Page 19 of Eden and her Mercenary
"If she has Level 4 access, she must have authorization for the neurology wing. Where would she be right now?"
Declan was silent for a moment, presumably checking something. "According to the staff database,Dr. Elise Harrison has an office on this floor, east corridor, room 412."
"So we find her," Eden said simply. "Convince her to help us."
Ryker raised an eyebrow. "You want to kidnap a Prophecies researcher in the middle of their own facility?"
"Not kidnap," Eden clarified. "Persuade. Everyone has something they care about, something that would motivate them to bend the rules."
I studied her face, impressed by this unexpected side of her. "And if persuasion fails?"
She met my gaze steadily. "Then we improvise."
We altered course, heading toward the east corridor where staff offices were located. The hallway was quieter here, most offices dark at this hour. Room 412 had a narrow strip of light visible beneath the door.
"She's in there," I whispered. "How do we play this?"
Eden straightened her lab coat. "Let me try first. Woman to woman."
Before we could object, she knocked confidently on the door. After a brief pause, a tired voice called, "Come in."
Eden entered while Ryker and I positioned ourselves on either side of the doorway, out of sightbut ready to intervene.
"Dr. Harrison?" I heard Eden say. "I'm sorry to disturb you so late."
"Do I know you?" The voice sounded confused, suspicious.
"No, but I know about Project Cerberus," Eden replied, her voice dropping. "And about the dog that escaped six weeks ago."
Silence followed, then the sound of a chair scraping back. "Who are you? Security!"
Ryker and I moved simultaneously, slipping into the office and closing the door behind us. Dr. Harrison—a woman in her early forties with streaks of premature gray in her dark hair—reached for a phone on her desk. I disconnected it before she could dial.
"We're not here to hurt you," I assured her, keeping my voice calm. "We just need access to the neural mapping system."
Her eyes darted between the three of us, calculating. "You're the ones who took Subject Seven."
"Her name is Stella," Eden said sharply. "And we didn't take her. We rescued her." Dr. Harrison's expression flickered with something—guilt, perhaps, or fear. "You don't understand what you're interfering with. Project Cerberus isn't what you think."
"We know exactly what it is," Eden countered, stepping closer. "Neural implants to control dogsremotely. Military applications. We've seen the scars, the trauma."
"And we've seen her brain scan," I added. "That implant is killing her."
Harrison sank back into her chair, shoulders slumping. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," she murmured, almost to herself. "The technology was meant to help—guide service dogs remotely for disabled veterans, help search and rescue operations in disaster zones."
"Then why the secrecy?" Ryker challenged, keeping watch at the door. "Why the armed mercenaries hunting her down?"
Harrison's eyes darted to her computer screen, then back to us. "Because Junction Security took over the project six months ago. They saw... different applications."
"Weaponization," I concluded.
She nodded, a haunted look crossing her face. "They brought in their own test subjects. Dogs from fighting rings, strays—animals they could experiment on without accountability."
Eden's hands clenched into fists. "Like Stella."
"Subject Seven was different," Harrison said quietly. "She resisted the conditioning. Most dogs eventually submit, but she..." A hint of admiration crept into her voice. "She kept fighting. That's whythey increased the neural integration—trying to override her natural instincts."
"That's why we need the mapping system," I explained. "We have a surgeon who can remove the implant, but she needs to see exactly how it's connected."
