2025-08-15 15:13:40
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BRIDGE OVER BLACK WATER
Jayden stepped forward. The shifting light from the arch swallowed him whole.The sound around him faded, replaced by the rush of blood in his ears.Then, suddenly, the world broke apart.He was standing on the edge of an endless black ocean. The water didn’t move like normal—it pulsed in slow, heavy waves. Above him, the sky bled red and purple, the colors swirling like paint dropped in water.Hanging in the sky was a giant crystalline brain. It was the size of a building, glowing faintly in its fractures, like light leaking from broken glass. Pieces of it floated away into the sky, but more chunks kept repairing themselves.From the brain’s core, streams of corrupted light shot upward, disappearing into the red sky. Jayden knew what it meant—this was the backup protocol. Vincent was sending his mind into people across Westwood, infecting them, keeping himself alive.A cold wind blew across the black ocean.And then they appeared.Dozens of flickering “phantom Vincents” stepped out o
WELCOME BACK MARVIN
Carl senses the weight but doesn’t press. “We’ll talk when you come back. You are coming back.”"I know, but make sure word doesn't get out of site eleven that I am Marvin Richmond." Marvin said."Yes boss." Carl assured Jayden before Jayden moved from his side so he could join the van containing his agents with one of them already out to receive Jayden Cole.After about thirty minutes, the van stopped in the shadow of a giant tower.Vincent Arceneaux’s headquarters stood above them like a blade of glass stabbing the sky. Every window reflected the city lights in long, cold streaks. Even the air around the building seemed sharper, cleaner, and dangerous. Rainwater on the street mirrored the tower like a second, upside-down world.Security drones floated along the edges of the property. They moved in smooth lines, their glowing red sensors scanning back and forth. Each one made a faint hum, like a swarm of mechanical bees.Carson the head of the team stepped out first. His boots hit th
PATTERNS IN THE STATIC
The void collapsed, and the palace began folding in on itself. Vincent’s tendrils lashed at him, desperate to hold him in place. Jayden forced himself backward, shoving through a storm of falling glass and curling ribbons of gold.The last glimpse he caught of Vincent was a single burning eye—narrowing before it was swallowed into a pinprick of light.Jayden’s body jolted violently in the real world. Helena yanked the neural leads free. The cage’s lights steadied, deepening into a calm, victorious blue. The hum dropped to a low purr.No one spoke.Carl broke the silence, his tone was easy, almost casual. “So… the Richmond lead is closed, then?”Only he and Jayden understood what was being said.Jayden’s gaze stayed fixed ahead. “He’s contained. That’s all that matters.”Mia folded her arms. “For now.”Helena’s eyes flicked between them. “You’re going to have to tell us everything. No more gaps.”Jayden didn’t respond. He just stared at the cage.And somewhere in the steady hum of its
PALACE OF SHADOWS
The control room shook like a living thing. Lights flickered, the cage’s frame groaned, and the floor trembled with Vincent’s attempts to tear himself free. Helena’s hands flew over the controls.“We’re losing him!” she shouted over the roar. “If we don’t stop the overload, the cage will blow—”“How?” Jayden demanded.Helena looked at him, jaw tight. “Only one way now. You go in.”Carl turned sharply. “In? Inside his head?”“Not just his head,” Helena said. “His world. His mindscape.”Mia frowned, still holding her blade ready. “That’s suicide.”“It’s worse if we don’t,” Helena snapped. “Once I open a bridge, you’ll be linked to his neural architecture. You’ll have minutes before he notices and tries to shut you down.”Jayden didn’t hesitate. “Do it.”Carl stepped in front of him. “And if he locks you in there?”“Then you make sure this place burns,” Jayden said. He didn’t smile. He meant it.Helena pulled a bundle of neural leads from her pack, snapping one end into the cage’s port a
THE CAGE AND THE MIND
The helicopter flew low over the dark northern sector. Below, mist covered the ground like a white blanket, hiding broken roads and dead trees. In the middle of it all stood the shape of Site Eleven — the old research facility, half-buried under years of dust and decay.Carl checked his wrist device. “Still has power,” he said, his voice low. “I don’t know what’s running in there, but it’s not dead.”Jayden leaned out the open side of the helicopter. The building was huge, silent, and full of shadows. “That means Vincent is inside,” he said. His jaw tightened. “We get in, plant the cage, and get out.”Helena was checking her scanner. The screen showed a pulsing red dot — Vincent’s signal. “It’s strong,” she said, “and it’s not moving. He’s waiting for us.”The helicopter touched down on a cracked rooftop landing pad. Rust ate at the metal, and weeds pushed up through the cracks. The smell of damp air hit them as soon as they stepped out.They formed a small circle. “Remember,” Jayden
STRAIGHT INTO THE DARK
The message still glowed on the screen: FOUND YOU.The words repeated in a steady, cold rhythm, sending a chill through the room.A heavy silence fell over the team. No one spoke, but all felt the weight of what it meant.Vincent’s mind was no longer distant—it was here, close, watching, waiting.Jayden rubbed his temples and took a slow breath. “This is it,” he said quietly. “We have to move now.”The team moved quickly. Helena’s hands shook a little as she checked the wires on the cage. It wasn’t finished yet. They still needed to make sure it would catch Vincent’s mind perfectly.Carl sat by the power box, making sure the energy was flowing right. “The cage needs to be fully powered before it can trap him,” he said, watching the screens closely.Mia was watching the data, typing fast on the keyboard. “The cage is stable, but if we don’t finish setting it up, it might not hold Vincent.”Jayden walked back and forth. “Vincent is close now. We don’t have much time.”Helena looked worr
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