The Interface
Rebooting.....
Suppressed Memory Fragments Detected.....
Accessing Memory Fragments.....
203 Years 8 Months 5 Days 22 Hours 12 Minutes and 5 Seconds From Extinction Level Event, Daedron
The air was thick with the scent of rain-heavy, suffocating, as though the city itself held its breath, waiting for the storm that never came. Above, the skies were a canvas of darkness, but there was no thunder, no lightning. Just the oppressive weight of the clouds. Below, the city pulsed with life, neon lights reflecting off the slick pavement like ghostly specters, their vibrant hues shivering as pedestrians rushed past, their movements a blur of frantic purpose.
Alex Jay stood at the edge of the rooftop, his coat fluttering slightly in the cool wind, his gaze sharp as he surveyed the sprawling plaza below. The soft hum of the city reached his ears-honking cars, muffled voices, the shuffle of feet on wet pavement-but none of it could drown out the restless tension curling in his chest. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, fingers tracing the edge of the data chip he'd found earlier. It felt like a key, and yet, it was still just a fragment-too small to reveal the door it might unlock.
"She's late," he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing slightly, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward in a knowing smirk. His words hung in the air, filled with both annoyance and an unspoken affection, as if her tardiness was something both irritating and endearing all at once.
The faintest crackle of static broke the stillness, followed by a familiar voice-smooth, teasing, with that undertone of challenge that always made his pulse quicken. "I heard that, Alex. Patience was never your strong suit, was it?"
He didn't need to turn to know who it was. The voice carried the weight of her presence even before she emerged from the stairwell.
Kaelyn Voss stepped onto the roof, her silhouette framed by the dim light spilling from the stairwell door. The soft click of her boots on the concrete echoed in the space between them, a rhythmic sound that matched the steady beat of his heart. Her dark hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, strands slipping free to frame her sharp, expressive face. Her eyes, though sharp with the professionalism that defined her, held a glint of something else-something that always made his breath catch in his throat. Amusement. Determination. And beneath it all, a quiet concern that she never quite let herself hide.
"You're the one who said ten minutes," Alex shot back, his grin widening as he turned to face her. "And I've been standing here for twelve."
Kaelyn arched an eyebrow, her lips twitching as if she might respond in kind, but she stopped herself. Instead, her eyes softened, a subtle shift in her gaze as she stepped closer to him. She leaned against the rooftop's edge, her posture casual, but the weight of the moment wasn't lost on her.
"Cry me a river," she teased, though her voice held that undercurrent of something deeper. "Did you get anything on our guy?"
Alex let out a long breath, his smile fading just enough to show the edge of his frustration. "Nothing solid. Just shadows and whispers. But I did find this." He held out the small data chip, the cool metal smooth under his fingers, but it felt heavier now-charged with the promise of something more.
Kaelyn didn't hesitate. She took the chip with a practiced motion, and within seconds, it slid into her handheld console. Her brow furrowed as the encrypted text began to scroll across the screen, the data flashing too fast for Alex to catch, but her silence spoke volumes.
"This confirms it." Her voice was low, steady. The weight of her words settled in the space between them. "Ten people missing in two weeks, all from the same district. All scrubbed clean from every database."
Alex's lips pressed together in a thin line, his jaw tightening as he let the information sink in. "Clean isn't the word," he said, his voice darker now, laced with the kind of bitterness that came from knowing how deeply twisted their world could be. "It's like they never existed. No digital footprint, no physical records. Even their families swear they never had kids, spouses, or siblings."
Kaelyn glanced up at him, her gaze meeting his with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine. Her eyes weren't just searching his face-they were looking deep into him, pulling apart the layers he tried so hard to keep hidden. For a moment, it wasn't just the case they were investigating. It was them, standing on the edge of something much larger than either of them had anticipated.
"And the NeuroSync Disk factory is right at the heart of it," Kaelyn continued, her voice thick with the weight of unspoken fear.
Alex exhaled sharply, his fingers curling around the edge of the rooftop, as if grounding himself in the cold, unyielding concrete. He turned back to look at the city, the lights below a blur of red and yellow.
"Coincidence?" he asked, the word heavy with disbelief.
"Hardly," Kaelyn replied, her voice quiet, but the steel in it made his heart race.
The city's industrial district sprawled out before them like a maze of rusted metal and concrete, each building rising like a silent sentinel guarding its secrets. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long shadows across the abandoned streets. Here, in the forgotten corners of the city, the air smelled of oil, sweat, and something more sinister-a faint undercurrent of fear and desperation.
----------x----------
Alex and Kaelyn stood side by side, staring at the hulking mass of the NeuroSync Disk factory in the distance. Its looming presence was more than just a building-it was a fortress of secrets, buried under layers of lies and corruption. To most, it was a place of innovation, a pioneer in neurotechnology, but to those who knew the truth, it was a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off.
On the surface, they were a study in contrasts. Alex's jacket hung loose around his shoulders, the collar turned up against the evening chill. He was relaxed, his posture slouched as though the weight of the world didn't quite sit on his shoulders. His eyes scanned the factory, but not with the same intensity Kaelyn brought to her observations. He was more focused on the angle of the wind, the rustling of leaves in the distance-signs, subtle details that others might overlook.
Kaelyn, on the other hand, was all focus. Her sharp eyes never strayed from the factory, her mind already piecing together the puzzle they had been chasing for days. She was still, calculating, and there was a quiet fire in her gaze. Even her movements-deliberate, controlled-reflected her precision.
"It's here," she said softly, more to herself than to Alex, her eyes narrowing.
Alex shifted, his grin playing at the corners of his lips. "The NeuroSync factory?" he asked, his tone light, as though he were commenting on the weather. "Yeah, I'd say you were right. It definitely looks like a place where 'disappearing' people would end up."
Kaelyn didn't smile at his joke, but she didn't need to. She knew him too well by now-the way he always tried to lighten the mood when things got heavy. It was his way of coping. She, on the other hand, focused on the task at hand, her mind already racing ahead.
"Look at this." She pulled out a folder from her bag, the papers inside crisp, the edges slightly curled. The leads they had followed over the last few days were beginning to fit together. Alex took it from her, his fingers brushing hers briefly-a touch, small but significant.
"Ten people. All missing from the same district," she continued, tapping the paper with her finger. "And every one of them... scrubbed clean. No record of them anywhere. Their families, their friends-all told the same story. These people never existed."
Alex skimmed the notes, his brow furrowing as the weight of the situation settled over him. "And they're all tied to this place?" he asked, his voice quiet now, more serious.
"Yeah." Kaelyn's voice was taut with certainty. "But that's not all. I started looking into the factory's shipments. They're moving more than just raw materials. There's a black market for experimental neural upgrades. People who can't afford the official tech-they're buying off-the-grid upgrades." She looked up at him, her eyes piercing through the twilight. "This whole thing-it's bigger than we thought."
Alex exhaled sharply, his hands slipping into the pockets of his jacket as he leaned back against the brick wall of a nearby building. "So, it's not just the missing people. This is about people being turned into... what? Products?"
Kaelyn's gaze was steady. "It's not just about products. It's about control. Whoever's behind this, they're taking people, erasing them, then using them for something else. Something worse."
They stood there for a moment, the weight of their discoveries settling like a stone in the pit of Alex's stomach. But he wasn't one to dwell on the dark for too long, not when there was work to be done. He clapped his hands together, pushing off the wall and straightening up, his smile returning like a switch flipping.
"Well, then. Time to go shake things up, yeah?" he said, his voice light, but his eyes glinting with something deeper-a readiness to face whatever came next. He was always the one who pulled them forward, no matter how heavy the fight was. It was one of the many reasons Kaelyn trusted him-trusted him more than anyone else.
She met his gaze, the unspoken understanding passing between them.
"Let's go," Kaelyn said, her tone a little softer now, but still laced with that unyielding determination. She took a deep breath, her mind already mapping out their next move.
The factory loomed before them, a cold monolith against the night sky. The alley they were in was shrouded in shadows, far from the prying eyes of the bustling streets. The air was thick, heavy with the lingering scent of grease and something metallic that stung the back of Alex's throat. The factory's hum resonated through the ground, a constant reminder of the activity behind those steel walls-activity they had yet to fully understand.
"Let me guess," Alex said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as they made their way down the fire escape, the rungs cold against his hands. "We're going to sneak in and poke the proverbial bear?"
Kaelyn, moving with a practiced quiet, shot him a sidelong glance. "Don't be so dramatic," she replied, her tone even but laced with that sharp edge he knew all too well. "We're just... taking a look."
Alex's smirk deepened, eyes glinting with mischief. "Right. Because breaking into a top-security facility is just a casual stroll."
Kaelyn's lips twitched in the smallest of smiles as she continued to move with purpose. "You'll live. And besides, it's not like you've ever been one to play by the rules."
He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head in mock disapproval. "Touché," he muttered, amused, but never losing his focus.
They reached the perimeter of the factory, crouching behind a stack of discarded crates. The hum of machinery echoed faintly, the sound merging with the quiet, methodical steps of guards who patrolled the area. Kaelyn's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, her every movement calculated, but her presence as silent as the night.
"Two guards at the north entrance," she whispered, her gaze flicking to the darkened pathway ahead. "I can distract them while you-"
Alex cut her off with a grin, pulling out a small device from his jacket pocket. His fingers worked with quick precision, tapping a few buttons. The streetlights near the north entrance flickered before dying entirely, plunging the area into darkness.
Kaelyn's brow arched in mild surprise, her lips curling into an approving smirk. "Impressive. Where'd you get that?"
He looked up at her, his grin broadening. "Let's just say I have friends in low places." His eyes twinkled with the kind of mischief that was as much a part of him as the quick wit that often followed.
"Remind me to lecture you about ethics later," Kaelyn replied with a shake of her head, slipping into the shadows with a fluidity that matched the quiet tension of the moment.
The factory's interior was a maze of towering machines, conveyor belts whirring to life, moving materials they couldn't yet identify. The air inside felt heavier, the walls echoing the faint vibrations of the factory's monstrous pulse. The lights flickered overhead in a staccato rhythm, casting strange, shifting shadows that danced across the walls.
Alex and Kaelyn moved in perfect silence, their steps synchronized as they ventured deeper into the belly of the beast. The hum of machinery was joined by the occasional clang of metal against metal, a stark reminder of the scale of this place.
After what felt like an eternity of winding corridors, they reached a control room overlooking the main floor. Kaelyn didn't hesitate; she moved to the console, her fingers flying over the keyboard with practiced ease.
"Got something," she murmured, her voice low but intense. The flicker of the screen reflected in her eyes as she read the information flashing across the monitor. "Blueprints. Looks like there's a lower level."
Alex leaned over her shoulder, his gaze intent. "What's down there?"
Kaelyn's eyes narrowed as she scanned the data, lips pressed into a thin line. "Storage... or maybe something worse."
As if on cue, the lights above them flickered again, casting long, ominous shadows across the room. The low mechanical hum in the air grew louder, vibrating through the soles of their feet. A chill ran down Alex's spine, his instincts screaming that they were getting closer to something they were never meant to find.
"Kaelyn..." he whispered, his voice tight with warning.
"I know," she replied, her tone equally strained. Her eyes flicked to the door, her hand already reaching for the tactical gear she had stashed at her waist. "We need to move."
Her words were the catalyst, and in an instant, they were no longer standing still. Every movement was a blur of motion, seamless and instinctive.
As they descended deeper into the factory's lower levels, the atmosphere grew heavier. The air was thick, almost suffocating, as they moved through the narrow, dimly lit corridors. The hum of machinery had faded, replaced by the eerie silence of this forgotten part of the facility. The walls seemed to close in around them, the darkened corridors stretching on like a maze they had no intention of getting lost in.
Alex couldn't help but glance at Kaelyn. He saw the faint lines of tension around her eyes, the way her every step was measured-always on alert, never fully relaxing. He knew that look well; it was the one she wore when she was fighting for control, trying to suppress the gnawing sense of vulnerability that came with being in a place like this.
The thought struck him then, sharp and unwelcome, that they might not make it out of this alive.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, shaking his head at his own thoughts. There was too much at stake, too many lives depending on them. But as he looked at her again-Kaelyn, with her unflinching resolve and the fire that always burned in her eyes-he felt something more. Something deeper than just the mission.
"You know," Alex began, his voice quieter now, almost hesitant. "If we don't make it out of here, there's something I should probably say."
Kaelyn didn't immediately respond. She continued walking, her footsteps steady, but he saw her pause for just a fraction of a second. Then, she turned, eyes narrowing, a teasing smirk pulling at her lips. "What? That you left the coffee pot on again?"
Alex exhaled a soft laugh, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He was only half-joking.
"No," he replied, his tone shifting, quieter and more sincere. "I'm being serious, Kaelyn." The words felt heavier now, laden with a weight he hadn't expected to carry. His usual flippant tone seemed misplaced in this moment. There was no space for jokes, no room for bravado. Just the raw truth that had been sitting in his chest for far too long.
Kaelyn's expression softened, her guard slipping for just a moment. She looked at him-really looked at him-her eyes searching his face. For a moment, the sharp edges of the world around them seemed to fade. It was just the two of them, standing in the dark, in a place where no one else mattered. And for a heartbeat, the truth hung between them, unspoken but understood.
Then, Kaelyn smiled-a small, genuine smile that reached her eyes, her voice low but steady. "Save it for when we get out of here."
Her words were simple, but they held a depth that he wasn't sure she fully realized. She wasn't dismissing him. She was giving him something: hope. Hope that there would be a "when" after this, that they would have the chance to talk.
"Deal." Alex's response was soft, but it was enough.
They exchanged a quiet glance, a shared understanding passing between them.
The lower level of the factory felt like a world apart from the rest. The air was thick with a sterile, metallic scent, the hum of machinery replaced by an unsettling silence. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting harsh shadows on the walls that seemed to close in on them with every step. As Alex and Kaelyn moved further into the room, the oppressive atmosphere seemed to weigh on them both. The walls were lined with cold, clinical pods-each one containing a body, suspended in a kind of unnatural stillness.
Alex's breath caught in his throat as he took in the scene. The people inside the pods-no, not people anymore-lay in suspended animation, their faces drained of life, their bodies frozen in time. They were mere husks of who they once were, stripped of their identities and their souls.
Kaelyn's pace slowed as she approached one of the pods. Her fingers brushed lightly against the glass, her eyes locked onto the motionless figure inside. It was a man, his features pale and slack, his eyes staring emptily ahead. His face was an unreadable mask, yet somehow it seemed... hollow. The light from above glinted off the glass, making his eyes appear as if they were staring directly at her, though there was nothing left in them but emptiness.
"Alex..." Kaelyn's voice wavered, something unfamiliar in her tone-a flicker of vulnerability that she rarely allowed to show. She hadn't expected to see this, to face this kind of horror.
Alex's heart tightened, a dark rage swirling within him. He stepped up beside her, his eyes scanning the rows of pods, each one more haunting than the last. "They're not gone," he said, his voice tight with suppressed fury. "They've been wiped."
Kaelyn's gaze snapped to his, her jaw clenched in a way that spoke volumes. The anger in her eyes was undeniable, but it was more than just outrage-it was a deep, burning need for justice, for the truth to be exposed, for those responsible to pay. She had always been driven by a fierce sense of right and wrong, but seeing this-their faces, their lives stolen, wiped away without a trace-shook her in a way she couldn't hide.
She took a step back, her fists clenched at her sides. "We're shutting this down." Her voice was low but filled with an undeniable resolve. There was no hesitation in her words, no doubt about what needed to be done. In that moment, the factory-this twisted, nightmarish place-had crossed a line. And Kaelyn wasn't about to let it stand.
Alex gave a sharp nod, his own anger simmering just beneath the surface.
The discovery of the pods sent an icy chill through the air between them, the gravity of the moment settling over them both like a heavy blanket. The faint hum of the machines above them seemed louder now, almost suffocating, as if the factory itself was aware of their intrusion.
Alex crouched beside one of the pods, his fingers brushing gently against the cold glass. The man inside was so still, his features pale, his eyes unseeing. It was as though the life had been drained from him, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. He felt the sharp sting of helplessness clawing at him, but he pushed it aside. This wasn't the time to dwell on what couldn't be fixed-not yet.
His gaze shifted to the sleek control panel embedded in the pod's frame. He studied the intricate design, the way the buttons and sensors glowed faintly in the dim light. "This tech... it's advanced," Alex muttered, his voice a low rasp. "Whoever built this wasn't just erasing memories-they were reprogramming identities. Maybe even personalities."
Kaelyn stood behind him, her eyes cold with fury as she took in the details. Her mind worked at lightning speed, processing every piece of information. The weight of the implications hit her like a punch to the gut. She took a steadying breath, the anger simmering in her chest turning into a razor-sharp determination. "That explains the families forgetting their loved ones. This isn't just wiping memories; it's rewriting everything-their past, their future, their very souls."
Her voice was steady, but Alex could hear the underlying tremor of emotion she was trying so hard to keep at bay. The injustice of it-these people, their lives so thoroughly erased, their families manipulated into believing they'd never existed-was something Kaelyn couldn't just walk away from.
A soft beep from Kaelyn's wrist console broke the silence, cutting through the tension in the room like a knife. She glanced down, and Alex saw the shift in her expression as her brow furrowed in concentration.
"We have company," she said, her voice low, her tone laced with a quiet urgency. "Security is on the move."
Alex's hand tightened into a fist at his side, his muscles tensing instinctively. Every nerve in his body was on alert now, the rush of adrenaline mixing with the anger that had been simmering since they first stepped into this nightmare. He stood, moving to her side. The question hung in the air between them-_What now?_
He met her eyes, searching her face for an answer, but Kaelyn was already thinking ahead, her focus unshaken.
"Do we grab what we can and bail, or do we play hero and shut this operation down tonight?" Alex asked, his voice light but with an edge of recklessness. The flicker of a grin tugged at the corners of his lips, though it was tinged with something darker now-an unspoken understanding of the risk they were about to take.
Kaelyn didn't hesitate, her jaw setting in that determined way he knew all too well. "We shut it down. These people don't have time for us to come back later."
Alex felt the weight of her words settle over him, the resolve in her voice giving him a strange kind of reassurance. He grinned, the familiar glint of reckless determination lighting up his eyes. "That's my Kaelyn. Always the overachiever."
Her lips quirked into a half-smile, though there was no humor in it. She was already moving toward the control station, her mind locked onto the task at hand. "Save the flattery for later," she shot back, her tone sharp, though there was an undeniable warmth beneath it.
Alex watched her move, his heart beating a little faster.
The control station was an intricate labyrinth of technology, a sprawling network of monitors, keyboards, and glowing interfaces. The flickering lights cast an eerie glow over the darkened room, giving it an almost sterile feel. The air hummed with the quiet rhythm of the machines working tirelessly, their screens flashing information too fast for a mere human to fully comprehend. But Kaelyn, with her practiced fingers and sharp mind, moved with ease. Her eyes tracked the encrypted lines of code flashing across the screens as she bypassed firewalls and decrypted protocols with an almost surgical precision.
"Whoever set this up didn't expect anyone to get this far," she muttered, her voice steady, even as the tension in the room mounted. She wasn't just hacking into a system; she was dismantling the very foundation of a dark operation, one line of code at a time.
Alex leaned back against the cold wall, his posture casual, but his senses were anything but relaxed. His eyes flicked to the hallway behind them, alert for any sign of movement. He could hear the distant thrum of footsteps, the faint chatter of guards through the thick walls, but for now, the shadows were silent. "You mean you're smarter than a team of highly-paid cybercriminals? Color me shocked."
Kaelyn didn't even look up from the screen, her fingers dancing across the keys with ease. The barest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, but her focus never wavered. "Flattery won't get you out of trouble when we're knee-deep in guards."
Alex chuckled quietly, his eyes still scanning the hallway. He knew the drill by now-the light banter was just a cover for the anxiety that sat heavy in his chest. But it was their rhythm, their way of coping with the danger.
As if on cue, a loud clang echoed from the corridor, followed by the unmistakable sound of boots scraping against the cold metal floors.
Alex's body tensed immediately. His hand moved to the concealed weapon at his side, the cool grip of the firearm grounding him in the reality of their predicament. "Speaking of guards..." he muttered, his voice low and urgent.
Kaelyn's fingers stilled on the keys for just a fraction of a second, but it was enough to reveal the flicker of worry in her usually composed expression. She cursed under her breath, muttering something about 'not enough time.' Her eyes never left the screens, but Alex could feel the strain in her shoulders, the weight of the moment pressing down on her.
"I need two more minutes," Kaelyn said, her voice tight with the urgency of their situation. The glow of the screens reflected in her dark eyes, but her face remained impassive, her mind already calculating the steps she needed to take to finish the job.
Alex didn't miss a beat. He didn't need to be told twice. His gaze hardened, and in an instant, he was in motion. "You've got one," he said, his voice clipped, as he moved to block the doorway, his stance protective, instinctual.