Part 1: The First Mark
Location: Northern Canada, Midnight
The night was white with blizzard, a cold veil sweeping across the frozen treetops of Northern Canada. Hidden beneath layers of snowfall, an old mining complex had long since been repurposed into something darker—a Hydra logistics and testing site.
High above the forest, a black shape cut silently through the storm. Riven flew.
The wind bit into his face, but he didn't flinch. Focus carved through his thoughts like a blade. Every inch of his body was taut, eyes locked on the patchwork of heat signatures below. His mind, once burdened with chaos, now channeled it.
He hovered above the treeline, scanning with sharpened perception. Five guards along the south fence. Two near the comms tower. One walking perimeter. Sloppy.
Six knives hovered around him, cold metal glinting even in the storm. One breath in. One breath out.
The knives dropped with terrifying precision.
Six bodies collapsed into the snow, blood steaming in the cold. No alarms.
Riven descended slowly, boots touching the powder-soft ground without a sound. He moved like a shadow, slipping between structures. A guard rounded a corner. Too late.
Riven's hand shot out, wrapping around the man's face and driving him into the wall with brutal force. Bone cracked. Silence.
Inside, the complex was darker—flourescent lights flickered in damp hallways. He moved through them methodically. A security officer noticed too late and fired.
Riven's hand lifted.
The bullet froze midair. He flicked it back.
The man collapsed without a sound.
In the central lab, Riven paused. Cold metal tables. Vials. Notes. Racks of sedatives he recognized too well. He moved to the console. Data scrolled: shipments, coordinates, dosage tests. More facilities. More children.
He clenched his jaw. Then he reached into the wall panel, ripping open wires. Sparks rained. He didn't flinch.
Moments later, fire began licking through the east wing. Flames crawled over crates. The alarms didn't matter. No one was left to hear them.
As the roof started to creak from heat and collapse, Riven stepped outside, eyes on the sky. The cold hit him again.
He lifted off the ground slowly, rising into the night, snow swirling around him.
Behind him, the complex burned like a wound.
One down.
Twenty-eight to go.