The Link Between - Chapter 1

This is the first installment in a novella that will appear here a chapter at a time. It’s the origin story for a longer piece I’ve been working on for some time. Chapter 1 of that piece is already posted on the blog – it’s labeled The Ruins of Hope and was posted on January 5. The novella is finished and a new chapter will appear every 3 days. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together.

Chapter 1: Mission Gone Wrong

Pre-dawn fog rolled thick and cold across the abandoned Genentech campus, swallowing sounds and smothering visibility beyond twenty feet. Perfect cover. Rayna Khail pressed her back against the moss-covered wall, her plasma rifle a comforting weight against her chest. The tang of salt air from the nearby shallow flats of the bay mixed with the musty scent of neglect – once-manicured courtyards now overgrown, glass facades fractured and clouded with grime.

Beside her, Zeke's muscles tensed beneath tan fur. The Belgian Malinois's ears twitched forward, his enhanced hearing picking up something beyond human perception. Rayna felt the subtle shift in his posture through the lead attached to his tactical vest.

"What is it, boy?" she whispered, her voice barely disturbing the air.

Zeke's eyes – alert, intelligent – flicked toward the east wing of the complex. A subtle growl rumbled in his chest, so faint only she could feel it.

"Ruby," Rayna murmured into her comm, "status?"

Static crackled, then Ruby's voice came through, distorted but clear enough: "Almost there. These files are encrypted to hell and back. Five more minutes."

"Make it three. Something's off. And you’ll need time to exfil the server room.”

She didn't elaborate. Didn't need to. After three years together, Ruby understood Rayna's instincts weren't to be questioned. If Captain Khail said something was wrong, you moved faster.

Fuck. Should've brought more backup. But command had been clear – small team, minimal footprint. Get in, confirm the intel on Syndicate research, get out. The kind of mission she'd run dozens of times.

Zeke's ears suddenly flattened against his skull. His body lowered, center of gravity dropping in preparation for action. The change was imperceptible to anyone who hadn't spent four years working with him, but to Rayna, it might as well have been a siren.

"Ruby, wrap it up. Now."

"Got it—Holy Jesus Christ."

The horror in Ruby's voice sent ice through Rayna's veins. "What?"

"They're harvesting neural patterns from civilians. Dozens of them. There's... there's a whole database of consciousness mapping experiments. They're digitizing people, Rayna."

Shit. Shit. Shit. "Download everything. We're moving."

The comm crackled sharply, then went silent. Not just Ruby – all ambient signals vanished from Rayna's neural interface. Complete signal blackout.

"Jamming tech," she muttered. "They know we're here."

Zeke's head snapped toward the northern corridor. Before Rayna could process the movement, he lunged forward, the lead pulling taut in her grip. Training kicked in – if Zeke moved, there was a reason. She followed, weapon ready.

They found Ruby in the server room, her fingers dancing across a jury-rigged interface, face illuminated by holographic displays. Sweat beaded on her forehead, dampening strands of red-black hair that had escaped her practical bun.

"We're blown," Rayna said, scanning the exits. "Time to go."

Ruby yanked a data crystal block from the terminal. "Got everything. This is... this is worse than we thought. They're not just experimenting—they're implementing."

No time to unpack that. Rayna took point, Zeke on her right flank, Ruby behind them. They moved through the labyrinthine corridors, the fog outside seeping through broken windows and creating ghostly tendrils that reached for them as they passed.

The first plasma burst sizzled past Rayna's ear, superheating the air. The smell of ozone filled her nostrils as she shoved Ruby behind a concrete pillar.

"Down!" she barked, returning fire. Three quick bursts, the weapon's recoil familiar against her palm. A grunt from the darkness suggested at least one hit.

"Five hostiles," she said, the tactical overlay in her vision identifying heat signatures despite the jamming. "East corridor, moving in formation."

Ruby pulled a compact disruptor from her belt. "Cover me."

Rayna laid down suppressing fire while Ruby programmed the device, her fingers moving with practiced precision despite the chaos. Zeke pressed against Rayna's leg, his body vibrating with controlled energy, waiting for the command.

"Ten seconds," Ruby said, activating the disruptor.

They moved as one toward the south exit, keeping low. The disruptor would buy them maybe thirty seconds of sensor confusion – enough if they moved fast.

The corridor ahead should have been clear. The tactical overlay showed no heat signatures. But Zeke suddenly stiffened, a low whine escaping his throat – a sound Rayna had heard only twice before, both times seconds before all hell broke loose.

"Ruby, stop—"

Too late. A figure stepped from a recessed doorway – Syndicate elite forces, judging by the advanced combat suit. And in his hands, something Rayna had only seen in intelligence briefings: a sonic disruptor, specifically designed for anti-personnel use.

Time slowed. The weapon powered up with a high-pitched whine that scraped against her nerves. Her rifle came up, but even her enhanced reflexes wouldn't beat the trigger pull.

Zeke moved faster than should have been possible. His powerful legs launched him forward, breaking the lead's connection to his tactical vest. Sixty-five pounds of muscle and purpose slammed into Rayna, knocking her sideways as the sonic weapon discharged.

The concentrated blast caught Zeke mid-air, the sound like reality itself tearing. His body convulsed, a yelp of pain cut brutally short as the sonic wave shattered bone and ruptured internal organs.

"No!" The scream tore from Rayna's throat, raw and primal.

She fired without conscious thought, three plasma bolts hitting center mass. The Syndicate operative's combat suit sizzled and melted, the stench of burning synthetics and flesh filling the corridor as he collapsed.

Zeke lay motionless on the ground, blood pooling beneath him. His sides heaved with shallow, wet breaths. Too much blood. Shit. This is way too much fucking blood.

"Rayna—" Ruby's voice cracked.

"Get the exit clear." Rayna's voice was ice, her mind shifting to the coldly efficient place combat always took her. Feel nothing. Do what needs doing.

She knelt and gathered Zeke in her arms, his weight substantial but manageable with her enhanced strength. Blood soaked through her uniform, warm against her skin. His eyes – one now clouded with pain – found hers, somehow still alert despite the agony.

"Don't you dare," she whispered fiercely, pressing her forehead briefly against his. "That's an order, soldier. Stay with me."

Ruby had the exit door open, the fog beyond offering concealment. More plasma fire erupted behind them, sizzling against the walls.

"Go!" Rayna commanded, cradling Zeke against her chest as they ran into the swirling mist, his blood leaving a trail that the fog would conceal. For now.

His breathing grew more labored with each step, his body trembling against hers. He was going into shock. Rayna’s face remained composed, but her eyes betrayed the raw fear clawing at her insides as she whispered, "Stay with me, boy. That's an order."