A pause, then a cultured laugh. “Innovixus is merely one piece of a much larger picture. They provide the technology. Others provide the application. I provide the... testing grounds.”
I moved faster, keeping close to the wall. The voices grew louder as I approached a set of double doors at the end of the corridor. One hung partially open, light spilling out into the hallway.
The room beyond was clearly the main research lab, larger than the others, filled with specialized equipment. A researcher in a white coat worked frantically at a computer station, transferring data to external drives while simultaneously deleting files from the main system.
Gage stood in the center of the room, his weapon trained on Langston. But something was wrong. His left hand trembled violently, and sweat poured down his face. His skin had takenon a grayish tone, and faint golden patterns pulsed beneath the surface of his forearms.
Langston, meanwhile, looked perfectly composed in an expensive suit that seemed out of place in a research facility. He held a small handgun almost casually, not quite pointing it at Gage but not quite pointing it away either.
“You don’t look well, Mr. Banks,” Langston observed. “Perhaps the Version 1.0 biohacking serum isn’t as stable as my associates claimed.”
Gage’s hand tightened on his weapon. “Shut up and step away from the data.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot me?” Langston smiled thinly. “I think not. You need me alive to answer your questions about what was done to you. About whether it can be reversed.”
I needed to intervene before this escalated further. Gage was losing control, and Langston was deliberately provoking him.
“Stop talking,” Gage growled, the tremor in his hand worsening. “Step away from the computers. Now.”
“Do you know why you’re still alive, Mr. Banks?” Langston continued as if Gage hadn’t spoken. “Most Version 1.0 subjects experienced complete cellular breakdown within eighteen months. Yet here you are, five years later. Still functioning, after a fashion.”
“I said shut the fuck up!” Gage’s voice cracked, the biohacking patterns under his skin pulsing brighter.
Langston’s smile widened. “You’re a fascinating anomaly. My associates would very much like to study you further. Perhaps even use your genetic material to stabilize Version 2.0.”
“Your associates can go to hell.” Gage took a step forward, wobbling slightly. “And so can you.”
I’d seen enough. If Gage lost control completely, he’d kill Langston, and we’d lose our best source of intelligence on the whole operation. I moved into the doorway, weapon raised.
“Stand down, Gage,” I ordered.
Both men turned toward me.
Langston’s expression registered mild surprise, quickly masked. “Ah, the infamous Trent Dalton. Ethan’s most reliable attack dog.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re the one who’s been protecting my wife and daughter.”
I ignored him, keeping my focus on Gage. “Lower your weapon. That’s an order.”
His arm trembled violently. The golden patterns under his skin had spread to his neck now, pulsing in time with his rapid heartbeat. His eyes had taken on a metallic sheen, indicating the chemical surge was nearing critical levels.
“Can’t,” he gasped.
Langston used our exchange to slide closer to the researcher, who was still frantically working at the computer. His gun hand shifted, no longer aimed at Gage.
“Step away from the computer,” I ordered Langston, dividing my attention between him and Gage.
“This research is worth billions,” Langston replied, his voice smooth as oil. “It will change the very nature of human society. Imagine the possibilities.”
“I’ve seen enough to know those possibilities end with people strapped to tables against their will,” I countered. “Now step away from the computer.”
Langston sighed as if disappointed by my lack of vision. Then, with a movement so smooth it was almost casual, he turned and fired his weapon—not at Gage or me, but at the researcher.
The woman crumpled without a sound, a small red hole appearing in the back of her lab coat.
“No witnesses,” Langston said calmly. “No loose ends.”
Gage roared and lunged forward. He moved with unnatural speed, the biohacking pushing him beyond human limits. Before I could react, he had closed the distance to Langston.
But Langston was ready. As Gage reached him, he pressed something against Gage’s neck—a small device that looked like an autoinjector. Gage froze mid-motion, his body going rigid. The golden patterns beneath his skin flared bright, then began to fade.
