The train had no business still running. Rook said that three times. He grumbled it while prying the heavy doors open, and again while he was messing with the emergency power. He said it one last time when the engine coughed and shook like it was about to die. It felt like the whole thing might just fall apart right there on the tracks.
But nobody really listened. There wasn't any time for that. People just shoved their way into the dusty cars and grabbed whatever seat they could find. Some stood in the aisles, white-knuckling the overhead rails. Parents held their kids tight. A few Cannings could still use their gifts, and they did what they could to help out without making a scene.
The train lurched forward. It started slow and shaky, like it was struggling to move, but then it finally picked up speed. Viper stayed by the front window while Lena stood right next to her. Everything outside was a blur of black, except for the old tunnel lights that flashed against the glass every few seconds.
"How long?" Jax asked.
Rook looked at the controls. "Probably eight minutes."
"Probably?"
"You want me to lie?" Rook shot back.
"Yeah, actually."
"Five minutes then."
Jax nodded. "That's better."
Lena gave a small smile, and Viper saw it.
"You alright?"
"Not really."
"Fair enough."
Lena leaned her head back against the wall. "I can't stop thinking about Sarah."
Viper didn't say anything; she just kept staring out the window.
"Me too." "I wonder if Mei will ever find out," Lena said. "She's going to," Viper replied. "You can't know that for sure." "I don't." Viper looked her sister in the eye. "But we're going to try." Lena just nodded. That was enough for now.
The train suddenly jerked hard, sending everyone stumbling. People grabbed for seats or poles or anything solid. A kid started crying in the back. Rook's voice cut through the noise from the front. "Hold on!"
Then the lights died. For a few long seconds, it was pitch black, and all you could hear was the train grinding against the tracks. Finally, the emergency lights flickered on, filling the car with a weird red glow. Kai stepped through the door from the next carriage. "Well, that was fun."
No one said a word. He scanned the room and shrugged. "Fine. Bad timing." The train started slowing down until it finally came to a full stop. Rook poked his head through the door. "We're here." Viper looked out the window, but there wasn't a normal station waiting for them. It was just a slab of concrete covered in thick dust. A sign hung crooked from the ceiling: DESTINY RESEARCH ANNEX — WEST ACCESS. Lena stared at the letters. "Oh," she whispered. Viper turned to her. "What is it?" "I remember this place." "You've actually been here before?" Lena shook her head, touching her temple. "Not in person." But she'd seen it. It was a buried memory. She could almost see the flickering lights and the long hallways. She could almost hear her father's voice.
A door slammed and stayed locked. Then the screaming started. Lena jumped back, nearly tripping, but Viper caught her arm to steady her. "Easy now," he said. "I remember my dad," Lena whispered. She looked like she might be sick. Viper asked what he'd said, and Lena closed her eyes tight. She told him that her father warned her to never let anyone open that door if she was ever brought here.
Viper looked down the platform. There was only one door at the far end. It was thick steel without a handle. Someone had painted a black symbol across the front—the same circle and twelve lines from their mother's old journal. Project Destiny. Jax stared at the paint. "Well, that's the door," he said.
Kai gave a quick nod. "Nice detective work," he said.
"Thanks."
Viper walked up and touched the symbol, but nothing happened at first. So Lena stepped beside her and pressed her hand right next to Viper's. The door clicked.
Everyone froze for a second. Then it just opened on its own.
A whole laboratory was hidden back there. It didn't look totally abandoned, either. Even though dust covered most of the gear, tiny lights still blinked on the walls. The air smelled old and metallic.
Viper walked inside, her boots echoing against the floor. Twelve portraits hung on the far wall. They showed the original volunteers. She recognized her parents immediately. She saw her mother, then her father. Draven was standing right beside them.
There was something else left behind. A fourth photo sat right there on the table. Viper saw a woman he didn't recognize with dark hair and gold eyes that looked exactly like Lena's when her powers are active. A name was printed right under the picture: Dr. Elara Cross.
Lena just stared at the name. "Cross," she whispered. Viper stepped in closer to ask if they were related, but Lena didn't have an answer. She looked confused. Rook walked over to a terminal nearby because he thought he could find some real info.
He flipped the power switch. The screen took forever to wake up. Then, the text finally popped up. PROJECT DESTINY — PHASE ONE. It listed twelve subjects, but only four successful ones. There was a note about "secondary lineages" being unknown. Viper's eyes narrowed when he saw that. It felt wrong. Rook just kept scrolling.
"The first test subjects had kids." Lena stared at him. "What?" Rook paused. "Viper..." He turned the computer screen around so they could see. A list popped up with names, dates, and medical logs. Then another section appeared: GENETIC DESCENDANTS — CLASSIFIED 7. Viper scanned the first few names and then just froze. Her own name was right there. Lena's name was there too. Dozens of others followed. The whole room felt like it was tilting. "We weren't just born this way," Lena whispered. "No," Viper said. Rook shook his head. "I guess not." Jax stepped in closer. "So what does that actually mean?" But nobody said a word. A sharp noise echoed from somewhere behind them. It sounded like metal scraping against metal.
Every head in the room snapped around. Above the lab benches, the overhead lights began to flicker and hum. They flashed once, then twice, before finally humming back to life. A heavy door at the far back swung open. A woman stepped out into the light, looking like she hadn't slept in a week. She was maybe in her mid-forties, with short dark hair and a plain white lab coat. She wasn't carrying a gun or even a tool. She just stood there, staring at the group until her eyes landed on Lena.
"Oh my God," she whispered. Lena went totally still. The woman's hand flew to her mouth like she'd seen a ghost. "You're alive." Viper didn't hesitate; she stepped right in front of her sister. "Who are you?" The woman looked at Viper and gave her a sad, tired smile. "My name is Dr. Mara Cross." Viper's heart dropped. Great. Another Cross.
"How?" Mara asked, her eyes moving toward the old portraits on the wall. "I'm actually your aunt." The room went dead silent. Kai leaned over and whispered to Rook, asking if all these rich people just hide their relatives in secret basement labs. Rook just nodded and said it seems that way. Mara caught what they said. She actually let out a small, tired laugh. It was the first real thing about her. But then she got serious again. "You guys shouldn't have come," she said. Viper didn't blink. "That's exactly what Dad told us." Mara looked crushed. "So you remember Daniel?" she asked. Viper said he only remembered bits and pieces. "He never wanted you to find out," Mara sighed. Viper asked why, but Mara just looked at Lena.
"He knew what they'd do if they found out."
"Who?" Mara asked, hesitating.
"The people behind the Destiny project."
Viper was losing his patience. "Well, who are they?"
Mara walked to the main terminal and typed in a password. The screen flickered and changed. One name showed up in the center.
THE CONSORTIUM
Mira frowned at the words. "I've heard that name before."
"Me too," Jax said.
Rook looked over at him. "Where did you see it?"
"In some old government files."
Mara nodded. "They've been around longer than the Registry." She looked at Viper. "They were here way before anyone knew the first Canning existed."
Viper just stared at the screen.
"So Draven's on their payroll?"
"No."
"Then who is?"
Mara's eyes went cold. "Nobody is."
"Then why hasn't anyone shut them down?"
"You don't just arrest an organization like this. It's not that simple."
She pulled up a new file. It was a mess of banks and big corporations. She pointed to research labs and military contractors. Then came the politicians and news stations. The names were everywhere, tucked into every corner of the screen.
Viper finally saw it. "The Consortium isn't a group."
Mara nodded. "It's a network."
"And they built the Syndicates."
"Some of them, yeah."
"The Registry?"
"They had their hands in it."
"Draven?"
"He used it."
Viper stared at the glowing screen. "Why?"
Mara turned to look at her.
Lena frowned because Destiny wasn't meant to create Cannings. She asked what the point of the project even was. Mara hesitated for a second. She'd wanted something they could actually control. The whole lab went quiet. Mara admitted the first tries were total disasters. People died. And the ones who lived? They changed in ways nobody saw coming. Mara looked right at Lena and said her mother wanted to kill the project entirely. When Lena asked if her father felt the same way, Mara nodded. Viper stayed silent, just waiting for more. Then he asked about Draven. Mara looked at a photo of him from years ago. He was the one who wanted to keep going. That's why they split up, Lena realized. Mara told her she was right. So, Lena asked, why is he helping Cannings now?
Mara looked like she wasn't sure. Somewhere along the line, Malik had talked himself into thinking that controlling everything kept people safe. Viper gave a bitter laugh. "Sounds familiar." Mara just let it go.
A warning light started blinking. Rook checked the monitor and Jax sighed. "That doesn't sound good," Jax said.
"It's not." Mara rushed to the console.
"What's happening?"
"Someone got into the lab."
"From where?"
"Outside."
Viper glanced at the door. "We weren't followed."
Mara shook her head. No. She kept staring at the screen. "They didn't follow you."
The second alarm started blaring. Mara looked up, her face pale because she knew they were already here. Then the lights cut out. This time, they didn't come back on.
A voice echoed through the dark lab. It wasn't Draven's voice, though. A woman was speaking instead. She sounded calm and almost gentle, which made it weirder.
"Hello, Evelyn."
Viper felt her blood go cold. She recognized that voice instantly. She'd heard it once as a kid through a closed bedroom door on the night her parents vanished.
Mara whispered a name. "Amelia."
Viper turned to her fast. "Our mother?"
Mara just shook her head, looking terrified. "No," she said. "Just her voice."
The speakers crackled. The woman started talking again.
I've been waiting for you.