The story revolves around a group of friends trying to uncover the truth about their friend Chad's past. They find an old VHS tape and a box labeled "Operation Appleseed" that triggers Chad's memories. As they dig deeper, they discover that Chad was part of a secret project called "Project Circle" and was known as "Subject 22." They also learn that a group called "Project Azure" is looking for a girl named Perlita, who is somehow connected to Chad's past.
The group decides to follow a suspicious hacker who is also searching for Perlita. They overhear the hacker talking about recruiting people at a park, and they decide to follow him. Along the way, they meet a person who claims to be a ninja and offers to show off his "PZ9" ninja moves.
As they continue their journey, they start to uncover more clues about Perlita's identity and her connection to their group. They also discover that their friend Regina may have been hiding secrets about Perlita's presence in their safe house.
The story takes a turn when they arrive at the safe house to find it on fire, and they rush to put out the flames. The narrator is left wondering what is being burned and why.
Here are the facts from the text:
1. Chad has been acting strangely since they opened the Operation Appleseed box.
2. Inside the box, they found a VHS tape of a young Chad.
3. The VHS tape had Chad's name on it, and he was identified as "Subject 22".
4. Chad doesn't remember anything about being filmed or being part of an experiment.
5. They found a folder labeled "Subject 22" that contained information about Chad's test results and handwriting.
6. Chad's handwriting has improved since he was a kid.
7. They tried to recreate a scene from Chad's childhood to jog his memory, but it didn't work.
8. They overheard a hacker talking about Oregon, but they don't know what it means.
9. They think the hacker might be looking for Perlita.
10. They found a package of clothes that might belong to Perlita.
11. Melvin accidentally called Chad and they overheard him talking about recruiting people at a park.
12. They think Melvin might be looking for Perlita too.
13. They don't know what Perlita looks like now, but they know she used to wear a colorful outfit and a mask.
14. They found a spray paint can with a logo that might be a clue.
15. They saw a person who might be Melvin, but they're not sure.
16. The person is pretending to be PZ9, a ninja, and is trying to get YouTube fame.
17. They don't think the person is really PZ9 or Melvin.
18. They have a feeling that Perlita might be familiar to them.
19. They remember Regina showing them a secret room in the safe house, but they didn't know Perlita was living underneath.
20. They discovered a hatch in the room that led to a hidden space.
21. Perlita was hiding in the space, and they didn't know about it until recently.
22. They're trying to get to the Black Pyramid before Project Zargo finds Perlita.
23. They're playing a game of I Spy on their road trip.
24. Someone is trying to burn down the safe house.
25. They found a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.