The city had never felt darker. Streetlights flickered like dying stars, and the wind carried the sharp sting of rain against cracked pavement. Selene crouched behind a rusted dumpster, heart hammering as she studied the map laid out on her tablet. The signal Lina traced was faint but clear — Rafe was alive, and somewhere inside Harrow's fortified detention center.
"We don't have much time," Selene whispered, eyes scanning the building's cold exterior. Towering fences wrapped in razor wire, guards pacing with mechanical precision, and cameras sweeping every inch of the compound. A fortress designed to keep secrets buried.
Calder checked his weapons. "Extraction point is here," he said, tapping a blinking dot near the west wing. "It's heavily guarded, but it's the best shot."
Marrow stepped forward, the ever-present shadow on Selene's team. "I know the layout. I was there once. Follow me."
Lina, trembling but determined, secured the decrypted data in her pack. "If Rafe is there, we can't leave him behind."
Selene nodded sharply. "We move fast, stay silent, and bring him out."
The team slipped through back alleys, shadows merging with the night. Each step was careful, each breath controlled. They skirted patrols and avoided cameras with Marrow's knowledge guiding them like a ghost through the fortress.
The west wing was guarded by two patrols. Selene raised her hand, signaling the team to freeze. She peered through a narrow slit in the wall — a small window revealed a dim cell where Rafe sat, shackled and bruised but alive. His eyes flickered with relief and wariness as he saw them.
Calder produced a set of lockpicks. "Give me a minute."
Seconds stretched like hours as the lock clicked open. Rafe rubbed his wrists, eyes darting to the shadows. "You came for me."
Selene smirked briefly. "We don't leave anyone behind."
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from down the corridor. A harsh, metallic clang followed.
"They're onto us," Lina hissed. "We have to go. Now."
The escape was a blur of adrenaline and chaos. Marrow covered their retreat, taking down guards with silent precision. Calder and Selene led Rafe through twisting corridors, alarms blaring behind them like the howls of hunted prey.
A door slammed ahead — their exit blocked. Selene's mind raced. "Alternate route, now."
Rafe pointed to a ventilation shaft. "This way. It's tight, but it'll lead outside."
One by one, they squeezed into the shaft, the cold metal pressing against their skin, the stale air thick and suffocating. Selene's lungs burned as they crawled inch by inch.
Finally, they emerged into the chill of the night behind the compound. Rain was falling hard now, soaking their clothes and blurring the city lights.
Rafe gasped, "Thank you."
Selene locked eyes with him. "We're not done yet. There's more to fight for."
Back at the safe house, Rafe revealed what he had uncovered during captivity — a deeper layer of Harrow's corruption, names of insiders who could be allies, and a plan to strike at the heart of the Orchid Program.
But as they prepared for the next phase, Selene couldn't shake the feeling that the greatest danger wasn't Harrow itself, but the shadows within their own ranks.