Chapter Three: The Laboratory Raid (Shadows of Orion)

The Calm Before the Storm

The stolen SUV blended into the industrial sprawl outside Denver, but its occupants were anything but inconspicuous. Sam and Maya sat in silence, parked a safe distance from the lab, each lost in their thoughts.

Sam checked his watch. “Blink said the guards change shifts at midnight. That’s our window.”

Maya adjusted the scope on her rifle, her face a mask of concentration. “And when this goes south?”

“Not if,” Sam corrected, loading a fresh clip into his pistol. “When.”

Maya smirked. “Good to know you’re an optimist.”

Blink’s voice crackled over the comms. “Can you two focus? I’m patching into their security now. Cameras will be offline for exactly five minutes. If you’re still in there after that, you’re on your own.”

“Comforting,” Maya muttered.

Sam nodded toward the lab. “Let’s move.”

Into the Belly of the Beast

The lab was an imposing structure, all glass and steel, with a perimeter fence topped with razor wire. Maya clipped the lock on a side gate while Sam kept watch, his eyes scanning the shadows.

“Too quiet,” he murmured as they slipped through the fence.

“Let’s keep it that way,” Maya replied, her voice low.

They reached a side entrance, where Blink had provided an access code. Sam punched it in, the door hissing open with a soft beep. Inside, the sterile white corridors stretched endlessly, the faint hum of machinery the only sound.

“Lab’s on sublevel two,” Blink said in their earpieces. “Security room’s one floor up. You’ll need to disable it to get to Rachel.”

“Convenient,” Maya muttered.

Sam smirked. “Ladies first.”

Maya shot him a glare but took point, her rifle raised as they moved deeper into the labyrinth.

The Security Room

The security room was manned by two Orion operatives, both engrossed in monitoring the screens. Sam and Maya took them out silently—Maya with a precise dart from her tranquilizer, Sam with a chokehold that left his target unconscious before he hit the floor.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” Maya said, wiping her hands on her pants.

“Too late,” Sam quipped, tapping into the console.

Blink’s voice returned, brisk and businesslike. “I’ve got eyes on you. Cameras are down, but you’ve got three guards patrolling the sublevel. I can’t help with those.”

Sam cracked his knuckles. “We’ll manage.”

Sublevel Two: Rachel’s Prison

The sublevel was colder, both in temperature and atmosphere. The lights cast long, eerie shadows, and the air carried a faint metallic tang.

“There,” Maya whispered, pointing to a reinforced door at the end of the corridor.

Sam approached cautiously, using a stolen keycard to unlock the door. Inside, the room was dimly lit, a single figure hunched over in the corner.

“Rachel,” Sam breathed.

She looked up, her face pale but determined. “Sam? What are you doing here?”

“Long story,” he said, helping her to her feet. “We’re getting you out.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Rachel said, pulling away. “They’re moving the prototype tonight. If you don’t stop them now, it’s over.”

“What prototype?” Maya asked sharply.

“The Nexus Core,” Rachel said. “It’s... it’s an AI weapon. It can crash entire economies, shut down infrastructure, start wars—”

“We’ll stop it,” Sam interrupted, his tone firm. “But we’re getting you out first.”

Escape and Pursuit

As they left the room, the first guard appeared, his footsteps echoing in the corridor. Sam dispatched him with a quick takedown, but the noise alerted the others.

“Time’s up,” Blink said in their ears. “You’ve got company.”

They ran, Rachel stumbling but determined, Maya covering their six with precision shots. The corridors became a blur of flashing lights and shouting guards.

At the exit, a squad of Orion operatives blocked their path, weapons drawn.

“Go!” Sam barked, shoving Rachel toward the SUV.

Maya crouched beside him, laying down cover fire as Sam hurled a smoke grenade into the group. The explosion sent the operatives scattering, giving them just enough time to escape.

A Narrow Victory

The SUV tore down the highway, Rachel slumped in the backseat, Maya still catching her breath. Sam gripped the wheel, his knuckles white.

“That wasn’t so bad,” he said.

Maya glared at him. “We just blew our cover, Orion knows we’re coming, and they’ve still got the prototype. Care to revise that statement?”

Sam shrugged. “We’re alive, aren’t we?”

Rachel leaned forward, her expression grim. “If you think this is over, you’re wrong. Orion doesn’t stop. And if they finish the Nexus Core, neither will we.”

Maya exchanged a look with Sam. The stakes had just gotten higher, and the road ahead promised nothing but danger.

“Guess we’ll need a new plan,” Sam said.

“Yeah,” Maya replied, her voice hard. “And this time, we play to win.”