The Zenith facility's war room buzzed with tension, its holo-table casting a stark glow over Alex Mercer's taut frame. His memories—New Haven, Valor's orbs, his parents' betrayal by Zenith—burned like a brand, fueling his rebellion against the mindwipe that made him AM-17. Dr. Lin's escape in the Shenzhen slums gnawed at him; her words, "You're not one of them," echoed Fae's note: They've taken your mind. Huei sat beside him, her holo-device hidden, her sharp eyes guarding their secret. Shvery, shoulder bandaged from the ambush, glared across, his distrust a live wire. Carlton stood, his gray eyes dissecting them.
"Lin's gone to ground," Carlton said, pulling up a holo-map of Shenzhen's undercity. "XinTech's hunting her, and we're exposed. Mercer, you led recon—why'd you freeze?"
Alex's jaw clenched, masking his truth. "Bad intel," he lied, voice steady. "Ambush caught us off-guard." He couldn't admit the memory flash—Lin's lab, "It's freedom!"—that had stalled him.
Shvery snorted, blood seeping through his bandage. "Bull. You're hiding something, Mercer. I saw you choke."
Huei's foot nudged Alex's, a silent anchor. "We all got hit," she said, deflecting. "XinTech was ready."
Carlton's gaze lingered, unreadable. "No more mistakes. New lead—Lin's with defectors, a safehouse in the docks. Mercer, Huei, Shvery—infiltrate, confirm her location. No contact. Report back."
"Understood," Alex said, his mind racing. Lin knew his mindwipe, the Control Grid's endgame—New Haven's fall. He'd find her, not for Carlton, but for answers.
In the armory, Huei slipped him a micro-drive. "More files," she whispered. "Grid's relays are live—New Haven's next, then global. Lin's data mentions a 'kill switch.'"
"A way to stop it?" Alex asked, hope flickering. Memories surged—P.A.I.R.E.'s raids, Maya's staff, Fae's blade.
"Maybe," Huei said, her eyes fierce. "We need her alive."
Shvery loomed, rifle in hand. "Whispering again? Carlton'll love that."
"Back off," Alex snapped, meeting his glare. "We're on the same team."
"Are we?" Shvery's voice was a low growl, but he backed down, his suspicion a ticking bomb.
The transport cut through Shenzhen's neon haze, the docks a sprawl of rust and shadow. Alex led, staff collapsed in his gear, instincts honed by memories—New Haven's battles, Marcus's orders. Huei scanned with her device, Shvery trailing, his rifle a silent threat. A flash hit—a burning city, Fae's smirk, "Kid, you're in deep!"—and Alex steadied himself, pushing forward.
The safehouse was a derelict warehouse, its windows dark. Huei's device picked up encrypted comms—defectors, maybe Lin. "Inside," she whispered, disabling a perimeter sensor.
They slipped in, shadows among crates and flickering lights. Voices echoed—low, urgent. Alex crept closer, spotting Lin, hooded, with two defectors, their gear patched but lethal. She was briefing them, a holo showing the neural relay's schematics. "Zenith's Grid is live," she said. "New Haven's first—then everywhere."
Alex's heart lurched. New Haven—his city. A flash roared—his parents' screams, Valor's shield—nearly dropping him. Huei's hand steadied him, her eyes wide. "You okay?"
"Lin knows me," he whispered, voice raw. "I'm going in."
"Carlton said recon," Shvery hissed, grabbing his arm. "You're blowing this."
Alex shook him off, staff extending. "She's the key—stay or follow."
Huei nodded, device ready. Shvery cursed but followed, rifle raised. They moved, but a defector spotted them, shouting. Chaos erupted—guns blazed, crates splintered. Alex dove, stunning a defector with his staff, its crackle familiar, like P.A.I.R.E.'s raids. Huei hacked a turret, turning it on the enemy, while Shvery fired, precise despite his wound.
Lin bolted, clutching a data-pad. "Stop her!" Alex yelled, sprinting. A flash hit—a lab, Lin's voice, "You were our hope!"—slowing him. She vanished through a side door, but he tackled it open, finding her cornered in an alley.
"Mercer," she gasped, eyes wide. "You're awake."
"Talk," he demanded, staff raised. "The Grid, my mind—what did Zenith do?"
She hesitated, then spoke fast. "They rewrote you—AM-17, their perfect soldier. The Grid controls minds—New Haven's the test. I defected to stop it."
A shot rang out—Shvery, firing at a defector trailing them. "Move, Mercer!" he roared, blood dripping.
Lin tossed Alex the data-pad. "Kill switch—find it in New Haven. Save them." She darted into the dark, gone before he could stop her.
The alley erupted—XinTech operatives, masked, closing in. "Ambush!" Huei yelled, stunning one. Alex fought, staff a blur, but a bolt grazed his side, pain flaring. Memories surged—Fae's blade, "Fight back!"—fueling him. Shvery took a hit, grunting, but kept firing.
"Exfil!" Carlton barked through comms. "Now!"
They retreated, Alex clutching the data-pad, blood seeping. The transport screamed in, and they dove aboard, Shenzhen's docks a blaze behind. Shvery glared, clutching his wound. "You went rogue, Mercer. Carlton's done with you."
"Report it," Alex snapped, but his mind was on the data-pad—Lin's kill switch, New Haven's hope. Huei's gaze met his, a silent vow to crack it.
Carlton's voice was ice. "Debrief, now. You've got explaining to do."
As the facility loomed, Alex gripped the data-pad, Fae's note a fire in his soul. Lin was gone, but her words were a map. The Grid was rising, and he'd tear it down—no matter who stood in his way.