Maya didn't feel right.
Something in the corridors tasted wrong — sharp, metallic, like fear left too long in the air.
Her instincts rarely lied.
And right now, they were screaming.
Jack had barely finished breakfast before Ward ordered him into the tech lab for neurological scans. Rafael escorted him, pretending he wasn't worried. Jack pretended he wasn't trembling.
Maya didn't pretend anything.
She followed them, silent, steady, a blade disguised as a woman.
She watched Jack walking ahead — shoulders slumped, fingers twitching, ribs still hurting.
She had wrapped them for him earlier.
Her hands had been steady then.
They were not steady now.
Astra Tech Lab
The tech lab was bright and sterile — rows of screens, wires, scanning arches, and tables covered with equipment that could read a heartbeat from the other side of the world.
Jack sat in a chair as electrodes were placed along his temples and spine.
Rafael leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
Maya stood closer, hands on her hips, eyes glued to Jack the whole time.
Ward entered last, flanked by senior analysts.
"How is he?" Ward asked.
Maya answered. "He didn't sleep well."
Rafael added, "He glowed."
Ward frowned. "Define glowed."
Maya and Rafael exchanged glances.
Then Maya said quietly:
"His eyes."
Ward stiffened. "Both?"
"Yes."
Ward motioned to the analysts. "Start the scan."
Jack tensed. "Is this safe?"
Maya stepped closer. "Yes. I'll be right here."
Rafael muttered, "We can always knock her out if it goes wrong."
Maya glared.
The scanner hummed to life.
A soft wave of energy passed across Jack's skull.
He winced.
Maya's hand twitched — instinctively moving toward him, but she stopped herself.
Rafael noticed.
He smirked.
She ignored him.
The circular screen lit up with neural activity — messy, chaotic, and dense with unfamiliar patterns.
The analyst frowned. "There's increased synaptic firing in the frontal lobe."
"Memory activation?" Ward asked.
"Not exactly. More like… memory intrusion."
Maya stepped forward. "Meaning what?"
Jack whispered, eyes trembling:
"Something's pushing inside my head."
Maya's fists clenched.
The analyst continued, "There's also abnormal growth in the amygdala and hippocampus activity."
Rafael blinked. "His fight-or-flight?"
"Yes. Elevated to an extreme degree."
Jack looked terrified. "So I'm just… turning into a weapon?"
"No," Maya said sharply.
Ward didn't contradict her — but her silence was loud.
Jack looked at her, desperate for an answer.
Ward swallowed.
"Your neural patterns resemble early Alpha imprinting. But you're still stable."
Jack looked sick.
"I don't feel stable."
Maya's jaw tightened.
She placed a hand on his shoulder.
His breathing slowed the moment she touched him.
Ward observed it, eyes narrowing slightly.
Interesting.
But she said nothing.
Because right then—
—everything changed.
The lights flickered.
All monitors shut off.
A shrill alarm screamed.
Security shutters sealed the doors.
Maya reacted instantly.
"Rafael, guard the exit!"
Rafael drew his weapon. "Already on it!"
Jack jumped up. "What's happening?!"
Ward barked, "Full lockdown—someone breached internal systems!"
The monitors snapped back on.
All of them.
Every screen in the room shifted to static.
Then—
A silhouette appeared.
Black suit.
Green glowing eyes.
Mantis.
Maya's blood froze.
Rafael swore. "No—no no NO—how the hell did she get in the system?!"
Ward shouted, "Disable all input channels! Now!"
The static cleared.
Mantis smiled.
Her voice slithered out of every speaker in the room.
"Hello, Alpha."
Jack stumbled backward.
Maya stepped in front of him instantly.
"Face me, Mantis," she growled. "Not him."
Mantis tilted her head on-screen.
"Oh, Maya. Always so dramatic."
Rafael yelled, "Where are you? Show yourself!"
Mantis ignored him.
She focused solely on Jack.
"Congratulations, Alpha," she purred. "You're waking up."
Jack trembled.
"Get out of his head," Maya snarled.
Mantis laughed. "I'm not in his head. Yet."
Maya stiffened.
Jack whispered, "Why are you doing this?"
Mantis grinned wider.
"Because Mercer is pleased."
Jack paled.
"Pleased with what?"
Mantis's eyes gleamed.
"With you."
Jack's stomach dropped.
Maya stepped forward, blade drawn.
"Try coming closer," she hissed. "I'll make you regret it."
Mantis sighed.
"Always so angry, little wolf."
Maya's jaw clenched.
Then—
The screen glitched.
A distorted sound filled the room.
A heartbeat.
Jack's heartbeat.
Loud.
Amplified.
Echoing through the speakers.
Maya spun. "Turn it off!"
The analysts panicked.
"It's not us—she's overriding the system!"
Rafael snarled, "She's syncing with his vitals—WHY?!"
Mantis answered.
"To show him."
The screens changed.
Static cleared.
A video played.
A baby in a lab.
Crying.
Connected to wires.
Maya's breath caught.
Rafael whispered, "Is that… Jack?"
Jack stared, horrified.
Mantis purred, "You don't remember this, do you? Don't worry. You will."
The next clip appeared.
Mercer.
Standing over the infant.
Touching his head.
Whispering into his ear.
"Awaken, Alpha."
Jack screamed.
Maya grabbed him as he collapsed to his knees.
"Jack—Jack, breathe—look at me! Don't look at the screen!"
But he couldn't tear his eyes away.
The next clip was worse.
Much worse.
A lab doctor spoke into a recorder.
"Subject Alpha-01 — neural reprogramming successful. Combat instinct imprint complete. Awaiting Phase 4 sequencing."
Jack clawed at his head. "Stop—stop showing me this—STOP—"
Maya grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her instead of the screen.
"JACK—stay with me! Look at me!"
He trembled violently.
His irises shone silver again.
Brighter this time.
Mantis watched with delight.
"Beautiful," she whispered. "He's almost ready."
Maya snarled. "You're dead when I find you."
Mantis winked.
"Come find me then."
The monitors blacked out.
The alarms stopped.
Silence.
Jack collapsed against Maya.
She caught him, kneeling, holding him tight against her chest as he shook uncontrollably.
"It's okay," she whispered. "I'm here. I'm here. I've got you."
Jack sobbed — quiet, broken, aching.
"Why—why did she show me that…?"
Maya's eyes burned with rage.
"Because she wants to break you."
Jack trembled harder.
"I think… it's working."
Maya cupped the back of his head and held him tighter.
"No," she whispered into his hair. "I won't let her."
Rafael approached slowly, face pale, voice low.
"She left something."
Maya looked up. "What?"
Rafael pointed at the central screen.
It flickered once.
A single message appeared.
Six words.
Cold.
Simple.
Personal.
I'M COMING TO GET YOU, ALPHA.
Jack went still.
So did Maya.
Her expression became something deadly — something Mantis should fear.
Rafael swallowed hard.
Ward whispered, "Maya… what do we do?"
Maya rose slowly, helping Jack to his feet.
Her voice was ice and violence.
"We hunt her first."
She looked at Jack.
Her eyes softened.
"Before she takes him."
Jack whispered shakily:
"Can she really get inside Astra?"
Maya touched his face gently.
"She already did."
His fear grew.
Maya's resolve hardened.
"Jack," she said softly, "I won't let her touch you. Not while I'm breathing."
The words were barely a whisper.
But they carried a promise.
A deadly one.