Back to the Laboratory -

Third Person POV

"Be cautious, ladies; there might be traps scattered about," Ashe cautioned her team, her temporary leadership born out of camaraderie with the group. Many of them had worked together on missions assigned by Jin.

"I thought everyone here knew that. After all, Jin always had numerous contingency plans if someone invaded his places," Panam replied matter-of-factly, displaying her deep understanding of Jin.

As the conversation unfolded, the gravity of their mission and the situation became clearer to the other women. They had been alert from the start, but now they adopted a more professional demeanor, shedding passivity for diligence.

"That man is a freak of nature. His level of intellect can't be matched by ordinary people like us," Widowmaker/Amélie commented, her focus on scanning for clues hampered by the destruction; no data could be recovered from the damaged machines.

"Let's get to work, ladies," Judy urged her companions. She noticed that they weren't actively searching for evidence or any hints that could shed light on Jin's whereabouts.

"Oh, no!" Fade muttered in despair as she began to put effort into finding clues, inadvertently making a significant blunder.

"We're in trouble!" Those who knew Jin personally thought so as they heard a snapping sound, and the entire place began to shake violently.

"The trap is activated! Stay alert!" Tracer yelled, her tone filled with worry, alerting the group of mercenaries. They swiftly drew their weapons and activated their cyber enhancements.

From the underground, multiple automatic turrets and a few cyborgs entered the vast hall, generating deafening noise. They immediately engaged in battle upon activation, the machines firing at the group while the cyborgs closed in.

"Even with Jin's training and weapons, these machines put up a good fight," Mercy admitted after their fierce battle ended. Despite enduring numerous beatdowns, they emerged victorious, without any casualties.

"You know, if Jin didn't help us, we might have ended up dead against his security system," Viper pointed out. Her words hung in the air, a stark and uncomfortable and unaviodable truth.

"Hey, Ashe and Panam, I found it - the video," Fade announced. She had managed to locate an old recording on a damaged computer. "Help, guys, this system is reverse-hacking me!"

"Our luck is unbelievable!" Mercy said, stopping herself from uttering a curse, something she rarely did.

"Thank you, guys. I thought I was a goner for sure," Fade said, acknowledging that even confronting Jin's creations with knowledge was a perilous endeavor, and ignorance was a death sentence.

"Judy, play the recording," Reyna suggested, and Judy pressed the button. Everyone watched it in silence.

--Flashback--

"Boss, the core you created from that special space rock and installed in yourself is working beyond fine," A.U.R.O.R.A., Jin's AI, informed him after reviewing its past performance.

"At first, we speculated it might cause life-threatening issues, but now it has increased your body's performance and endurance by 1000%," the AI elaborated on the progress and benefits.

"Indeed, we made a significant breakthrough. Furthermore, the secret nanobot project has been running flawlessly for weeks," Jin acknowledged the advancement of his invention and the fruitful collaboration with his AI.

"About that, sir, I think those bots might react in an unknown manner to your new core," AI voiced her concerns, primarily built for his well-being and later developed for multitasking.

"But that's a pure assumption based on your theory. We're not sure if it's harmful yet. However, it doesn't mean I'm dismissing the possibility..." He replied logically, engaging in a neutral debate, noting that she had gained a semblance of personality lately and had become somewhat obsessed with him.

Furthermore, after injecting nanobots into himself without consulting her, his body exhibited no side effects, and the bots under his control displayed no resistance to him, which contradicted her claims.

"Now that everything is taken care of, we can focus on the teleporter," Jin sighed, avoiding further debate with his obsessive AI and directing his attention to more productive endeavors.

"Something is off, Jin. Our machine is detecting an unusual signal from the teleporter," she reported, prompting Jin to review her findings regarding the portal he was working on.

Like him, she was surprised as they analyzed the portal's fluctuation. 'It's as if it's opening on its own,' he concluded from the readings.

"Sir, your core is also reacting in a conflicting manner," his AI immediately declared, scrutinizing the instability of the core in his body, connected to the main computer for constant monitoring.

"I think we should stop now before it gets worse," they both said simultaneously after a prolonged period of silence. Without further delay, they disconnected the power line connected to the portal.

It was then that chaos erupted: destruction, gore, and Jin's sudden disappearance. The portal at the other end of the lab had somehow gained awareness through unknown means.

"Oh, damn it! Sir, its suction force is irresistible. It's been an honor working with you," AI cursed as the suction force grew stronger, their likelihood of being pulled in reaching 100%.

"No! Not yet. I can't give up and die now. I want to celebrate with my girls, have a family, and live for 100-200 years," Jin yelled in denial. His mantis blade and various other blades and tendrils dug into the walls, but ultimately failed him.

Nothing worked at that moment, as everything had happened suddenly, catching him unprepared.

"System, activate Protocol Incognito." Those were his last words before he was completely drawn into the black hole.

And that day, he learned a lesson: 'No one can ever be fully prepared for everything in life, no matter who you are. If fate says 'screw you,' you're screwed. No doubt about it.'