"She's alive."
The words rang in Elena's ears long after Nicholas had said them.
The stairwell's flickering emergency light cast shadows across his bloodied face, making him look both terrifying and fragile. He leaned heavily against the wall, breath ragged, his expensive shirt clinging to his skin.
"Kate warned you?" Elena finally choked out, her voice trembling. "Before she disappeared?"
Nicholas nodded slowly. "She said I was standing in a room full of enemies and didn't even know it."
"Why didn't you tell me that before?"
"Because I didn't know if she meant me," he said darkly. "Or you."
Lightning cracked outside the stairwell window. For a heartbeat, Elena saw her reflection—wild-eyed, soaked in rain, blood on her hands from trying to stop Nicholas's wound.
Everything she thought she knew about Kate was dissolving. What if her sister hadn't been a helpless victim? What if she chose to vanish?
And worse… what if Kate didn't want to be found?
Nicholas reached for Elena's hand and squeezed it. "If Kate's alive, we're dealing with a whole new game. One where she may not be on our side anymore."
"I need to find her," Elena whispered.
"I know."
They didn't make it more than two steps before Ava appeared at the base of the stairwell—gun raised, soaked, and furious.
"Drop your hands where I can see them," she barked.
Elena froze. "Ava?"
"Back away from him," she ordered.
Nicholas gritted his teeth. "You followed us?"
"Of course I followed you. You think I wouldn't figure it out?" Her hands didn't waver. "He's using you, Elena. Just like he used Kate."
"He's injured—"
"Good," Ava snapped. "Then maybe now he can't run from the truth."
Nicholas stepped forward. "Go ahead, Ava. Tell her."
Ava blinked. "Tell her what?"
"That you're the reason Kate went to Galeon. That you were her handler."
Elena's head whipped toward her friend. "What the hell is he talking about?"
Ava's hand tightened on the gun. "He's lying."
Nicholas smirked, blood still dripping. "She was the middle link. She recruited Kate to spy on Vale Technologies. Then she tried to silence her."
"Shut up!" Ava yelled.
Elena stared between them, heart cracking wide open. "Ava, please… tell me it's not true."
Ava's face crumbled. "I was trying to protect you. You were just a kid. You didn't know what they were building in that lab—what Nicholas's father was doing behind closed doors."
"I don't care about his father!" Elena cried. "I care about Kate! You knew where she was? This whole time?"
"She told me not to involve you!" Ava screamed back. "She made me promise!"
Nicholas moved again. Too fast.
Ava fired.
The bullet hit the wall inches from Elena's face.
"Stop!" Elena screamed. "Everyone stop!"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Ava lowered the gun first.
"I wanted to bring her back," she said, tears mixing with rain. "But by the time I tried… she was already gone."
Nicholas's voice was low. "Then someone got to her first."
Ava's phone buzzed in her coat pocket. She checked it—her face drained of color.
"What is it?" Elena asked.
Ava handed her the screen.
A short, grainy video. Dated two hours ago.
Kate Carter. Alive. Speaking directly into the camera.
"Elena… if you're seeing this, it means everything's gone wrong," Kate's voice said. "Don't trust anyone. Not Nicholas. Not Ava. Not even me."
Elena's knees buckled.
Kate's eyes on the screen were haunted—older, sharper, almost unreadable.
"I had to fake my death to finish this," the recording continued. "And now I'm out of time. They're coming for you next."
The screen glitched. The video ended.
Elena stared at the black screen. "What the hell is happening?"
Nicholas looked stunned. "That was filmed inside one of Galeon's safe houses. She's not just hiding. She's running."
Ava turned to Elena, her voice brittle. "We're being played by all sides. If Kate's alive… it means the plan is still in motion."
"What plan?"
Ava swallowed hard. "Operation Daedalus."
Nicholas stiffened. "That was shut down."
"Apparently not," Ava said. "Because if Kate's warning us… that means the AI is nearly complete."
"What AI?" Elena demanded.
Nicholas looked at her with something close to fear.
"The one that can replace us all."
Just then, another phone rang.
Not theirs.
Elena looked down and realized—it was Kate's voice, echoing from Nicholas's pocket.
He pulled out a second device—one he hadn't told anyone about. A message was playing.
"Elena," Kate's voice said, urgent, panicked. "They've turned the prototype on. They're going to wipe every trace of what we've done. Meet me at the Orion substation. Come alone. Don't trust Nicholas. Don't trust Ava. I'll explain everything there."
The line cut.
Nicholas paled.
Ava cursed under her breath.
Elena didn't say a word.
She turned, stepped into the rain again, and walked toward the edge of the rooftop.
She had one chance now—to find Kate and finally face the truth.
But which truth?
And whose?....