "And we don't have much time."
Splintered Shadows
They traveled through the night, following the coordinates to the nearest location—a secluded facility buried deep in the mountains. The entrance was hidden behind a waterfall, its steel doors blending seamlessly into the rock face.
Ethan examined the access panel. "This one's still active," he noted. "Jason's resources are running low, but he hasn't abandoned everything yet."
Ava drew her blade. "Then we go in fast and quiet."
Marcus hesitated. "What if this is another trap?"
Ethan's jaw clenched. "It doesn't matter. We don't stop."
He keyed in a sequence on the panel, and with a hiss, the doors slid open. Inside, sterile white lights illuminated a long corridor lined with observation windows. Beyond the glass, rows of empty containment units stood eerily still.
Ava pressed her fingers against one of the windows. "They were keeping something here."
Ethan moved toward a console, his fingers dancing across the keys. Files scrolled across the screen, filled with cryptic project logs. "Test subjects…" he murmured. "They were experimenting on people."
Marcus took a step back, his face pale. "And where are they now?"
A sudden clatter from deeper in the facility answered his question.
The Price of Progress
They moved cautiously, weapons at the ready. The sound led them to a chamber filled with flickering monitors. Ethan's eyes narrowed as he approached the central screen. A single phrase pulsed across it in bold red letters:
Echo cannot be silenced.
Ava stiffened. "He's still watching."
A distorted voice crackled through the speakers. "You're too late."
The security doors slammed shut behind them. The lights flickered violently as a countdown appeared on the screen.
Facility purge in 90 seconds.
Marcus swore. "He's wiping this place too!"
Ethan worked fast, pulling as much data as he could. Ava grabbed Marcus by the collar. "Find us a way out—now!"
A side panel flashed green, and Marcus ran to it, bypassing the lockdown. "This way!"
They sprinted through a secondary corridor, the walls vibrating as the purge sequence activated. Flames erupted from vents, consuming the remains of the facility behind them.
With seconds to spare, they crashed through an emergency exit, landing hard on the rocky ground outside. The mountain rumbled as a deafening explosion consumed the hidden lab.
Ava rolled onto her back, panting. "That's two facilities gone."
Ethan sat up, his gaze locked on the data drive. "And we still don't know the full extent of Project Echo."
The Final Pieces
They regrouped near the base of the mountain, exhaustion weighing on them. Ethan stared at the last set of coordinates.
"This is it," he said. "The last known site."
Marcus frowned. "And if it's another trap?"
Ethan's grip on the drive tightened. "Then we walk into it prepared."
Ava wiped the sweat from her brow, her eyes burning with determination. "We finish this."
As they set out for the final battleground, the weight of everything they had sacrificed settled upon them. Jason was waiting, and so was the truth behind Project Echo.
There would be no turning back.
To be continued…