Chapter 5 FIVE

One week later, Ethan stood in Linda's underground clinic. It was more like a command center. Monitors showed blueprints and security feeds.

Kael stood beside him. "The target is a research lab on the outskirts. Level 3 security. They're holding the primary blood samples there."

Ethan studied the plans. His mind processed the information like a machine. "Here. The ventilation system. It's the weak point."

"That's a tight fit, sir."

"It's our way in."

Linda approached. "The blood samples are key. Without them, their research is set back months. But the data servers are the real prize. They're in the central server room. Get the data, and we learn everything."

Ethan nodded. "Kael, you have the team ready?"

"Five men. The best. They remember you. They're ready."

"Good. We move tonight."

Under the cover of darkness, two vans pulled up near an unmarked industrial building. Ethan, Kael, and five other operatives moved like shadows.

"Comms check," Ethan said into his headset. His voice was calm. Commanding.

"Team Alpha, clear."

"Team Bravo, in position."

Ethan scaled a drainpipe with effortless strength. Kael followed. They reached a rooftop vent.

"This is it," Ethan said. He used a laser cutter to silently remove the grate. "I'll go first."

He slid into the tight metal shaft. It was dark and confining. He moved with a predator's grace. He emerged into a dimly lit hallway. Kael and two others followed.

"Server room is two floors down," Kael whispered.

They moved. Ethan neutralized a guard with a precise chokehold before the man could make a sound. It was instinct. His body remembered the motions.

They reached the server room. One of Kael's men, a tech expert, plugged a device into the main terminal.

"Downloading now. Sixty seconds."

Suddenly, a blaring alarm cut through the silence. Red lights flashed.

"They're onto us!" Kael yelled.

"Finish the download!" Ethan ordered. "We'll hold them."

The door burst open. Syndicate security forces poured in. Gunfire filled the room.

Ethan moved. He was a blur. He disarmed one man, broke another's arm, and used a third as a human shield. His movements were efficient. Lethal. Every part of his past was flooding back.

"Download complete!" the tech shouted.

"Fall back!" Ethan commanded. "To the extraction point!"

They fought their way back through the halls. Ethan was a force of nature, leading the charge. They burst out of a side exit into the waiting vans.

As they sped away, Ethan looked back at the burning noises of the lab. He wasn't panting. He was calm.

Kael looked at him with fierce pride. "The War God is back."

Back in the van, the tech expert, a young man named Jax, held up the data drive. "I got everything, sir. The entire Ares Project database."

Ethan took the drive. It felt small, but he knew its value was immense. "Good work. Any casualties?"

Kael did a quick headcount. "Minor injuries only. A few scrapes and bruises. Your plan worked perfectly."

"It worked because they didn't expect an attack," Ethan said, his voice flat. "They won't make that mistake again."

Linda's voice came through their earpieces. "I'm seeing police and Syndicate vehicles converging on your last location. Get back to the clinic. Now."

The van sped through the backstreets, its lights off. Inside, the mood was tense but victorious. The soldiers looked at Ethan with a new kind of respect. They had heard the stories, but now they had seen it for themselves.

One of them, a woman named Reyes, shook her head. "I've never seen anyone move like that, General. It was like you were everywhere at once."

"Don't call me that," Ethan reminded her, but his tone was not harsh. "The fight is what matters. Not a title."

When they arrived at the clinic, Linda was waiting. She took the data drive without a word and plugged it into her main computer. Files and videos began to flash across the large screen.

"This is worse than we thought," she said, her face pale. "The Ares Project isn't just about super-soldiers. They've already begun human trials."

She pulled up a video file. It showed a man in a cell, his muscles twitching violently. His eyes were wild with pain and confusion.

"The test subjects can't handle the formula," Linda explained. "Their bodies reject it. It drives them insane before it kills them. Your blood is the only stable source they've found."

Ethan stared at the screen, his hands clenched into fists. "How many?"

"Dozens," Linda said softly. "They are using prisoners. People no one will miss."

Kael slammed his fist on the table. "Monsters. We need to hit them again. Harder."

"We will," Ethan said. His voice was cold and certain. "But we need a new target. A bigger one. We have to stop the source."

He turned to Linda. "Is there anything in that data about their main production facility? The place where they make the formula?"

Linda typed quickly, sorting through the files. "Yes... here. It's a chemical plant. Officially, it makes cleaning supplies. But the schematics show a hidden sub-level. That's where they're synthesizing the serum based on your blood."

"Can we destroy it?" Kael asked.

"We can," Ethan said, studying the blueprint. "But it's heavily guarded. Level 5 security. A direct assault would be suicide."

"So what's the plan, sir?" Jax asked.

Ethan zoomed in on the blueprint. "We don't attack from the outside. We attack from within." He pointed to a large pipeline on the schematic. "This is the main waste disposal line. It leads directly into the river, but it also runs right under the main reactor for the lab."

"You want to go through the sewer again?" Reyes asked, slight sadness on her face.

"No," Ethan said. "This time, we go through the waste pipe itself. It will be dangerous and unpleasant. But it's the one place they won't be watching. We plant charges on the reactor core and get out before they know we are there."

"That's a one-way trip if the charges go off early," Kael stated.

"Then we make sure they don't," Ethan replied. He looked around at the team. "This is different from the lab. The security will be tighter. The risks are higher. I won't order any of you to come on this mission."

Kael didn't hesitate. "I'm with you, General."

"Me too," Jax said.

Reyes and the others all nodded, their faces set with determination.

"They are killing people with my blood," Ethan said, his gaze resting on the tortured face of the test subject on the screen. "This ends now. We move at 4:00."

Ethan nodded. "That was just the beginning. Now they know we're coming."