The lead Lila found took them deep into the Arctic Circle, to a hidden facility carved out of the ice, affiliated with the Obsidian Collective. That facility, known only as "The Vault," was said to house the core of Project Omega-a device capable of triggering the kind of extinction-level event Raul had described.
It was a heavy trip: snowstorms, glaciers everywhere, and only the strong will of team members kept them working. The Vault was hidden in the depth of a middle mountain range, while from everywhere glaciers surrounded it, turning it practically unreachable.
As they reached the door, Lila dived into the security systems, powering off surveillance cameras and killing alarms. The team went inside in rapid succession; the snow deadened their footsteps. Indoors, the facility was recognizably silent save for machinery humming deep beneath the ground.
Military training kicked in, and Victor took point, leading them through the maze of corridors. They knew Raul had given them the most detailed schematics he could of the facility. They were following his instructions to the letter.
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There it was, right in the center of The Vault-one vast room containing some type of device, unlike anything they had ever seen. The combination of ancient and modern, a colossal stone and metal monolith, practically hummed with energy.
"This is it," Raul whispered. "Project Omega."
Mira stepped forward, her heart pounding. "How do we stop it?"
Raul faltered. "You don't. Once it's on, there's no going back."
"Then we can't allow them to turn it on," Victor said, heading toward the control panel. But before he even could, footsteps echoed through the room. Agents of the Obsidian Collective had found them.
"Too late," came a voice from behind her. Dr. Elias Kintz, her former mentor, and the mastermind behind Project Omega stepped forward into the light. She could clearly see the shine of madness in his eyes.
"Mira," he said, his voice silky cold. "I warned you not to play with things you don't understand."
Mira stared at him, her mind racing. "This isn't the way, Elias. You can't erase humanity to fix the world."
Kintz smiled. "Oh, but I can. And I will."