Location: Tavara – Skyclave Medical Sanctuary
Victor's body lay unconscious on the biometric bed, a mess of blood, bruises, and cracked bones. Multiple nanobots hovered around his torso, stitching tissue, regenerating nerves, and sealing fractured ribs. His breathing was labored but steady—a testament to how close the Prototype had come to ending him.
Nora stood nearby, her arms crossed, dark circles beneath her eyes. She hadn't slept. She refused to, not until she was certain Victor was out of danger.
Damien leaned against the wall, arm in a sling, staring at Victor's battered form. "He won," he muttered, voice hoarse. "But at what cost?"
Nora didn't respond.
Instead, she moved closer to the bed and gently held Victor's hand. His fingers twitched in response.
"I know you hear me," she whispered. "And I know you won't stay down for long. But promise me something... no more throwing yourself at death alone."
Victor didn't move.
But the biometric monitor blinked once—then twice—faster than before. His heartbeat had heard her.
Outside, storm clouds cloaked the sky as the remains of Glacium Base were being buried in controlled detonations. The international press speculated it was a minor earthquake.
Only a select few knew what really happened beneath the snow.
"Do you think they're gone?" Damien asked quietly. "The others... the dormant Prototypes?"
Nora's gaze darkened. "Some were destroyed. But others—others were moved long before we got there. The Prototype was only one guardian of a much larger plan."
She turned to Damien. "I decrypted the last transmission. It wasn't a death protocol. It was a signal."
Damien pushed off the wall, adrenaline returning to his voice. "To who?"
"To the man who created them all."
Just then, Victor groaned, his eyes flickering open. Pain clouded his expression, but something deeper brewed in his gaze—determination.
"You're awake!" Nora exhaled in relief.
Victor struggled to sit, ignoring the protests of his body. "We need to move," he said slowly. "If that signal reached him... we don't have much time."
Damien frowned. "Who is him?"
Victor's eyes burned. "The real architect behind Dominion. The one even the Prototype feared. The one who trained me... and then tried to kill me."
Silence engulfed the room.
Nora broke it first. "Name?"
Victor clenched his jaw. "Caine Voss."
The name hung in the air like a storm waiting to break.
Far away, in a cold mountain fortress veiled by myths and shadows, a tall figure stood before a holographic map. Red dots blinked across several continents. The man's eyes—void of empathy—narrowed as he received the signal.
"Victor," he murmured with a smirk. "Still playing hero."
He turned away.
"Let the game begin."