Adrian had not slept.
The underground facility was silent except for the occasional hum of machinery hidden behind steel walls. He sat alone on the edge of the narrow bed in his room, elbows resting on his knees, staring at the floor.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Abbie.
The fear in her face.
The way she had disappeared.
The uncertainty of not knowing whether she was alive or dead was slowly tearing him apart.
A knock sounded at the door.
Before Adrian could answer, it slid open.
Victor stepped inside.
"You're awake."
Adrian laughed bitterly.
"Really? That's what you're going with?"
Victor remained expressionless.
"You need rest."
"I need Abbie."
The silence that followed was tense.
Victor crossed his arms.
"You need to focus on surviving."
"She's out there because of me."
"No."
Victor's voice hardened.
"She's out there because Black Orchid knows who you are."
Adrian stood abruptly.
"And what exactly am I?"
Victor didn't answer immediately.
That annoyed Adrian even more.
Every answer seemed to lead to another secret.
Another lie.
Another piece of information carefully hidden from him.
"I'm done being treated like a child," Adrian snapped.
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"Then start acting like the man you were meant to become."
The words hung in the air.
Adrian clenched his fists.
Before he could respond, another voice interrupted.
"That's enough."
Rose stood in the doorway.
She looked stronger than she had since waking up, though traces of exhaustion remained visible beneath her eyes.
Victor glanced at her.
"How did you get in here?"
Rose ignored him.
She walked directly toward Adrian as she flashed her access card in Victor's face , she had kept it all along.
"There are things he deserves to know."
Victor's expression darkened.
"Rose"
"He deserves the truth." She blurted out loud
For several seconds neither of them spoke.
Then Victor stepped aside.
"Fine."
Rose sat across from Adrian.
The weight in her eyes immediately made him uneasy.
"What truth?" he asked.
Rose took a deep breath.
"When Black Orchid began, it wasn't supposed to become what it is today."
Adrian frowned.
"You worked for them."
The guilt on her face was answer enough.
"Yes."
The single word hit him harder than expected.
Rose lowered her gaze.
"I was one of the lead researchers."
Adrian stared at her.
"You what?"
"We believed we could help people. Cure diseases. Repair damaged cells. Extend human capability."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"But power changes people."
Victor remained silent.
Rose continued.
"The project evolved."
"Into what?"
"Human experimentation."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Adrian's stomach twisted.
"And Alex?"
Rose hesitated.
"You weren't supposed to exist."
His heart skipped.
"What does that mean?"
"It means the process that created you should have failed."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"Created me?"
"You are the only successful result of the Black Orchid Program."
Silence filled the room.
Adrian couldn't speak.
Couldn't think.
The words echoed endlessly inside his mind.
The only successful result.
Not a participant.
Not a survivor.
A result.
An experiment.
Rose's eyes shimmered with regret.
"Your body adapted to procedures that killed everyone else."
Adrian felt sick.
Everything he thought he knew about himself was crumbling.
His life.
His memories.
His identity.
Nothing felt real anymore.
Victor finally spoke.
"That's why they're hunting you."
Adrian looked at him.
Victor continued.
"You are proof the project succeeded."
"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"
"No."
Victor's voice was calm.
"It's supposed to make you understand how valuable you are."
Before Adrian could respond, alarms suddenly exploded throughout the facility.
Red lights flashed.
A loud siren echoed through every corridor.
Rose jumped to her feet.
Victor's face instantly changed.
For the first time since Adrian had met him, he looked genuinely alarmed.
"What happened?" Rose demanded.
A voice crackled through hidden speakers.
"Security breach."
Everyone froze.
The voice continued.
"Multiple casualties reported."
Another pause.
Then:
"Subject Zero has entered the facility."
Victor cursed under his breath.
Adrian frowned.
"Who the hell is Subject Zero?"
Nobody answered immediately.
That alone terrified him.
Victor moved toward the door.
"We don't have time."
"Victor."
"What?"
Adrian grabbed his arm.
"Who is Subject Zero?"
Victor stared at him.
For a moment Adrian considered letting go.
The look in Victor's eyes was unlike anything he had seen before.
Not anger.
Not annoyance.
Fear.
Pure fear.
Victor finally spoke.
"The first successful experiment."
Adrian felt his blood run cold.
"I thought you said I was the only success."
"You are."
Victor's expression darkened.
"But he came first."
The facility shook violently.
Somewhere nearby, screams erupted.
Gunfire followed.
Then silence.
Rose's face went pale.
"No..."
Victor reached inside his coat and pulled out a pistol.
"He's stronger than any soldier."
Another explosion thundered through the facility.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Adrian's pulse accelerated.
"You're saying one person is doing all this?"
Victor nodded.
"One person."
The lights flickered.
The speaker system activated again.
Only this time no security officer spoke.
Heavy breathing filled the speakers.
Slow.
Controlled.
Predatory.
Then a distorted male voice echoed through every corridor.
"Alex."
Adrian froze.
The voice laughed softly.
"I finally found you."
A horrible chill crawled down Adrian's spine.
Whoever this man was...
He knew him.
The lights suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
For several seconds nobody moved.
Then something slammed into the corridor outside.
Metal twisted.
Concrete shattered.
And a shadow appeared beneath the doorway.
Victor raised his weapon.
Rose stepped backward.
Adrian's heart hammered against his chest.
The shadow stopped.
A low chuckle echoed from outside.
Then came the final words.
"Let's see if you're worth all this trouble."
The door began to bend inward.
And then it exploded.