Chapter 37: Handler Zero
You thought you escaped the lab. But the lab had cameras outside the walls. Watching. Waiting. And now they're ready to bring the experiment home.
Scene: Abandoned Data Relay Station – Sector 8 Underground
Dust choked the hallways. The old Concord archive towers hadn't pulsed in years. When the new HeroNet grid was activated, this wing became obsolete — forgotten by staff, sealed off from cadet access.
But Rook Vale had the override key.
Courtesy of Solaris's spike.
He stepped through the security field, boots landing silently on cracked tile. The terminal hummed as he approached — slow to wake, as if surprised it was being used again.
The drive lit up.One blinking file.
Labeled:
C-REINA // CONTINGENCY CACHETimestamp: 6 Years AgoVoice Only.
He played it.
Audio Log Begins