Extra Basket-Chapter 94 - 81: Syndicate Arc (4)

Date: July 17, 2010 – Friday Morning, 7:54 AM

Location: School Grounds – Behind the Gym

The morning sun cast sharp beams across the empty pavement, reflecting off the windows and warming the air with the promise of another humid Virginia summer day. Most students were just arriving, spilling into homerooms and hallways, unaware that something far more serious was unfolding behind the gym.

Lucas knelt behind a row of AC units, peeking carefully toward the fence where Brandon and Ethan had just hopped over.

He turned to Evan and Louie, both crouched beside him.

"They’re making their move..." Lucas whispered.

"Let’s go," he added firmly.

They darted forward, moving in the cover of low hedges and parked maintenance carts, careful not to draw attention. Louie, usually the one to hesitate, moved faster than usual—his face tight with unease.

"I knew it," he muttered under his breath. "This is just like last time."

Lucas gritted his teeth. "Exactly. And I’m not going to let Ethan carry this alone."

The trio slipped past the back gate one after another, landing softly. Ahead, Ethan and Brandon were already walking across the nearby field that led toward the edge of the woods bordering the town.

......

The morning sun cut through the trees lining the narrow path behind the school district’s fence. Dew still clung to the grass, brushing their sneakers with every step. Ethan walked a few paces ahead, his eyes locked on the worn-down service road that led to the storm drainage tunnels near the town’s outskirts.

Brandon walked beside him, clutching the strap of his backpack like it was the only thing grounding him.

Brandon glanced sideways. "So... you mean Site E is actually here? In this town?"

Ethan didn’t stop walking. He just nodded. "Yeah. It’s... it’s underneath the old water district facility. Out past the maintenance yard. No one really goes there anymore."

Brandon blinked. "How do you even know all this?"

Ethan slowed a bit. That question hung in the air longer than it should have.

( Crap... I can’t tell him. I can’t say this came from a novel. No one would believe me. And if he did... it’d just make me sound insane. But I remember—vaguely. The author only gave it a few paragraphs. Some throwaway background mention. Site E... the ’underground water control facility repurposed for logistics’. That’s what it said. I think. But... it’s been too long. Since I read the novel I mean that was chapter 50 up)

He forced a shrug. "I heard rumors. You know how Mouth of Wilson is—small town, big secrets. Some of the upperclassmen used to joke about it. Urban legend kind of stuff. I didn’t believe it until I saw the files."

Brandon didn’t look convinced, but he nodded slowly. "Right... rumors."

They stopped at the end of the road. A rusted metal gate, chained but slightly ajar, stood before them. Beyond it, the cracked concrete roof of the forgotten water district control center peeked out behind overgrown brush.

Ethan looked back. "Once we go in... there’s no turning back, Brandon."

Brandon took a deep breath. "Then let’s not stop."

...

From a distance, behind the rusted chain-link fence and half-toppled trees, Lucas Graves crouched low, his eyes fixed on Ethan and Brandon as they slipped past the gate.

He turned his head slightly. "They just went in."

Evan Cooper, just behind him, adjusted his hoodie and whispered, "That place... it looks abandoned."

Louie Gee Davas was already snapping a photo with his cheap 2010 flip phone—barely good quality, but proof. "I knew something was up. That doesn’t look like some random shortcut to school."

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "No. It’s not."

They waited for a few seconds, then carefully moved forward, ducking behind a row of thorny bushes that wrapped around the facility’s perimeter.

Evan muttered, "Lucas, are we sure about this? I mean—if they’re doing something dangerous—"

Lucas cut in quietly, voice calm but firm. "That’s exactly why we have to be here."

Louie whispered, concern etched across his face. "You think it’s like that one time again? Underground... the White family ..."

Lucas didn’t respond at first. He just stared at the building.

Lucas finally said. "I don’t know but one thing I knew is that .... This is dangerous"

They moved like shadows, sticking to the trees, the fence, the blind spots. A trio of middle schoolers chasing a truth that most adults wouldn’t dare believe.

Unaware that ahead of them, Ethan and Brandon were about to uncover something buried deeper than either of them expected.

........

Location: BAC U.S. Division – Executive Suite, Imperial Crest, Virginia

The early morning light bathed the executive floor of the BAC U.S. Training Complex in a soft, golden hue. From its pristine vantage point atop Imperial Crest, the most exclusive gated community in Virginia, the complex overlooked rolling hills draped in mist. Below, athletes moved in formation, drones hovered silently over training fields, and biometric readouts flickered on transparent glass panels. The hum of technology blended seamlessly with the discipline of sport.

Inside the executive boardroom, encased in bulletproof glass and furnished with white marble and brushed steel, stood Romanov Graves, the commanding Executive Director of the U.S. branch of BAC—Basketball Asian Company.

She stood by the wall-length window, her sharp black suit immaculate, her heels silent on the smooth floor. Her silver nameplate, engraved in sleek serif font, read simply:

Romanov Graves – Executive Director, BAC U.S.

A knock tapped at the frosted glass door.

"Come in," Romanov said coldly, without turning around.

The door slid open with a soft hydraulic hiss. Mira Lang, her executive coordinator, stepped inside, digital clipboard in hand, posture stiff. There was always a subtle tremor in Mira’s voice when she addressed Romanov—not from fear, but from respect laced with uncertainty. The kind you felt when you stood in front of a general who never tolerated failure.

Romanov turned, her gaze cutting like a scalpel. "Status."

Mira swallowed lightly. "As of now, ma’am... the athletes who were exposed to the enhancer compound have been stabilized. The medical team at Ward B reports ongoing recovery. No permanent physical degradation has been recorded so far."

Romanov gave a single, measured nod. "Good. And the incident beneath the town—the underground, Greg Tarrow created under the guise of a ’training center’—has there been progress?"

Mira hesitated, tapping her tablet. "Not much, I’m afraid. The local bureau officially closed the investigation last week. They’ve pinned the entire operation on the late Greg Tarrow alone. The media narrative is that he acted out of a personal vendetta... something about a grudge against the White family."

Romanov scoffed quietly, almost bitterly. "Typical. Bury the truth under politics."

She turned back toward the window, her reflection barely visible in the glass.

"Keep pressing. I want every name that was even remotely connected to that underground court. No matter how small. I want to know who supported him, who helped build that place, and most importantly—who let him operate under our radar."

Mira nodded. "Understood."

Romanov’s eyes darkened as she turned toward the window, her reflection staring back at her.

"Lucas... Charlotte... They were caught up in that madness. I nearly lost both of them."

Her voice was cold but laced with a rare, buried fear.

"I will not lose them to this world’s filth. I don’t care if it’s underground arenas, drugged games, or fake leagues. No one drags my children into this."

Her voice faltered only slightly—like a blade with a single crack. But Mira noticed.

"I’ve assigned a new shadow team to them," Mira added quickly. "The young master and young lady are being followed closely. Both of them are unaware. And the guards—"

"—are the best?" Romanov interrupted.

"Yes, ma’am," Mira confirmed. "Former JSOC. Handpicked. Quiet. Lethal. They operate independently, no ties to public law.". Young Master Lucas is being tailed in town, and Young Lady Charlotte is monitored 24/7 at the Academy. All movements are being logged."

Romanov finally exhaled, the tension barely easing from her shoulders.

"Good. If anyone even thinks of dragging my children into another one of these pathetic underground feuds, I want it shut down before it starts."

She turned, walking toward her desk where a photo frame lay face-down. She picked it up. It was an old picture—Lucas, no older than eight holding a basketball, grinning with messy hair; Charlotte, 9 years old on his side, her smile pure and her husband Roman Graves who have pure smile looking at them.

Romanov’s expression darkened.

"I built this company to break limits. But sometimes... I wonder if the system we built is starting to break the ones I care about most."

...

Location: Outskirts of Site E, Near Old Water Facility, Mouth of Wilson, Virginia

Time: Morning, 2010 (tech level ~2013)

The gravel crunched beneath their sneakers as Ethan and Brandon walked down a narrow, unused service road. Rusted chain-link fences flanked the path, overgrown with wild ivy and brush. Old warning signs—"PROPERTY OF W.D. AUTHORITY – KEEP OUT"—swung limply in the breeze.

Brandon glanced sideways at Ethan, his brows furrowed with suspicion.

"So, you mean Site E is... what exactly?" Brandon asked, his voice low.

Ethan kept his eyes ahead. "Yeah... in this town, Site E used to be a water treatment facility. Officially."

Brandon slowed slightly. "Used to be?"

Ethan nodded. "Shut down years ago. But no one ever talks about what actually happened here. It’s like people erased it from memory."

Brandon’s gaze sharpened. "Okay, but—how do you know about this? What, you just happen to know the layout of a shut-down water facility?"

Ethan hesitated. He clenched his fists in his jacket pockets.

(Damn it... I really can’t tell him about the novel. He wouldn’t believe me. He’d think I’m crazy...)

His thoughts raced.

(Because in the novel, it was mentioned in passing—the ’Site E Incident.’ Something about it being tied to a scandal involving the town’s water district. But more importantly... it was one of the first places the Syndicate operated in secret. A testing ground. Though it wasn’t a major focus in the novel; Lucas just heard about it while watching the news. And I barely remember the details since it’s been so long since I read that Chapter...)

He forced himself to answer.

"My Uncle... he told me about this place before he moved," Ethan lied smoothly. "Said he and his friends used to sneak in back in high school. Swore something shady was going on here—trucks coming in late at night, no records of who managed the place. Then he stopped talking about it."

Brandon narrowed his eyes. "You never told me your uncle is this cool."

Ethan shrugged. "We don’t talk much anymore."

There was silence between them for a moment. Brandon seemed to accept it, but his expression was clouded.

Eventually, he nodded. "Alright... let’s say I believe you."

They approached a rusted gate. It creaked open with a groan when Ethan pushed against it.

Beyond the gate stood the remnants of the old Site E facility—a gray, squat building with shattered windows and a moss-covered roof. The air smelled of metal, dust, and forgotten things.

Brandon looked around uneasily. "No guards. No signs of activity."

"That’s what makes it worse," Ethan muttered. "This place isn’t abandoned. It’s hidden."

Suddenly, Brandon stopped and looked Ethan in the eye.

"Are you sure you are ready for this? If something’s actually going on here, we’re just kids. We don’t have backup, no plan..."

Ethan’s voice was quiet but firm. "That’s why we have to go. Because if we don’t—no one will."

Brandon stared at him for a moment longer, then sighed.

"You’re starting to sound like Lucas."

Ethan didn’t respond. He just kept walking toward the broken double doors.

11 days before the tournament

To be continue