The newsroom screens glowed like a city of lies. Paige sat alone in her apartment, the curtains drawn tight, her laptop casting blue light across her face.Every network in Chicago was replaying the same footage, the blast at Holland Clinic, fire swallowing the night.Headline: FUGITIVE DOCTOR SUSPECTED IN BIOTECH TERROR ATTACK.Frank’s photo filled the screen. Same tired eyes, same stubborn jaw. Now framed by fire. She whispered, “They did it. They really did it.”Her phone buzzed. A blocked number. She hesitated, then answered. “Paige Lang.”“Agent Lang,” a man’s voice replied smoothly. “Special Investigations Division. We’d like a word about your recent… communications.”Her throat tightened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”The line clicked dead. A second later, her Wi-Fi cut out. Paige froze. Then she moved. She crossed to the bedroom, pulled the emergency hard drive from a hollowed-out book, and slotted it into her laptop.Lines of code filled the screen. Roth Biotech.

The floor gave way beneath Frank’s boots, plunging him and Lisa into darkness. Water surged around them, freezing cold, dragging them against jagged concrete. “Frank!” Lisa screamed, her voice barely audible over the rushing water.“I’ve got you!” he shouted, grabbing her arm. The current tugged violently.They slammed against a low tunnel wall. Pain shot through Frank’s ribs, but he kept hold of her. “Move your feet! Kick!” he yelled.Lisa kicked, clawing at the slick floor. Frank swung his legs to propel them forward. Every second counted. Every misstep could be the last.A mechanical hiss echoed behind them. The snapping arms from the walls weren’t far. “Those things” Lisa gasped. “They’ll crush us!”“Not if we stay ahead!” Frank roared. He spotted a steel grate overhead, partially submerged. “Up there! Grab it!”Lisa struggled, barely reaching. Frank’s fingers caught her wrist. “Hold on tight!”With a heave, he pulled her up just as a snapping arm slammed into the floor below, sen

Darkness swallowed the control room, but Frank’s eyes adjusted quickly. His hands moved instinctively toward the keyboard, fingers flying over the keys. “Lights out won’t stop me,” he muttered.Lisa crouched beside him, shivering. “Frank… he’s right there.”Cole’s silhouette remained calm at the doorway, gun raised, eyes cold and calculated. “Step away from the terminal, Mercer. You know the consequences.”Frank didn’t flinch. “Consequences are subjective. I prefer justice.”Cole’s smirk widened. “Justice? You’ve been playing rogue. Destroying systems, bypassing federal control. You think you’re the hero here?”“I know I am,” Frank replied, voice flat but deadly. “And I know you’re part of the problem. Roth may have given you orders, but that doesn’t mean you’re in control.”Lisa whispered, “Frank… we’re trapped.”“Not yet,” he said, glancing at Paige, who was scanning the room for backup systems. “Paige, how many redundancies?”“Three main servers, but a hidden one in the northwest c

The sewers reeked of damp rot and iron. Water rushed past their ankles as Frank led the small group through the winding tunnels, the rescued subject clinging to Paige for support.Lisa followed above, her footsteps echoing off the maintenance corridors, creating distractions that would hopefully draw Roth’s forces away.“Frank,” Paige whispered, eyes scanning the tunnel walls with her portable scanner. “Sensors are everywhere. They adapted. Roth isn’t just reacting, he’s anticipating.”“I know,” Frank replied, voice low and cold. “That’s why we move fast. No hesitation.”The rescued subject groaned, weak but alive. Frank glanced back, evaluating the young man’s vitals. “We need to stabilize him and get him out of harm’s way. Every second counts.”Paige frowned. “I’m detecting more motion, drones, automated patrols. At least five converging from different tunnels. We can’t outrun them all.”Frank’s jaw tightened. “Then we fight smart. We split into two groups. I take the subjects deepe

The secondary safehouse was hidden beneath an abandoned warehouse on Chicago’s industrial edge. Damp concrete walls, flickering fluorescent lights, and a faint smell of mold filled the space. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was secure.Frank leaned against a metal table, brushing rain from his coat. He opened one of the encrypted drives, eyes scanning rapidly.“Roth’s reach is extensive. Hospitals, private clinics, federal contractors… everything is networked.”Paige adjusted her scanner, pacing. “And we just destroyed one hub. It bought us time, but not much. Reinforcements are already mobilizing, and Cole is likely recalibrating his strategy.”Lisa slumped into a chair, exhausted. “I don’t know how we keep doing this. Every step we take… it’s like swimming through a storm.”Frank’s eyes met hers, unwavering. “Because every second counts. Every subject we save is another strike against him. That storm? We control it, if we’re smart.”Paige raised an eyebrow. “Smart? We barely survived