Elias didn't sleep that night.
Instead, he sat at the cracked kitchen table, rifling through the Project Phoenix files.
Gene editing. Behavioral control. Memory manipulation.
The scale of it chilled him to the bone.
Sophia brought him a cup of instant coffee, sitting across from him.
"You realize," she said quietly, "if this is true, they've been controlling people for years."
Elias clenched his jaw.
"Not anymore."
His watch buzzed again.
[New Ability Activation: Minor Regeneration in Progress.]
A warm pulse spread through his veins. The small cuts and bruises on his hands began healing — slowly but surely.
Callum entered, holding a battered laptop.
"Bad news," he said, pushing up his glasses. "They know where we are."
Elias stood up immediately.
"How long?"
"Minutes. Maybe less."
Sophia cursed under her breath.
"We have to move."
---
They raced through the alleys, Sophia navigating like she knew the veins of the city.
Elias carried the briefcase tightly against his chest.
As they reached a dimly lit underpass, they found their path blocked.
Two sleek black SUVs screeched to a halt.
Men in tactical gear poured out, weapons raised.
At their front stood a man with a scar running down his left cheek — Dorian Kane.
Dorian Kane:
Age: 36
Profession: Chief Enforcer for Valerie Blackthorn
Skills: Combat mastery, tactical operations, intimidation.
Personality: Brutal, sarcastic, overconfident.
Appearance: Tanned skin, bulky frame, short cropped dark hair, thick black beard.
He smiled mockingly.
"Going somewhere, Elias?"
Sophia pulled a gun. Callum looked like he was about to faint.
Elias... smiled.
"Yeah. Away from your ugly face."
Kane chuckled.
"I admire the spirit. Shame about the execution."
He gestured.
Men closed in.
Elias felt the charm boost from his watch kick in — and his heightened reflexes.
He lunged forward.
A blur of motion — disarming the first guard, ducking a swing, slamming a fist into another's gut.
Sophia covered him with precise shots, while Callum — well, he hid behind a dumpster, yelling "Go Elias!"
(Everyone had their role.)
Despite their efforts, numbers overwhelmed them.
Kane approached slowly, tapping his bat against his palm.
"You should've joined us, Elias. We could've made you rich beyond your dreams."
Elias, blood trickling down his cheek, grinned fiercely.
"I'm already rich," he muttered. "In bad decisions."
Without warning, he threw a flashbang from his belt (gifted from a previous watch task).
Blinding light exploded across the alley.
Sophia grabbed Callum, Elias grabbed the briefcase, and they bolted through the chaos.
---
They stumbled into a hidden maintenance tunnel, hearts racing.
Callum was hyperventilating.
"I... I think I peed a little," he gasped.
Sophia rolled her eyes.
Elias laughed — really laughed — for the first time in days.
Despite everything, the madness, the betrayal, the danger...
For a moment, it all felt absurdly, painfully hilarious.
And sometimes, humor was survival.
---
Valerie Blackthorn stood at the window of her skyscraper, swirling wine in a crystal glass.
Behind her, Kane reported, voice bitter.
"They escaped."
Valerie didn't even turn.
"Good," she said softly.
"Let them run."
She smiled, wicked and knowing.
"Every rat returns to the nest eventually."
---