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Location: Zurich, Switzerland.
3:42 a.m.
The power grid glitched.
For three seconds, the entire city blinked.
In those three seconds, Aria Lin was alone in a private medical lab, downloading encrypted files tied to Project Helix — the same project that made her brother, Ares, into a weapon.
Only Ethan and Liam knew where she was.
Or so she thought.
---
A rustle behind her.
She spun — gun raised.
But it wasn't Ethan.
Or Liam.
It was him.
> Ares.
Tall. Pale. Eyes like ice. Barefoot. No sound. No warmth.
He looked… almost human.
Hello, sister, he said softly.
Aria's hand didn't shake,I'm not here to play family,you already are, Ares whispered, stepping forward and you don't even know the rules.
---
Why are you really here?Aria asked.
To see what makes you different.
I bleed,she said just like you.
Ares tilted his head,I don't bleed anymore.
He reached forward — and lifted a blade from the table. Slashed it across his palm.
No blood.
No flinch.
Only cold, steel-gray skin beneath the surface.
Aria's chest tightened.
He's not just trained. He's altered.
You're not my brother, she whispered.
I'm what you could have been, Ares said. What our father wanted,not a rebel,not a flame. A weapon.
---
Aria stepped back.
I'm not here to win your approval. I'm here to end the bloodline.
He smiled faintly.
Then dropped something at her feet.
A flash drive.
What's this? she asked.
Proof, Ares said that I'm not the only weapon. Augustin created twelve.
---
---
Before she could ask more, alarms blared.
Someone had breached the perimeter.
Liam burst in, gun raised — but his eyes locked on Ares.
He froze.
"Is that—?Don't," Aria said.
But it was too late.
Ares was gone.
No door opened
No window cracked.
Just… gone.
---
Back at her safehouse, Aria loaded the flash drive.
Her breath hitched.
File names:
H01: Ares – STATUS: Active
H03: E.V. – STATUS: Unknown
H07: L. Chen – STATUS: Embedded inside Lin Group
H09: Subject Omega – STATUS: Unknown, Rogue
She stopped on H07.
"L. Chen…" Aria whispered.
"Liam Chen.
She turned slowly to look at him.
You lied to me.
---
He swallowed.
I didn't know,n until recently,mot until my mother confessed. I was raised thinking I was normal—stop,Aria snapped.
She took a shaky breath, then pointed to the door.
Leave.
Aria—GET OUT.
---
As Liam walked away, silence filled the room.
Not grief.
Not pain.
Just cold clarity.
Twelve weapons,she whispered One family.
Twelve targets. One war.
She pulled out a marker and circled their names.
Let's burn this bloodline down.
---
❓ Reader Questions:
1. Should Aria trust Ares' offer of truth — or is this another manipulation?
2. Will Liam come back… or turn into an enemy?
3. Should Aria find the other Helix siblings — or destroy the files?
4. What would happen if Aria became the leader of the Helix survivors?