Shadows of Deception

Flight into the Unknown

The private jet cut through the night sky, slicing toward Eastern Europe like a silent predator. Inside, Ethan Blackwood sat by the window, his eyes locked on the darkness below. Romania. The shadows of history lingered in its forests, its old-world cities. It had been a battleground for centuries—and tonight, it would be one again.

Across from him, Sarah Thompson was buried in files, her brows furrowed. She had always been the no-nonsense type, but this was different. The escape of Victor Kane had rattled even her.

Izzy Martinez sat between them, flipping through her own set of documents. "This doesn’t make sense," she muttered.

Sarah looked up. "What doesn’t?"

"Kane’s escape. The way it happened," Izzy said. "I mean, black-site facilities are like Fort Knox. They don’t just let prisoners walk out."

Ethan exhaled. "They do if someone powerful enough wants them out."

Sarah tapped a file. "That’s what worries me. We still don’t know who Kane’s real backers are. The data drive Izzy recovered gave us names, but no clear hierarchy. Someone high up—maybe multiple people—are still pulling the strings."

Ethan nodded. "And they just put their biggest asset back on the board."

Izzy crossed her arms. "So, what’s the plan?"

Sarah pulled up a satellite image on her tablet. "We have intel that Kane was transported to a research facility in the Carpathian Mountains. Remote. Highly secure. If he’s there, he won’t be alone."

Ethan leaned forward. "Security?"

Sarah swiped the screen. "Armed guards. Drones. Heat sensors. Whoever broke him out isn’t taking chances."

Izzy frowned. "So we’re walking into a fortress?"

Ethan smirked. "Wouldn’t be the first time."

Sarah gave him a look. "And how many times have you almost died?"

"Almost," Ethan pointed out.

Izzy rolled her eyes. "Comforting."

The intercom crackled. "ETA twenty minutes," the pilot announced.

Ethan checked his gear. "Then let’s get to work."

---

Into the Lion’s Den

The facility sat on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a valley choked in mist. The only way in was through a heavily patrolled front gate—or a near-suicidal climb up the rock face.

Ethan opted for the latter.

Rope secured, he moved first, scaling the jagged surface with practiced ease. Sarah followed, her movements just as sharp. Izzy, though not a field agent, held her own.

At the top, they crouched low behind an outcrop of boulders. Below, guards patrolled the perimeter, their rifles glinting under floodlights.

Ethan studied the setup. "Sniper on the watchtower. Two-man patrols. Sensors along the fence line."

Sarah pulled out a suppressed pistol. "We take them out quietly."

Izzy hesitated. "What if there are more inside?"

Ethan adjusted his earpiece. "Then we improvise."

Izzy muttered, "Great. My favorite plan."

Sarah smirked. "Welcome to the job."

---

Breaking In

They moved like ghosts. Sarah took out the sniper with a single shot. Ethan slipped behind a guard, silencing him with a blade. Izzy disabled the security sensors with a quick hack.

In minutes, they were inside.

The facility smelled of antiseptic and steel. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead. The deeper they went, the more unsettling it became—rooms filled with monitors displaying neural scans, brainwave activity.

Izzy stopped at a console. "This… this is Kane’s work. They’re still running tests."

Sarah tensed. "On who?"

Izzy’s fingers flew over the keyboard. Her face went pale. "Prisoners. Test subjects. They’re still experimenting."

Ethan’s jaw clenched. "Where’s Kane?"

Izzy brought up security footage. A figure in a white coat stood in a lab, surrounded by guards.

Kane.

Alive. Smiling.

Ethan’s blood ran cold.

"We need to move," he said.

Sarah nodded. "And fast."

The hunt was on.