Shadows of Deception

Ethan and Izzy ran through the dimly lit alley behind the research lab, their breath quick but controlled. The night air was thick with tension, and the sound of approaching sirens told Ethan that their window for escape was closing fast.

"This way," Ethan said, grabbing Izzy’s wrist and pulling her into a side street.

Izzy yanked her arm free. "I can run on my own, you know."

Ethan smirked despite the situation. "Just making sure you keep up."

A pair of black SUVs screeched to a halt near the lab’s entrance, men in tactical gear pouring out, scanning the area. Ethan pulled Izzy behind a stack of crates, watching as they fanned out.

"They’re fast," Izzy whispered.

Ethan’s jaw tightened. "Too fast. They were ready for us."

Izzy tapped the flash drive in her pocket. "They know what we took."

"Then we need to disappear. Fast."

Ethan led Izzy through the backstreets of the city, moving with the kind of precision only someone trained in evasion could master. Izzy did her best to keep up, but she wasn’t used to running from armed mercenaries.

After ten minutes of weaving through alleys, cutting across rooftops, and blending into crowded streets, Ethan finally pulled them into a run-down motel on the outskirts of town. The neon sign flickered erratically, casting a dull glow over the parking lot.

Izzy bent over, catching her breath. "You… do this often?"

Ethan shrugged. "More than I’d like."

Inside, Ethan paid in cash, using a fake name. The clerk barely looked up from his newspaper before handing over a key. They climbed the stairs to the second floor, stepping into a cramped but serviceable room.

Izzy tossed her lab coat onto the bed, rubbing her temples. "What the hell did I just get myself into?"

Ethan locked the door, checking the window for any signs of pursuit. "The same thing I did—a world of trouble."

She pulled out the flash drive. "This information… it's dangerous."

Ethan sat across from her. "Exactly why we need to figure out what’s on it before SynTech does."

Izzy hesitated, then plugged the drive into her laptop. Files flickered onto the screen, lists of names, dates, locations. And then, the deeper files—the ones Dr. Wells had hidden.

"Project Revenant," she muttered, scrolling through. "They weren’t just researching memory manipulation. They were testing it. On real people."

Ethan leaned in. "Subjects… some are missing. Others are dead." He scrolled further. "Some were operatives." His own name flashed past again, making his stomach twist.

Izzy noticed. "You were one of them, weren’t you?"

Ethan exhaled sharply. "Looks like it."

Izzy looked at him, concern in her eyes. "What do you remember?"

"Nothing that makes sense," he admitted. "Fragments. Voices. Missions I don’t recall taking." He met her gaze. "If what this file says is true, SynTech didn’t just erase people’s memories. They replaced them."

Izzy’s breath caught. "They could turn anyone into someone else."

"Or worse," Ethan said darkly. "Turn them into weapons."

A sudden knock on the door made them both freeze.

Ethan reached for his gun, signaling Izzy to stay back. He moved to the peephole, expecting to see more of SynTech’s men. Instead, he found a different kind of problem.

Agent Sarah Thompson.

FBI.

Ethan cursed under his breath. "Stay quiet," he whispered to Izzy.

Another knock. "I know you’re in there, Blackwood. Open up."

Ethan exchanged a glance with Izzy before unlocking the door.

Sarah stepped inside, her sharp eyes sweeping the room. She wore a black blazer over a tactical vest, her badge clipped to her belt. "You’ve been busy."

Ethan shut the door behind her. "What do you want, Thompson?"

Sarah folded her arms. "I could ask you the same thing. You break into a classified lab, steal sensitive data, and take off running. Looks bad, don’t you think?"

Izzy stiffened. "We didn’t steal anything. We uncovered something."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"

"Izzy Martinez. I worked with Dr. Wells. Before SynTech kidnapped him."

Sarah’s expression shifted slightly. "So you think SynTech is involved?"

Ethan crossed his arms. "We don’t think. We know."

Sarah studied them for a moment, then sighed. "You’re lucky I found you before they did."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Why do you care?"

Sarah pulled out a folder and tossed it onto the bed. Ethan opened it, finding a list of names—people who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

"These cases," Sarah said, "have one thing in common. Memory loss. False identities. Missing histories."

Ethan flipped through the pages. Some of the names matched the files on the flash drive.

Sarah continued. "I’ve been tracking this for years, but I never had proof. Now I do." She looked at Ethan. "And I think you’re part of it."

Ethan clenched his jaw. "So what now? You arrest me?"

Sarah shook her head. "No. I want in."

Izzy blinked. "You’re serious?"

Sarah smirked. "I don’t trust you, Blackwood. But I trust SynTech even less. And if they’re messing with people’s minds, that makes them my problem."

Ethan considered her offer. He had always worked alone. But if they wanted to take down SynTech, they needed resources. They needed someone on the inside.

He glanced at Izzy, then back at Sarah.

"Welcome to the team," he said.

Sarah nodded. "Then we better move. Because SynTech won’t stop until we’re all dead."

Ethan exhaled. This was getting bigger than he had imagined.

And they were running out of time.