The hum of the van’s engine was a dull backdrop to the tension hanging between us. The road stretched endlessly ahead, illuminated only by the faint glow of the dashboard and the occasional flash of headlights from passing vehicles. Dr. Meyers sat behind the wheel, his knuckles white as he gripped it tightly, the strain in his posture mirroring my own.

I leaned back against the worn seat, my mind replaying the events of the past week on an endless loop. The EMP, Samuel’s escape, the confrontation with Jacob in my memories—it all felt like a noose tightening around my neck. And now we were on the move again, running instead of fighting.

“How much farther?” I asked, my voice breaking the silence.

“Another hour,” Dr. Meyers replied, his eyes fixed on the road. “The facility is remote, abandoned after the Consortium shifted operations to the city. It should have everything we need. Hopefully I still have access.”

I glanced out the window at the darkened landscape, a mix of dense trees and empty fields. “And you’re sure they won’t find us this time?”

Dr. Meyers hesitated. “I’ve done everything I can to mask our trail. ALPHA has been rerouting signals and scrambling our location. But you know as well as I do—they’re relentless. This is only a temporary reprieve.”

I nodded, knowing he was right but hating it all the same. “Then let’s make it count.”

The van jostled as we turned off the main road onto a gravel path. The tires crunched beneath us, the narrow trail winding deeper into the forest. The air grew colder, the trees closing in around us like sentinels guarding secrets.

“There it is,” Meyers said, nodding ahead.

Through the shadows, I saw the outline of a squat building nestled against the base of a hill. Its exterior was weathered and overgrown, vines snaking up its walls, but the reinforced steel doors and faint glow of emergency lights told me it was more than just an old warehouse.

Meyers parked the van and stepped out, his boots crunching against the gravel. I followed, my body aching from the strain of the past few days.

He punched a code into a panel beside the door, and with a hiss, the heavy doors slid open. The interior was stark, sterile, and bathed in a cold, bluish light. Rows of equipment lined the walls, most of it dormant but intact.

“This is it,” Meyers said, his voice echoing in the empty space. “Everything I need to get you back to full capacity—and more.”

I stepped inside, scanning the room with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. The facility felt like a ghost of the Consortium’s ambition, its walls holding the echoes of experiments and breakthroughs, victories and failures.

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked, turning to Dr. Meyers.

He moved to a console, typing commands to bring the systems online. “First, we stabilize your systems. The EMP did more damage than I initially realized. Some of your neural relays are misfiring, and your motor control needs recalibrating.”

“And after that?”

“After that,” Dr. Meyers said, his eyes meeting mine, “we enhance. Faster processing, better reflexes, upgraded defenses. If we’re going to take on the Consortium, you need to be more than just repaired—you need to be unstoppable.”

The weight of his words settled over me, heavy but not unwelcome. For the first time in days, I felt a spark of hope.

“Let’s get started,” I said.

Dr. Meyers nodded and began gathering tools, his movements precise and methodical. “This will take time,” he warned. “And it won’t be easy.”

I smirked, rolling up my sleeves. “Easy hasn’t exactly been a part of my life lately."

Dr. Meyers worked tirelessly, his hands moving with precision as he adjusted the intricate connections within my neural interface. I lay on the surgical table in the center of the facility, staring at the ceiling, my body numb from the sedatives he had administered.

“I’ve patched the damaged relays,” Meyers said, his voice tinged with exhaustion. “The EMP caused widespread disruptions, but your core systems are more resilient than I’d hoped. I’ve rerouted power to stabilize your motor functions.”

I turned my head slightly to look at him. “And the enhancements?”

He glanced at me, his brow furrowed. “I’m working on them. I’ve added a secondary processing unit to speed up your decision-making in combat and enhanced your visual spectrum to detect heat signatures and electromagnetic fields.”

“Will it be enough?”

“It has to be,” he muttered, returning his focus to the delicate circuitry.

ALPHA’s voice chimed in, steady and reassuring. “System diagnostics indicate a 42% increase in operational efficiency. Neural pathways are stabilizing.”

“Thanks, ALPHA,” I said softly, though my mind was racing. Forty-two percent sounded impressive, but was it enough to face what was coming?

As Dr. Meyers continued his work, I closed my eyes, letting the hum of the equipment wash over me. Memories of the past few weeks flooded my mind: the betrayal, the battles, the fleeting moments of hope. I clenched my fists, the cold steel of the surgical table grounding me.

“You’re almost there, Alex,” Dr. Meyers said, his voice pulling me back. “This next part will hurt, but it’s necessary.”

I nodded, bracing myself.

A jolt of electricity coursed through my body as he activated the new enhancements. Pain flared, sharp and searing, but I gritted my teeth and held on.

“It’s done,” he said after what felt like an eternity. He stepped back, wiping sweat from his brow. “How do you feel?”

I sat up slowly, flexing my fingers and rolling my shoulders. Every movement felt sharper, more precise, like my body was a machine finally running at full capacity.

“I feel... unstoppable,” I said, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

Dr. Meyers nodded, relief flashing across his face. “Good. Because we don’t have time to waste.”

“What do you mean?”

He moved to the console, pulling up a map of the Ridgewood Complex. “The Consortium isn’t waiting for us to make the first move. They’ve accelerated their timeline. If we don’t act now, we’ll lose any chance of stopping them. What matters now is infiltrating Ridgewood before they realize we’ve repaired your systems. This is our best shot, Alex.”

I slid off the table, my movements fluid and powerful. “No time to test the upgrades, huh?”

“No,” Meyers said, his tone grim. “We’re out of time.”

I grabbed my gear, the weight of the weapons familiar and comforting. “Then let’s end this.”

As we stepped out of the facility and into the cold night, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of what was coming. The Ridgewood Complex was the heart of the Consortium’s operations, and if we failed, there wouldn’t be a second chance.

But as the enhancements hummed within me, a quiet confidence settled in my chest. I wasn’t the same person who had stumbled through those first battles.

Dr. Meyers nodded, his fingers flying over the keyboard. “I’ll guide you from here, but you’re going in alone. ALPHA will assist you in real-time, but once you’re inside, it’s up to you.”

“Got it,” I said, my voice steady.

I was ready.