Paul's office fell completely silent after Logan accepted the mission. That name, "Uranus," now sounded like a real threat. This was no longer just a game of companies fighting each other, but a twisted family war with some very strange things involved.
[Mission 003: Confirmed. Discover the truth about Elena Ginflow]
[Objective: Infiltrate the Gemini Archive]
[Reward: "Temporary Protection" (3 seconds of protection, 5 min cooldown)]
Paul adjusted his shirt collar.
—The plan is simple:Become someone who's a nuisance, now more than ever. If Uranus loves chaos, then we're going to give them a good dose of it.
He slid the tablet towards Logan. It now showed a white, modern building with the Uranus logo.
—The Biomimetic Research Center —said Paul—. That's where Clara, Elena's sister who now goes by the name 'Jade,' is hiding. And where she's keeping all the secrets of her father's Project Gemini.
Logan looked at the blueprints. Meanwhile, Fay projected the success probabilities in a corner of his vision.
[Infiltration Probability: 4%]
[Mission Failure Probability: 99.8%]
[Probability of Dying in the Attempt: 67%]
—Four percent success rate... great, I'm over the fucking moon —Logan muttered.
—Your shitty stats aren't everything —Fay intervened, appearing suddenly. She sounded serious—. Paul isn't sending you on a suicide mission, unfortunately. This is more like a test.
—Exactly —Paul nodded—. Uranus likes efficient people. If you manage to get in, even for a minute, Clara won't kill you outright. She'll want to study you, see what you're doing here. And that will buy us enough time.
—Time for what? —Logan asked with a bad feeling.
—For me to search their archives —said Fay.
---
The mission preparation was a mess of nerves. Fay projected maps on the table while Paul sent encrypted information.
—The way in is through the garden's ventilation system —Fay explained—. The sensors there are weaker because of the humidity.
—Gardens? In a place called Uranus? —Logan asked as he put on a black suit Paul had given him.
—It's a garden of fake things —Paul's voice clarified over the communicator—. They have modified plants. Clara likes to walk there. It reminds her of the gardens from her... well, from the house where she grew up.
—Ready —said Logan, clenching his jaw.
Fay floated in front of him. For the first time, she didn't throw an insult, just looked at him intently.
—Logan. Activate stealth mode. Don't trust anyone. And... don't fuck it up, you idiot.
It was the closest thing to a "take care" that Logan would ever hear from her.
---
The Uranus Center looked like a crystal fortress. Logan, following Fay's instructions, moved like a damn shadow through the ventilation ducts.
Finally, he dropped into a huge room. It was the hydroponic garden. Under a light mimicking sunset, there were blue roses and trees with fruits that literally glowed. It was beautiful but gave him a bad feeling.
[Find terminal in garden]
Logan moved through the plants until he found a terminal hidden in a silver tree.
—I found something —Fay whispered—. It's not all the files we're looking for, but it's an audio from Alberto's diary. It's... quite personal.
Logan, with his heart racing, hit play and heard the voice of a tired man:
"...August 14th. Elena is so lonely. I failed as a father. Gemini was a mistake. Giving Clara to be her sister... what was I thinking? Clara isn't her, she's much colder. But sometimes she looks at me with the same eyes and I see the same pain."
The recording cut off. Logan froze. This wasn't just any experiment; it was a family disaster as big as the hunger he felt.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the silence completely:
—Interesting,isn't it? Listening to the voice of a father who rejected you.
Logan turned around. There was Clara, among the blue roses. She wore a silver dress and her hair was dyed yellow. She looked at him with curiosity, as if he were some kind of strange bug too.
—He didn't reject you —Logan said—. He was just afraid for you.
Clara smiled, showing a perfect but empty smile.
—Fear is useless.Uranus taught me that. They don't fear what I could become; on the contrary, they celebrate it.
Before Logan could react, something like a sonic wave hit him directly in the chest. He fell to the floor, breathless. Clara approached him, looking at him curiously.
—So clumsy. What a pity you're useless.
Clara raised her hand with a circular device that glowed dangerously. Logan tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond.
—Goodbye, Logan Flux.
Just as Clara's device was about to touch him, an alarm blared at full volume, causing the garden lights to turn red.
[Alert: Intruder in main server. Origin: (weird system thing)]
Clara frowned, distracted for a second.
—What...?
That gave Logan the opportunity he needed. With a grunt of pain, he rolled and used a flowerpot to knock the device from Clara's hand. The artifact smashed against the floor and sparked everywhere.
The two stared at each other. Clara's perfect face showed genuine rage for an instant.
—I'm not your enemy, Clara —Logan gasped—. He loved you. You heard it in the recording.
Clara's face twisted. For a second, she was the abandoned girl from the recording.
—Shut up!You know nothing about me!
—I know Uranus is using you! —he yelled.
Before the fight could continue, voices were heard approaching. Clara instantly put her "cold" personality mask back on.
—This isn't over yet, Logan. You reek of desperation from everywhere. And that... that just makes me curious.
With a final look mixing hatred and something that seemed like envy, Clara turned and disappeared among the glowing plants.
Logan was left trembling in that garden of fake plants. The mission had been both a disaster and a success. He didn't get the files, but he had seen that his enemy also had a heart.
Fay's voice sounded in his ear, weak and with interference:
—Logan...get out of here... now. She activated the hunt protocols.
[Mission 003: Progress - 40%]
[Temporary Protection unlocked for single use]