"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." — John Milton, Paradise Lost.

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The sterile lights of the underground facility cast a harsh glow on Krane as he watched the security footage. His fingers drummed rhythmically on the cold, steel surface of the table. He had studied the Rossi-Smith family for weeks—analyzing every movement, every routine. From breakfast to school to work, etcetera. He already had an idea before since he had worked with Clara, that was a long time ago. Yet, Maya remained elusive, well-protected behind layers of privilege and wealth. Krane's eyes narrowed as the door slid open.

Elena walked in with her signature confidence. At first glance, her sharp features and piercing green eyes could give off an air of elegance, but there was an underlying sense of danger to her. Her jet-black hair was slicked back into a tight ponytail, revealing a jagged scar along her left cheek—a memento from a mission that hadn’t gone quite as planned. Dressed in tactical gear hidden beneath a long trench coat, she was as much a weapon as the blade she kept concealed on her thigh.

Krane studied her as she approached the monitors, her tall frame moving with precision. Her presence alone spoke volumes—no words needed.

“Are you prepared for this?” Krane asked, his voice low as he turned back to the screens.

Elena stood beside him, her gaze scanning the surveillance feeds. “Of course. Their security is extensive, but nothing we haven’t handled before.”

Krane tapped the side of the monitor, zooming in on the Rossi-Smith penthouse. “Maya is essential. We can’t afford another mistake like Kendall.”

A flicker of something crossed Elena's face. She hated being reminded of past failures, but Krane was right. Kendall's abduction had been sloppy. They couldn’t repeat that error, not with Maya. “It won’t be like Kendall,” Elena said coldly. “We’ve got the right team in place this time.”

Krane raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Elena had her orders, and she knew the stakes.

Later that afternoon, outside the Rossi-Smith Penthouse. The sun was still hanging low in the sky, casting long shadows over the high-end neighborhood. The Rossi-Smith penthouse stood tall, a fortress of wealth and status. Security had tightened significantly since Kendall’s disappearance, and the estate now buzzed with guards and surveillance systems.

Elena stood across the street, leaning against an inconspicuous black SUV. Her trench coat fluttered slightly in the breeze. She wasn’t alone. Behind the tinted windows of the SUV, her team sat in silence, monitoring various feeds on laptops. They were a mix of former military personnel and tech experts, each one handpicked by Elena herself. This was more than a one-woman job—it required finesse, coordination, and careful planning.

Her earpiece crackled to life. “We’ve disabled their external perimeter alarms,” a voice said quietly. It was Malek, her tech specialist, seated in the back of the van with several screens in front of him. “I’ve also overridden their motion sensors on the west side for the next fifteen minutes.”

“Copy that,” Elena whispered, pulling a baseball cap lower over her eyes as she stepped away from the SUV.

Dressed as a technician from the family's security provider, she approached the estate with confidence. Her forged credentials were flawless, and her cover was airtight. The guards at the gate barely gave her a second glance when she flashed her ID.

"Routine check for the external cameras," she said, her tone professional but unassuming.

One of the guards gave a brief nod. "Go ahead. They've been acting up lately."

Too easy, Elena thought to herself as she walked toward the building.

She finally got inside the Rossi-Smith Penthouse Perimeter. Elena moved along the exterior of the penthouse, she adjusted the smart glasses hidden beneath her cap. The lenses displayed a live feed from the devices her team had hacked into—every camera angle, every security measure. She crouched by one of the security boxes on the western side of the building, pretending to inspect it while covertly planting a small, nearly invisible bug.

“I’m in position,” Elena whispered into her mic.

From inside the SUV, Malek’s fingers danced across his keyboard. “We’ve got a full visual on the interior cameras. I’m looping the feeds now. You’ve got ten minutes before the system catches the glitch.”

“Plenty of time,” Elena muttered as she quickly placed surveillance devices around key entry points.

As she moved further into the property, one of her team members, Grayson, a former military operative, circled from the east, keeping an eye on the perimeter. They had done their homework—each guard’s patrol pattern had been memorized, each blind spot in the system exploited.

But just as Elena planted the final bug, a guard rounded the corner ahead of schedule. Her hand instinctively moved to the blade strapped to her leg, hidden beneath her coat. Grayson’s voice crackled in her ear, “He’s off his route. Should I intervene?”

“No,” Elena whispered, easing her posture. She quickly tapped a few buttons on the security panel beside her, feigning frustration as the guard approached.

“Something wrong here?” the guard asked, peering over her shoulder.

“Yeah, your cameras are completely out of sync,” she replied with a forced sigh. “I’m just recalibrating them. Should be good as new in a few minutes.”

The guard frowned, but after a moment, he shrugged. “Alright. I’ll leave you to it.”

Elena waited for him to turn the corner before speaking again. “I’m clear. How’s the feed?”

“We’re in,” Malek’s voice came through. “I’ve got access to the interior now. Cameras in every room. We’re good.”

Elena smirked, her pulse steady. “Alright, let's get out of here.”

Back at the DYG facility, alarms blared suddenly, cutting through the usual quiet hum of machines. Krane’s eyes darted to the monitors as footage flickered in and out. On one screen, a single blinking icon appeared—a trace left behind by an unknown intruder.

“What’s going on?” he demanded, his voice low but dangerous.

“A breach attempt, sir,” a guard reported, rushing into the control room. “Someone’s probing our firewalls, trying to access internal data.”

Krane’s expression darkened. The facility was locked down with cutting-edge cyber and physical security. Whoever was behind this was either very skilled or very desperate. “Have they broken through?” Krane asked, his voice eerily calm.

“Not yet, but they’re close,” the guard replied.

Krane clenched his jaw. “Find out who it is. I want them dealt with immediately.” "Also somebody get me Lisbeth."

On the screen, the breach lingered like a taunt—a skilled hacker attempting to worm their way into Krane’s empire. They hadn’t succeeded yet. The facility’s internal systems remained intact, but this breach was a stark reminder: Krane’s enemies were still out there, lurking in the shadows, ready to strike.

In the farthest wing of the facility, a row of small, dimly lit rooms stretched out in oppressive uniformity. Each room held two to four captives, prisoners of Krane's twisted vision. Their once-vibrant lives were now distant, fragmented memories that flickered like broken lightbulbs in their minds.

******

Kendall lay in her bed, staring at the cold ceiling of the facility, her mind clouded with fragments of memories and pain. She laid motionless in her bed, trying to fight the growing migraine pulsing through her skull. Each time she closed her eyes, flashes of her old life would appear—hazy, distorted memories of her family, her siblings, and her life before Krane, before DYG.

There had been a time when Kendall would have killed for these memories. Now, every time she tried to focus on them, the pain became unbearable. Like sharp needles piercing her brain, as if Krane's methods of erasing her past had left permanent scars in her mind.

She had been restless ever since hearing his voice again—Krane. And this time, she’d overheard something that sent shivers down her spine.

She sat up slowly, careful not to make any noise. The other abductees were either asleep or lost in their own minds, but Kendall’s senses were on high alert. Earlier, while the guards were shuffling through the corridor outside her room, she had heard Krane's voice, low and serious, discussing plans for the next abductee.

“...Maya Smith. She’s the next in line,” Krane had said, his tone final.

Kendall’s heart had nearly stopped. Maya? Why did the name sound so familiar? It always triggered a huge part of her memory — like it meant something to her. The realization hit her like a punch to the gut. She had to do something, but there was no way out of this place. No one had escaped before, and the guards always kept a close eye on the abductees. The last time she had tried — the outcome wasn't good.

In the room, another abductee, Roselyn, whispered to herself. She was sharing the space with Kendall, but in a different way. Every person here, every captive, was fractured—mentally broken in some way. They had been separated into rooms of two or four based on Krane's twisted tests, forced to live together in this cold, sterile environment.

“Roselyn...,” Kendall whispered, not knowing if her roommate would respond.

Roselyn stirred but didn’t turn her head. Her fragmented memory seemed even worse than Kendall’s—sometimes she couldn’t even recall her own name. “What is it?” she finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Maya…,” Kendall said, her breath coming in short bursts. “She’s next.”

Roselyn finally turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide with fear, yet distant, as if she, too, was trying to connect the dots in her own mind. “How do you know?”

“I… don’t know,” Kendall admitted, wincing as another wave of pain shot through her head. “But I heard it. I just know I did.”

Roselyn nodded slowly, though it was clear her own thoughts were too clouded to fully grasp the weight of Kendall's words. “If Maya is next, then that means they’ll keep taking more of us,” she murmured, her voice shaking with fear. “Until there’s nothing left.”

Kendall didn’t respond. She couldn’t. All she could do was close her eyes and try to block out the pain. But deep down, she knew that Maya’s time was running out—and there was something she had to do, although she didn't know who she was.

Her gaze dropped to her wrist, where a small metal tag was embedded beneath her skin. A-005. Her identification number. They had all been given tags, marking them like animals in a cage. She winced, pressing her fingers over the spot where it burned, a constant reminder of her captivity.

Some of the other abductees had started exhibiting strange abilities—powers that seemed to surface under stress or fear. Kendall had witnessed it firsthand. Roselyn, her roommate, had been able to move objects with her mind, though it left her drained afterward. And there were rumors about others—some who could control fire, others who could manipulate energy. But none of it made sense. None of them understood why it was happening or what Krane wanted with them.

Kendall’s own powers hadn’t surfaced yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time. The facility was designed to push them, test them, and eventually break them.

Kendall glanced at the window the only glimpse she had of the outside world. Escape was futile—she had tried once, only to face punishment. Now, she and the others lived in a strange limbo, neither dead nor fully alive. The walls around them whispered secrets, and the cameras tracked every movement, every breath.

Krane’s experiments had changed them in ways they couldn’t fully understand. And now, Maya was the next target.

*******

Later that afternoon, the Rossi Smith family was gathered in the lounge of their penthouse. The mood was lighter than before, with conversations focused more on their upcoming vacation than on the dark clouds that had hovered over them for months.

“Dad, are you sure we’ll make it to the island the next weekend?” Mila asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

David nodded, adjusting his watch as he leaned back on the sofa. “Absolutely. We’ll leave first thing on Saturday. I’ve already confirmed everything with the staff, so the place is ready.”

Kylie chimed in, her phone in hand. “I can’t wait. Finally, some peace away from the city.”

Maya, who had been quiet up until now, smiled softly but didn’t say much. Her mind was still lingering on Kendall’s disappearance, though she didn’t want to ruin the mood. She didn’t know why, but there was this gnawing feeling in her gut, something telling her that Kendall’s situation was far from over.

“You excited, Maya?” Ethan asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. He grinned up at her, his excitement infectious.

Maya nodded. “Yeah, I am. It’ll be nice to relax.”

Clara exchanged a glance with David, both parents relieved that their children seemed to be moving forward, at least on the surface. The extra security measures they’d taken were still in place, but after months of living under the shadow of Kendall’s disappearance, things had started to feel somewhat normal again.

“Just think, a whole week of sun, beach, and no school,” David said, ruffling Jake'shair. “We could all use a break.”

But as the family continued to chat, Maya couldn’t shake the strange sensation creeping up her spine—the feeling that something was still lurking, just beyond their reach.

******

Back in the facility, Kendall rubbed her temples, trying to focus. The headaches had been getting worse lately, especially when she tried to think about her past. Each time she pushed herself to remember, it was like a searing pain shot through her skull, making it almost unbearable.

Roselyn, lying on the bed next to her, was twitching slightly in her sleep. Every now and then, objects in the room would shift or tremble—an involuntary reaction to her psychic abilities. Kendall had seen Roselyn use her power deliberately once, during a particularly stressful test, but it had taken a toll on her afterward.

Roselyn stirred, her voice barely above a whisper. “You okay?”

Kendall didn’t answer right away. Instead, she focused on the fragmented memories flickering in her mind. Each one was more like a feeling than a clear image—Maya, her parents, the life she used to have. And then there was Krane’s voice, echoing in her ears: *Maya Smith... she’s the next in line.*

“I heard them talking,” Kendall finally said, her voice tight. “They’re coming for Maya next.”

Roselyn blinked, groggy but alarmed. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Kendall’s voice trembled slightly, but she forced herself to stay calm. “We have to find a way to stop them. I don’t know how, but we can’t let them take her.”

Roselyn sat up slowly, wincing as a chair in the corner of the room moved a few inches on its own. “What can we do? We’re trapped here.”

Kendall didn’t have an answer. All she knew was that time was running out, and with every passing day, the pain in her head grew worse. She needed to act before it was too late—before Maya became another number, another " A, B or C" tag in this nightmare.

*******

Meanwhile, in the control room of the facility, Krane paced back and forth, reviewing the breach report with growing frustration. The system had been breached, though the attempt had been brief and quickly neutralized. Still, it was enough to raise alarms.

“It was a targeted breach,” Kane reported, standing beside him. “Whoever it was, they were looking for specific files. They accessed Kendall’s record and tried to dig deeper.”

Krane’s eyes narrowed. “Kendall’s? Why?”

“We believe they’re connected to her family,” Kane replied. “Someone out there is still looking for her.”

Krane smirked, though there was no warmth in it. “Let them look. They won’t find anything that will help them.”

Kane nodded. “I’ve tightened the security around the abductee files. There won’t be another breach.”

Krane glanced at the screen, where a list of abductee tags scrolled by—A-008, A-012, B-036, C-019, A-025. Each one represented a life he had taken, twisted, and experimented on. And soon, Maya Smith would join them.

Not just her. Others too.

“Make sure everything is in place for her arrival,” Krane said coldly. “I want no mistakes.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Krane turned away, the screen flickered for a brief moment—an unnoticed glitch in the system. But Kane’s eyes didn’t miss it. Something, or someone, was still out there. And they weren’t done yet. As much as he was watching Maya — someone else was watching him too.

---

Omg! And we have chapter 3 :)

I didn't think I was going to give intel on Kendall yet but okay. Obviously you knew she was still alive right?

What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them in the comments. Who hacked the system? I also have more insight about the facility. Want to know more? Read on to find out!

Don't forget to vote and share!

Anyways have a good day lovelies!

Bye for now
Muah!💋
~Rhoda