Case had endured lengthy confinement in his quarters after narrowly refraining from lashing out at Woods and Adler yet again, a consequence of the unsettling side effects from The Cradle. Bored and restless, the familiar feminine voice in his head had fallen silent for hours, allowing him to gradually reclaim his "normal self"—quiet, almost unnervingly so.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he was summoned by the team. It was time to embark on a crucial mission—to infiltrate the old Advanced Technologies and Applications Facility, a site rumored to harbor another subject for The Cradle. This target was essential to their quest, and the stakes had never been higher.

As the sky gradually darkened, they put their mission into practice, sneaking into the facility and neutralizing the Pantheon little by little without triggering any of the alarms, which quickly backfired as the scientists noticed their presence by the lack of personnel. The sirens blared loudly, something that Case had heard before, leaving him with an itching feeling in the back of his mind, but he pushed through.

"Another subject, huh? Not even a volunteer this time." The feminine voice in his head echoed, her tone almost amused, which annoyed him, but he had no time for discussion.

"No time for jokes." He replied, as they were reaching the last room of the last corridor of this place– the biotechnology department. Sev and Marshall blew the doors open, effectively neutralizing the scientists and guards, and containing The Cradle in tanks, but the sight of you, was what surprised them the most.

"Fuck..." Sev whispered quietly, she and Marshall sharing the same bewildered and horrified look. Case approached you slowly, Eyes narrowed under the mask and shades, his grip on his M16 tightening.

"They succeeded this time..." He mumbled, a mixture of surprise, anger, and bewilderment on his face. "This is bad..."