Chapter 7 The Shadow Network

The abandoned warehouse stood before them, its windows shattered, its walls smeared with faded graffiti. It was the kind of place most people avoided, and that was precisely why Jill had chosen it. He pushed open the rusted metal door and ushered Dr. Park inside, his eyes scanning the interior quickly for any signs of trouble. The large room was filled with old crates and machinery; there were ample places to hide yet loads of possible threats.

Jill got Dr. Park to a corner behind some stack of wooden crates and crouched down, his hand still clenching the sidearm. "We'll wait here for a bit," he said in a low, measured tone. "Let's see if they follow us.

Dr. Park slumped onto the floor, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "This cannot be happening. I'm just a researcher. What could they possibly want from me worth all this trouble?

Jill had no easy answer for her, but he had his suspicions. "It's not just you they're after. You're a piece of a much bigger puzzle. Whatever 'Project Helix' is, it's worth a lot to someone-and Nexus will stop at nothing to get it.".

"Project Helix." Dr. Park's voice trailed off, her eyes going far away. "It's a black op, but. I've really only been working on one tiny part. Advanced materials to be used in enhancing certain electronic devices. I wasn't told what the whole of the project was.".

Jill's jaw clenched. He had a feeling that the compartmentalization of research was deliberate, some kind of stratagem to keep the full nature of Project Helix even from those working on the project. "We need to figure out what Nexus knows and what their endgame is," he said. "You got any contacts who might know more about Helix?

Before Dr. Park could respond, SEA-Z's voice boomed in Jill's mind. "Host, thermal signature closing in on the building. It's weak, but it's heading in our direction."

Instantly, Jill was overdrive. He motioned for Dr. Park to stay low while he crawled to the edge of the crates, peering out into the dimly lit warehouse. A shadow shifted near the entrance-someone was definitely there.

Jill moved silently but swiftly, sidling between the crates to get behind the intruder. He pulled out his gun and pointed it against the figure's back. "Don't move," he said in a voice that didn't invite discussion.

The figure froze, then rose and raised his hands. "Whoa, easy there," he replied in a husky voice. He turned around and Jill could tell he was a man in his early forties, with a thick beard and scar above his left eyebrow. By looks alone, he did not seem to be a Nexus agent; Jill did not lower the weapon.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Jill asked.

The man quickly looked from Jill to the crates behind him, still concealing Dr. Park. "Relax, I'm not with Nexus. My name is Henry. I am...Well, let's just say that I'm a freelancer. I know what's going on, and I'm here to help."

Jill's eyes were slitted as she watched him skeptically. "How do you know about Nexus? And why should I believe you?"

Henry shrugged, keeping his hands up. "I've been tracking them for a while. They've made some powerful enemies, and let's just say I'm not a fan of their methods. If you're protecting the doctor, then we're on the same side."

That doesn't prove anything," Jill said, his voice taut. "Give me a single reason why I shouldn't hand you over to the authorities this very minute.

Henry gave a dry chuckle. "Authorities? Once Nexus has already penetrated? The best of luck with that." He pulled a small flash drive from his jacket pocket.

"Here, take a look at the little bit of intel I've gathered on the Project Helix. You said you were gonna want to take a look at what's on here if you're genuinely serious about stopping them.".

Jill hesitated, reached out and handed it to him keeping his gun still trained on Henry. He pulled out his laptop and plugged in the drive; instantly SEA-Z began to scan it for any threats. After a moment, it confirmed, "The drive is clean. There is encrypted data relating to Project Helix. I can decrypt it now."

Jill gave the command to SEA-Z, and in a few seconds, words started running down the screen. He saw the worst that could have been printed. Project Helix wasn't about new materials or advanced electronics; it was about making a new kind of weaponry system that would be able to manipulate molecular structures at will. If Nexus got their hands on it, the implications were too severe to contemplate.

That's not all," Henry said, noticing Jill's grim expression. "There is more where that came from, but it's scattered across different sources. I've been piecing it together and I could use some help.".

Dr. Park had been silent until now. "Maybe if we cooperate, we can try to stop them," she said, looking from Jill to Henry and back again. "We do need to know who else is involved and where the rest of the data on this project are being kept.".

Jill thought hard about his options. He wasn't sure whether Henry was the kind of man he could entrust with anything, but what had been on that flash drive was too important for him to simply shrug it off. "Alright," he said, lowering his gun a little. "We work together-for now. But if I find even a shade of double-crossing, there won't be a second chance."

Henry nodded gravely. "Fair enough. Let's take those bastards down.

SEA-Z's voice cut the silence, suddenly spearing into Jill's mind. "Host, surveillance drone closing from the northeast. Less than two minutes until it reaches our position."

Jill's grip on his weapon tightened as he glanced over at Henry. "Looks like we're out of time. Let's move.