Is this how terror begins?
Across the world, something dark was spreading—quietly, efficiently—disguised beneath the comforting label of herbal products. What people trusted as natural cures had become slow poison. Illnesses surfaced without warning. Epidemics rose where none had existed before. Animals collapsed, plants withered, and the air itself felt heavy, contaminated.
Another disaster was unfolding before my eyes.
They had arrived.
The so-called Herbal Industries stood at the root of the largest pandemic the world had ever known. Chemicals were being infused not only into fruits and vegetables but into medicines as well. Experiments—deadly ones—were being carried out on humans and animals alike. They believed they were rebuilding the world, erasing disease in the name of progress. Instead, they had unleashed hundreds of new horrors.
To stop this, the industry had to be dismantled completely. Their facilities were scattered across countries, protected by influence and power. Laws alone would not be enough. Leaders supported them. The truth would be buried, and anyone who opposed them would be branded a terrorist.
That was the reality we had accepted.
Robert Williams, the company's chairman, would expect retaliation after the first facility fell. But uncertainty was our weapon. He wouldn't know which country would be targeted next—and that advantage was ours.
Our first target was a facility in Toronto, Canada.
Before destroying it, every staff member had to be evacuated. No innocent lives would be lost. We planned every second carefully. I would enter first, disguised as staff, disable security from inside, and activate the fire alarm. Officer James—working with us—would help keep civilians away. George and Ali would manage evacuation. Andy and I would head straight to the lab.
We had twenty-five minutes.
Everything went according to plan—at first.
Amid the chaos of alarms and running footsteps, we slipped inside the lab using a stolen ID. Time was against us. What we saw there made my blood run cold. Evidence of experiments, cruelty beyond imagination—proof of what they had been hiding.
Then Andy froze.
"Siya… come here. Quickly."
Something was wrong.
Before I could speak, the building trembled violently.
"The building will collapse in five minutes! Get out of there!"
Then a voice—one I recognized far too well.
"How are you, Siya? We meet again."
My heart stopped.
I turned around, stunned. The walls shook harder. Instinct took over. I grabbed Andy's hand—
—and we vanished.
No.
How could this be?