Buenos Aires, Argentina – Hidden Syndicate Safehouse
The warehouse on the outskirts of Buenos Aires had once been a wine distillery, but now it reeked of oil, gunpowder, and secrets. Damien stood in the center of the dimly lit space, face-to-face with a ghost from his past—Sebastian Croix, a former intelligence broker once exiled by the Global Accord.
Sebastian's smile was razor-thin. "Didn't think I'd see the devil himself asking for favors."
Damien didn't flinch. "Your grudge with the Syndicate still stands, doesn't it?"
"Stronger than ever," Croix said, swirling a glass of brandy. "But why should I help you?"
Damien tossed a chip onto the table—a decrypted set of names, accounts, and Syndicate safehouse locations across South America. "Because they're planning something worse than anything they did to you. And because they've taken my brother."
Sebastian studied the chip, then met Damien's eyes. "You have two days. That's it. After that, if you're still alive, we're even."
---
Location; Tavara – Nora's Private Archive Lab
While Damien made preparations, Nora dove deeper into the Seraphim code. Kiyomi's voiceprint, Aiko's coordinates, and Archer's pattern were pointing to one unthinkable location—Antarctica.
She enhanced an infrared satellite scan and froze when the feed revealed a structure buried two miles beneath the ice shelf near Queen Maud Land.
An experimental facility—Project Providence—long abandoned by the UN after a failed "bio-enhancement" trial.
But what chilled Nora wasn't the facility.
It was the insignia on its entrance.
The same symbol that branded her mother's shoulder after she was captured years ago. A winged serpent eating its tail—The Ouroboros.
Location; Antarctica – Secret Facility Providence
Inside the ice-cold corridors of the abandoned lab, Archer Grey stood in front of a cryo-chamber. Aiko—young, pale, and suspended in frost—was inside.
Beside him stood Evelyn, Damien's mother, her face illuminated by the faint blue light.
"She's awakening," Evelyn whispered. "The Seraphim code is aligning. All three... together."
Archer smiled. "We'll draw Nora here. And Damien won't be far behind."
He turned toward the control panel. "Once they're inside, seal the exits. It'll become their tomb."
---
In Johannesburg – Syndicate Transport Convoy
Bound and gagged in the back of a heavily armored truck, Elijah struggled against his restraints. He knew how this worked—he'd grown up seeing such tactics firsthand. But what they didn't know was that his tracker hadn't been deactivated.
Miles away, a beacon flashed green on Damien's mobile.
"Got you," Damien muttered.
From the side of the convoy, three drones swooped in low, silently deploying smoke bombs. In seconds, chaos erupted—gunfire, screaming, confusion.
Damien dropped in from above like a ghost. By the time the smoke cleared, Elijah was gone—and so were four Syndicate guards.
In Damien's Plane – En Route to Antarctica
Elijah lay on a stretcher, Nora patching up his shoulder. He winced, then managed a faint smirk. "Next time, send less smoke. I like breathing."
Damien sat across from him. "You're lucky you're family."
Elijah chuckled. "You keep saying that like it's a threat."
Nora looked up from the medkit. "We found Aiko. Or at least, where she's being held."
Damien nodded. "Then let's go retrieve her—and bring the whole house of cards down with it."
The plane roared over the clouds, ice and fate waiting beneath.