Scene: Alia's Apartment – Late Night. Rain traces lines down the window glass.
Alia sits silently. Her eyes are sleepless, her face weary.
In the next room, her children are asleep.
Steam rises from a cup of coffee on the table.
Suddenly—
📞 Phone rings.
Caller ID: UNKNOWN CALLER
Alia picks it up slowly. Her voice is heavy.
Alia: "Hello?"
📡 A stern male voice on the other end – a CIA operative (Robert):
Robert: "Agent 7-C, it's critical. We have a situation."
Alia (holding back tears, voice firm):
"I'm not active anymore, Robert. Langley was informed of that."
🕴️ Robert (urgent, commanding):
"You don't get to say no. You were always part of Project Helix.
And now—it's leaking."
Alia freezes. Her face turns pale.
Alia: "Leaking? What do you mean 'leaking'?"
Robert:
"Your DNA was linked to a nuclear trigger protocol.
Someone's tried to activate it—first in Istanbul, then Damascus.
They've cloned your biodata."
Alia's eyes widen. Her lips dry. She whispers:
Alia: "Who did this? ...Margaret?"
🕴️ Robert (a beat):
"Margaret was part of it. But she's not alone.
There's a larger network behind this.
And now... the most critical intel—"
Alia holds her breath. Robert's voice lowers:
Robert: "We believe... a sleeper agent has been activated inside Moscow."
Alia (voice trembling): "Who? Who is it?"
Robert (slowly):
"Our data points to... your son."
---
Scene: Alia's Living Room — phone to ear, eyes ablaze
Alia (shaking, but firm):
"No… no, Robert. That's impossible.
He's just a twelve-year-old boy. Do you hear what you're saying?"
📡 Robert:
"We know he's a child.
But Helix is gene-based. Age doesn't matter.
DNA activation can be externally triggered."
Alia boils with rage. She stands up and shouts into the phone:
Alia:
"How did you get his DNA?
I'm in Russia! My life is here!
How the hell did CIA get that close without me knowing?"
📡 Robert (calmly):
"Don't assume you were ever fully in control.
Even though Margaret once worked with us… she's now aligned with others.
This isn't just your story, Alia.
This is about global survival."
Alia stands by the window. Snow begins to fall outside.
Tears shimmer in her eyes, but her lips are steel.
Alia:
"If anyone touches my child, I will burn everything to the ground.
CIA, GRU, Helix—whoever. I won't stop."
📡 Robert:
"We can help you.
If you agree, we'll initiate Extraction Protocol.
Get you and your children out of Moscow."
Alia (deep breath):
"You don't understand…
I'm not just an agent.
I'm a mother. A lover. A wounded human being.
Taking me away won't end this.
I stay. And I find out who did this to my son."
📡 Robert:
"Stay sharp.
We're sending someone.
But remember—many eyes are on you."
The call ends.
🎬 A shadow flickers outside the door.
Alia walks toward it, slowly, hand reaching for her revolver.
Through the crack in the door, she sees a young man standing—
Dark sunglasses. In his hand: a chip.
Stranger:
"Your son's been embedded with coded sequences.
Helix is using him.
But there's still time…
If you want to save him, you'll have to trust me."
Alia's throat tightens.
Alia:
"Who are you?"
The young man smiles faintly.
Stranger:
"I'm a shadow from your past."
---
CHAPTER 60: THE FACE OF THE SHADOW
Scene: Night in Moscow. Light snowfall.
A sliver of light falls across the young man's face—still hidden behind sunglasses.
In his hand, the chip glints under the dim light.
Alia (cold, hollow tone):
"Where is my son?"
The young man looks straight into her eyes, measuring her—
The fire, the maternal instinct.
He speaks slowly:
Stranger:
"It's more complicated than you think.
He's safe for now. But not for long, if you hesitate."
Alia steps forward, gripping her revolver.
Alia:
"Enough games. Who are you?"
The man removes his sunglasses.
His eyes sparkle—familiar yet foreign.
Stranger:
"My codename was MIRAGE.
I was part of Helix's Shadow Unit.
My first contact with your son—was nine months ago. Siberia."
Alia's breath catches in her throat.
Alia (whispers):
"Why?"
MIRAGE holds out the chip. His voice low, cryptic:
MIRAGE:
"This chip contains Tier-2 Helix data.
Neural patterns. Genetic trigger sequences.
Everything they've activated inside your son—can still be shut down.
But only one way."
Alia:
"What way?"
MIRAGE:
"You have to go back into Helix.
They know you were the only successful subject.
And your son's code—only you can neutralize it."
Alia glances toward the window, catching a glimpse of her own reflection.
The past floods in—training, betrayal, blood.
Alia (softly):
"So I have to go back into that hell?"
MIRAGE (quietly, almost intimately):
"If you don't… he'll die.
Or worse—he'll become one of them."
Alia's eyes sharpen.
She touches her forehead gently, like making a silent vow.
Alia:
"No one turns my child into a weapon.
I'm coming…"
The lights go out. But the curtain doesn't fall—
Because the war has only just begun.
.
Scene: Inside the Apartment — Flickering Lights, Shadows on the Wall
The boy extends the chip toward her.
Alia instinctively takes a step back.
Her lips go dry. Disbelief flashes in her eyes.
She suddenly bursts out—
Alia:
"He's in America!
I sent him myself—for safety.
He's at school, with his aunt—he's safe! Everything was secure!"
The boy remains silent for a moment. Then, in a cold, emotionless tone:
Boy:
"You think sending him away protected him?
You don't understand... Helix never lets go.
America was a smokescreen.
He's been tracked from the moment he arrived—his school, his medical check-ups, even his playdates.
They completed his neural scanning fourteen days ago."
Alia's eyes twitch.
Alia (in a low, broken voice):
"No… no, that's not possible.
I built the entire plan myself.
I configured every security layer—they never reached him."
The boy doesn't nod.
Instead, he pulls a small holographic projector from his pocket.
He inserts the chip.
A flash of red light.
A projection appears mid-air — a school bus.
A boy sits by the window, reading a book.
His eyes shimmer, but then… an eerie blue glow flickers deep within them.
Alia gasps. Her lips tremble in a whisper:
Alia:
"That's… that's my Alexander…"
Boy: (soft, grim)
"Your son is not just your child.
He is Phase Two of Helix.
Codename: ORION."
---
Scene: Pre-Dawn, A Military Airbase in Moscow
Dim yellow lights spill across the runway.
A sleek black-and-silver private jet stands ready.
Alia, in a black trench coat and dark sunglasses, approaches with two rolling suitcases.
In one hand—her weapon. In the other—classified folders.
Behind her stand people from different chapters of her life—
Former CIA agents, Russian contacts, and Yash—the man she once loved in silence.
Alia looks at each one, nodding silently.
Then her eyes meet Yash's.
She walks over and speaks quietly, intimately—
Alia:
"Yash… I'm entrusting something to you."
Yash (frowning):
"What is it?"
Alia:
"My parents are in Sylhet, Bangladesh.
I moved them to a safe house just weeks ago.
I need you to look after them.
They don't know everything. Even if they did… they wouldn't believe it."
Yash stays quiet. His eyes begin to well up.
Yash (voice shaky):
"You don't know what you meant to me, Alia.
But where you're going… it's dangerous.
Will you come back?"
Alia gives a faint smile, a mix of courage and fatigue.
Alia:
"The question isn't if I'll come back…
It's whether I can save my son."
Yash steps forward, places a hand on her shoulder.
He can't hold back anymore — tears stream down his face.
He pulls her into a brief, tight embrace.
Wiping his eyes, he smiles gently, and kisses her cheek.
Yash:
"Be safe.
We're all proud of you.
And I… I'll be waiting."
Alia rests a hand on his shoulder, voice steady:
Alia:
"Stay strong, Yash.
My life has seen too much darkness…
But I want you to see the light."
She turns, climbs the steps into the jet.
The engines roar to life.
The jet takes off into the glowing horizon.
Alia looks out the window—
down at a patch of fresh snow catching the morning sun—
and the solitary shadow of Yash still standing there.
Scene: Virginia, USA — CIA Special Airbase, Dawn
Morning light spills across the runway.
Alia's private jet comes to a slow halt.
The door opens. Cold wind rushes in.
Alia steps down the stairs. Sunglasses on. Jaw tight.
A massive bodyguard in a black suit approaches, bowing slightly.
Bodyguard:
"Ma'am, we've received orders to escort you.
You'll be transferred to Safehouse Echo-9."
Alia stops. Her voice is sharp, eyes narrowed:
Alia:
"Who gave the order?"
Bodyguard:
"Director Sheffield, ma'am.
He's waiting for you."
A brief pause. Alia calculates.
Then she nods lightly.
Alia:
"Lead the way."
They place her in a black SUV.
Two escort vehicles front and back—fully armed convoy.
Inside, Alia sits by the window, activating her mobile tracking system.
On-screen: Alexander
The location signal jumps erratically—clearly being jammed or scrambled.
Her eyes narrow.
She presses her lips together.
Then the driver, from the front seat, speaks quietly:
Driver:
"Ma'am… we've detected an unidentified drone tailing the convoy.
Do you want us to take action?"
Alia doesn't look away from the window. Her voice is icy calm.
Alia:
"Slow the car.
Don't let them know we're aware."
The rear bodyguard checks through the back window, nods.
Bodyguard:
"Understood, ma'am."
The convoy slows, but inside—the tension spikes.
In Alia's mind, only one thought echoes:
> "What if he's no longer safe?
What if Helix already has him?"
Above them, the drone still hovers—silent. Watching.
Alia closes her eyes for just a second.
And sees a boy's face—bright, smiling.
His eyes…
And in those eyes—an unnatural, glowing blue light.