Chapter 5 TO STAY OR TO GO

Nolan's POV

Six months.

That's how long I'd been a prisoner inside BPO's underground facility. Six months of relentless torture, psychological manipulation, and a slow erosion of my will. Each week, Dr. Frank and his team of twisted scientists would strap me to a cold, sterile chair, inject me with drugs, and run simulations. Every week, I fought to hold on to what was real, to cling to the fragments of my memories. But each time I gave the wrong answers, the torture got worse.

Who are you?" Dr. Frank asked once again, his voice steady, probing.

I took a deep breath, pretending the drug cocktail they'd pumped into me had finally taken its toll. "I am Agent Nolan Craig," I replied flatly, my voice void of emotion.

Dr. Frank raised an eyebrow. "And what is your mission?"

"To ensure Project Sia falls in love with Rowan Chandler, ensuring the success of the BPO's ultimate creation," I said, my tone robotic.

Dr. Frank leaned in, studying my face. I could see the satisfaction creeping across his lips as if he had finally broken me. "And what are the rules?"

"Don't fall in love with Project Sia," I said, the words burning like acid in my throat.

"And what are the consequences of failure?" he asked, his voice hushed.

"Death by suicide."

There was a pause, a long moment where I thought he might see through my act, might catch the glimmer of defiance still hidden beneath the layers of lies. But instead, he stepped back, nodding in approval.

"Good," he said, turning to his assistants. "Prepare him for extraction. His mission is ready to resume."

But that's when everything began to unravel.

Later that night, in the darkness of my cell, I waited for my chance. I had heard whispers among the guards of a hacker infiltrating the BPO's systems, a ghost in the wires who was causing havoc across their networks. Rumor had it this hacker had no allegiance, just a vendetta against the company. I had no idea who she was, but I was counting on her tonight.

As I lay on the cold metal slab that served as a bed, the sound of footsteps approached. I sat up, my heart racing as I heard the familiar click of the door unlocking.

A woman in a lab coat slipped into the room. She looked like any other doctor, but the smirk on her face told me otherwise. "You ready to get out of here, Craig?"

I stared at her, unsure if this was another trick. "Who are you?"

"They call me Ghost," she said, pulling out a syringe from her coat. "I'm your extraction team. Or at least part of it. We don't have much time. I need you on your feet."

"Ghost?" I repeated, getting up as she injected me with something that sent a surge of energy through my veins.

"The one and only. Now, let's move," she snapped, motioning for me to follow her. "I've got a getaway driver and a sniper keeping our escape route clear, but we have a short window."

I followed her down a series of corridors, the walls painted with blood from guards who had fallen under her team's attack. As we moved, I couldn't help but notice her precision-the way she ducked and weaved through security checkpoints, deactivating cameras and disabling alarms with a few keystrokes on her tablet. She was efficient, lethal, and clearly not someone to mess with.

But then we reached a secured door labeled Cryo Chamber. I stopped, my heart hammering in my chest.

"Sia," I whispered, my hand reaching out to the door.

Ghost turned, her face hardening. "That wasn't part of the plan, Craig. We get you out, not them."

"I can't leave her behind," I said, my voice desperate. "I need to know if she's in there."

Ghost swore under her breath. "You're going to get us both killed."

But I didn't care. I punched in a security code I had memorized from one of the guards and the door slid open. Inside, the chamber was cold, fog swirling around the cryo-pods. There were dozens of them, but I only cared about two.

I ran to the nearest one and wiped the condensation from the glass. Inside, Killian lay motionless, frozen in time.

"Killian!" I shouted, banging on the pod. His face was peaceful, almost as if he were asleep. I turned to Ghost. "We need to get him out."

Ghost's eyes narrowed. "This wasn't part of the extraction. My team-"

"I don't care!" I yelled. "I won't leave him here."

With a groan of frustration, Ghost ran to the control panel and started overriding the system. "This is going to slow us down," she muttered. "Your sniper better be good."

"He is," she replied, typing faster. "But he's not invincible."

As she worked to release Killian, I moved to another pod-the one I dreaded seeing. The fog cleared as I wiped away the frost, revealing Sia's face. But something was wrong. Her eyes were open, and she was awake.

"Sia?" I whispered, but she didn't respond.

Her eyes were empty, devoid of the fire and life I remembered. It hit me like a punch to the gut-she had been reactivated, her mind wiped, her memories gone.

"She's gone," Ghost said coldly. "Whatever you knew of her is dead. We don't have time for this."

I stared at Sia, my heart breaking. But I knew she was right. The woman I loved was no longer in that body. She was just another pawn of BPO.

With Killian freed from his cryo-pod, we made our way back to the extraction point, Ghost cursing under her breath the whole time. "This wasn't part of the plan," she muttered. "You're going to get us all killed."

We fought our way through waves of guards as we ascended the facility's multiple levels. Ghost's team had been holding the extraction point, providing cover fire with her sniper, an expert marksman named Reaper. Meanwhile, her getaway driver, Blitz, was keeping the vehicle ready, engines roaring in the distance.

Reaper picked off guards with pinpoint accuracy, while Blitz signaled us from the perimeter. "You're cutting it close!" Blitz's voice crackled over the comms.

"We're coming!" Ghost snapped. "Just keep it steady."

Gunfire echoed down the halls as we cleared the last security checkpoint. Blood splattered the walls as I mowed down enemies with a stolen rifle, Killian, now awake, by my side. His eyes were wide with confusion, but his training kicked in fast.

Finally, we reached the surface. Blitz's getaway vehicle screeched around the corner, its sleek black exterior gleaming under the moonlight.

"Hurry!" Blitz shouted, the door already open.

We piled into the vehicle, Ghost barely getting in as Blitz slammed on the gas. Reaper fired off the last round, taking down the final guard before diving into the trunk.

As we sped off into the night, I looked back at the facility, my heart still racing. We had made it out, but I knew this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

Back in the facility, Dr. Frank stood in the blood-soaked hallways, his phone pressed to his ear.

"Ma'am, we've been compromised," he said, his voice steady despite the chaos around him. "I'm afraid to say... I lost the agent."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Then a calm, cold voice responded. "Good. Destroy all evidence. Get to the extraction helicopter waiting outside."

"Yes, ma'am," Dr. Frank replied, wiping blood from his hands.

"And Dr. Frank?" the voice said, her tone icy.

"Yes, Ms. Chandler?"

"Don't fail me again," she said, ending the call.

Dr. Frank looked down at the bodies of his fallen guards, his face expressionless as he walked toward the exit. He had failed this time, but there would always be another chance.