Chapter 3 THE SCIENTIST

Ethan crouched in the dense underbrush, heart pounding like a war drum. The forest stretched on endlessly, but tonight, the darkness wasn't comforting-it was a predator. Somewhere ahead, Asset Orion waited, and with him, the secrets that could ignite continents. Mara Vale moved silently beside him, her eyes darting constantly, scanning for movement in the shadows.

"The facility isn't far," she whispered, barely audible over the crackle of twigs beneath their boots. "But it's... guarded."

Ethan nodded without speaking. He didn't need details. Every instinct in his body told him they were walking straight into a trap.

The first sign came in the form of the river. A black, sluggish snake of water cut across their path, reflecting the faint moonlight. Across it, a rickety bridge swayed under its own weight.

"Cross carefully," Ethan said. "One slip and it's over."

Mara nodded. The child they had helped earlier lingered in Ethan's mind, a reminder of why they were risking everything. As they stepped onto the bridge, a loud snap echoed. Both froze.

Branches had broken beneath Mara's boot. They held their breath. From the darkness beyond the riverbank, a figure emerged.

"Stop right there!" a voice shouted, thick with Kandaran accent.

Ethan fired instinctively, a single shot that knocked the weapon from the man's hand. The figure collapsed with a grunt, silence swallowing the forest again.

"Too close," Ethan muttered, helping Mara across.

The water lapped at their boots as they reached the opposite bank. Ahead, the facility's outline emerged through the mist: a towering, rusted structure with flickering lights. This was no ordinary research center-it was a fortress, built to withstand everything except the recklessness of men like Ethan.

Mara scanned the perimeter. "They've set traps. Mines, motion sensors, cameras... probably automated turrets if they think anyone can sneak in at night."

Ethan crouched low. "We're not sneaking in. We're crashing it."

Mara blinked. "What?"

"I said," he whispered with a grim smile, "we're getting Orion out, not sightseeing."

They moved closer, shadows among shadows, until the ground trembled with distant gunfire. A convoy of armed men patrolled the far side of the compound. From the distance, it looked hopeless-but Ethan never did hopeless.

"Listen," Mara whispered, "the main entrance is impossible. They'll see us a mile away. We need another way in."

Ethan scanned the perimeter, spotting a ventilation duct slightly ajar on the east wing. "Through here," he said.

The duct was narrow and filled with the smell of rust, mildew, and something else-electricity, or fear. Ethan led, Mara following, every step deliberate. The shadows inside were almost suffocating. The sound of the outside world faded, replaced by the echo of their breathing.

Halfway in, a sudden click made Ethan freeze. A wire stretched across the duct, almost invisible. He reached out slowly, cutting it with the edge of his knife. Mara exhaled.

"You do this all the time?" she whispered, admiration laced with tension.

"Too often," Ethan replied. "You get used to it... or you die."

They crawled for what felt like hours. Finally, the duct ended above a dimly lit lab. Ethan peered through the grating. Inside, a lone figure hunched over a console.

"Orion," Mara breathed.

Ethan's pulse quickened. The man was gaunt, eyes wide behind thick glasses. The weight of knowledge pressed visibly on his shoulders. Around him, monitors flickered with images of continents, digital maps, and streams of coded numbers-evidence of the weapon, the power to destabilize nations without a single missile fired.

Ethan gestured for Mara to stay low. They needed a plan.

Suddenly, the lab door swung open, and two guards appeared. They hadn't seen Ethan and Mara yet-but one step in the wrong direction and alarms would scream across the facility.

"Wait for my signal," Ethan whispered.

A tense minute passed. Then he moved. Quick, silent, precise. A punch, a choke, a knock-both guards dropped without a sound.

Mara exhaled, relieved, as Ethan grabbed Orion's arm. "We don't have much time," he said.

Orion looked up, confusion and fear etched into every line of his face. "You... who-?"

"No time for questions," Ethan interrupted. "We're leaving. Now."

They moved swiftly through the lab, past monitors displaying blinking red lights, warnings of security breaches they had yet to trigger. But outside, the compound was alive. Lights began flashing. Sirens wailed in the distance.

"They know," Mara said, panic creeping into her voice.

Ethan's eyes hardened. "Good. Let's make sure they regret it."

They sprinted toward the east wing exit, but the path was blocked. Heavy doors, reinforced steel, and a dozen armed men in full combat gear.

Ethan pulled Orion back into the shadows. "We need a diversion."

Mara glanced around, spotting a pile of canisters used for chemical experiments. "This'll do."

With a nod from Ethan, Mara kicked the canisters toward the opposite side. They exploded in a brilliant flare of fire and smoke. Shouts echoed. Guards scrambled.

Ethan led Orion through the chaos, bullets whizzing past. Every second was a gamble. Every heartbeat a countdown.

Finally, they reached the outer perimeter. The forest waited like a sanctuary-and a trap. Behind them, the facility erupted in alarm and fire.

Ethan glanced at Orion. "You ready for this?"

Orion swallowed hard. "I... I have to be."

Mara looked at Ethan, then at Orion. "We'll make it. Together."

But as they ran into the night, another sound cut through the air-a low, distant roar, unnatural and terrifying. Ethan froze.

From the darkness, dozens of figures emerged, armed, fast, and moving with terrifying precision. These weren't ordinary guards. Someone had been waiting for them.

Ethan gritted his teeth. "No way out," he muttered. "Not tonight."

The forest exploded into gunfire and chaos. Shadows collided with shadows, bullets flew past like deadly rain, and every step toward freedom became a fight for survival.

And somewhere in the distance, Kandara waited, merciless and alive, as the war for one man's secret truly began.