Location: Amazon Basin, ONYX Forward Outpost Zulu-9 — 12:02 PM (Local Time)
The ONYX jet touched down with a hiss of steam on a hidden runway carved out of dense jungle. Trees trembled. Monkeys scattered. A parrot squawked something suspiciously like "Get off my lawn!"
Ryan Bruce stepped down the ramp, squinting at the oppressive humidity. His tactical suit clung to him like a clingy ex. "Ah, yes. Nothing says international spy emergency like a secret facility surrounded by snakes, sweat, and mosquitos the size of toddlers."
Emily swatted one off her neck. "Great. It's a spa day for murder hornets."
Curtis handed them jungle-grade comms and anti-venom kits. "Zulu-9 is our last known storage point for Phoenix backups. If anything survived the Castini fallout… it'll be here."
Holly tugged Ryan's sleeve. "Dad. I just saw a frog that looked like Uncle Greg. Are we in a hallucination zone?"
"Possibly," Ryan said. "But let's not tell Greg. His ego doesn't need jungle variants."
Faith stomped her boot down dramatically. "I'm ready for battle! Where's the snake queen? Does she like glitter?"
12:10 PM – Inside Zulu-9
The base had been untouched for years—part storage bunker, part tech graveyard. Giant fans creaked overhead. Consoles blinked to life one by one. Dust motes danced in green light.
Emily scanned a biometric lock. "So what exactly is Phoenix Protocol for?"
Ryan hesitated. "Honestly? Nobody ever told me. It was redacted even from Director-level agents. All I know is it was designed for... global reset scenarios. Like if ONYX CORE ever collapsed from the inside."
Curtis chimed in from the far end. "Or if someone hijacked our legacy systems."
Emily froze. "You mean like Glitch Wolf almost did?"
Curtis nodded. "Or like what this new entity—DuskWidow—is doing right now."
12:15 PM – The Hidden Vault
A steel door hissed open, revealing a room full of cryo-chambers, encrypted drives, and one very conspicuous glowing orb labeled:
"PHOENIX CORE – WARNING: DO NOT ENGAGE"
Ryan stared at it. "That's a terrible label. It's practically begging someone to poke it."
Holly reached out. "Can I touch—"
"NO," said all adults in unison.
Emily stepped closer. "If this powers up... what happens?"
Curtis read the old logs, his face draining of color.
"It doesn't power up," he said quietly. "It wakes up. And according to this… we're not the first ones to open it this year."
Suddenly, a distorted voice echoed from the base's speaker system.
"Welcome back, ONYX CORE.
You're late. The fire's already lit."
12:16 PM – Jungle Perimeter
From the dense foliage, shadowed figures emerged. Advanced tech. Glowing visors. And at the center of them—cloaked in black and crimson, her voice smooth and venomous:
"Let's begin the hunt."
(TO BE CONTINUED…)