''Legacy of Shadows: The Rise of Neil Angelo''

🧾 RECAP:

Neil discovers that his mother, Leela, is alive in a secret lab hidden beneath a temple near Nashik. She reveals that she's been working from the inside to sabotage Horizon, crafting a virus designed to take down their neural AI system. But they're racing against the clock—Voss is gearing up to unleash his weaponized technology into global military networks, starting with India.

📖 CHAPTER 11: Sabotage

Hidden Temple Lab – Pre-Dawn

The sterile light flickered against the ancient stone walls, casting an eerie glow.

Neil stood at the control panel next to his mother.

On the screen, Horizon's network pulse throbbed like a living creature—spreading across the globe, infecting nodes like a virus.

"This is the neural map," Leela explained. "Voss is just weeks—maybe even days—away from launching full behavioral synchronization through military AI.

But there's a flaw in his system. I built it in."

Neil leaned closer. "A flaw?"

She nodded. "A recursive code loop. If we can inject it through the right node, it'll reverse his override system and crash the Horizon Core."

Tatiana stepped forward. "And where do we find that node?"

Leela hesitated. "It's not a server. It's a person. A living host. One of Voss's prototype commanders."

Raj frowned. "He's already tested this on humans?"

Leela's expression darkened. "Yes. The project was codenamed **Project Chimera**."

---

**The Chimera Files**

The screens displayed images of test subjects—men and women with neural implants, emotion-suppression programming, and enhanced tactical reflexes. Most didn't make it. One did.

**Subject-001**.

Neil examined the file.

Age: 27. Name: **Rayn Cortez**.

Son of Roman Cortez.

"Of course," Neil muttered. "Voss is turning his enemies' children into weapons."

Tatiana clenched her jaw. "He's treating his army like a chess game. Everyone's just a pawn—even their own blood."

---

**Preparing the Strike**

Leela carefully loaded the virus into a reinforced drive. "You have to get this into Subject-001's neural stream. It'll set off a recursive collapse of Horizon's command protocol. But once it begins… he won't make it out alive."

Neil nodded, a serious look on his face. "Neither will Horizon."

Raj spread out a blueprint. "Rayn is being moved through Hyderabad tomorrow—military convoy, disguised as a diplomatic transfer. We intercept, upload the payload, and disappear."

Tatiana was already prepping her silencer. "I'll get the extraction route ready."

---

**Hyderabad – The Convoy Ambush**

As the sun rose, the convoy rolled down a dusty highway, flanked by old rail yards and crumbling industrial buildings.

Neil crouched on an overpass, sniper rifle in hand, his gaze fixed on the lead vehicle.

Tatiana's voice crackled in his ear. "Confirming target: Subject-001 is in the second vehicle."

"Got it," Neil replied. "Three… two… one…"

He pulled the trigger.

The front tire of the lead SUV exploded. The entire convoy slammed to a halt. Smoke filled the air. Screams erupted. Chaos reigned.

Tatiana charged in from the side, taking down guards with non-lethal rounds.

Neil leaped from the overpass, crashing through the window of the transport vehicle.

Inside was Rayn Cortez.

He stared at Neil, his expression blank, eyes like cold metal.

"Neil Angelo," he said in a monotone voice. "Target confirmed."

Then he lunged.

---

**The Fight**

Rayn moved with the precision of a machine—inhumanly quick and ruthlessly efficient.

Neil blocked one punch, barely dodged another, and retaliated with a knee to Rayn's ribs. The blow didn't even faze him.

"This isn't who you are!" Neil shouted, ducking under a swing.

"I am Horizon," Rayn replied, raising a blade from his gauntlet.

In a swift motion, Neil rolled, yanked the injector drive from his belt, and slammed it into the implant on Rayn's neck.

The machine hesitated.

Rayn froze, his eyes darting around, and his mouth quivered in fear.

Then came the—

Screaming.

The virus seized him.

His body jerked violently, crumpling to the ground.

Tatiana yanked Neil back. "Is it over?!"

The convoy blazed behind them, sirens blaring.

And the Horizon global node map… flickered ominously.

Then it turned **red**.

Neil checked the signal.

The virus was effective.

---

**Aftermath**

Back at the safehouse, Leela observed the map as it slowly faded. Each red node dimmed, thousands of digital tendrils disappearing across the globe.

Neil stood next to her.

"One step at a time," he said. "We take down Horizon."

But Leela's face was serious. "You've set something in motion. Voss will strike back."

Neil's phone buzzed.

A new message.

**UNKNOWN NUMBER**: "Mumbai was just the start. London will burn next. – V"

Neil looked up, determination in his eyes.

"Then we move west."

---

🔫 *To Be Continued in Chapter 12: "London Inferno"*