Chapter 14: Into the Lion's Den
The black SUV crept down the forest road under the cover of night. Inside, Elira sat between Noah and Ares, armored in sleek black gear, her hair pulled back, eyes sharp.
Ahead lay Crane's facility—the rumored site of Luka's imprisonment. If he was alive, she'd find him. If not... Crane would answer for the lie.
Ares handed her a small comm device. "Once we breach, we have twenty minutes max before security responds."
"I won't need twenty," Elira said coldly.
Noah glanced back from the driver's seat. "You're sure about this?"
"No," she admitted. "But I can't sit in the dark anymore. I need the truth."
---
The Facility
Hidden in the Catskill Mountains, the entrance to the compound was disguised beneath a rock face. Surveillance drones circled above like vultures. Motion sensors lined the perimeter.
Elira crawled through the dense undergrowth, heart pounding. She spotted the rear gate—unguarded. Probably a trap.
She slipped inside, disabling the camera with a flick of her EMP device. The hallways inside were cold and metallic, echoing with the buzz of fluorescent lights.
Then she heard it—a voice.
Weak. Familiar.
"...don't… don't trust her…"
She spun toward the sound.
Luka.
---
The Cell
Elira burst into a secure chamber deep below the main corridor. There he was—Luka. Alive. Pale. Bruised. But breathing.
He looked up, blinking in disbelief. "You… came…"
She ran to him, grabbing his hand. "Luka. It's me. We're getting out."
But he pulled back. "No. Listen. You don't understand."
"What?"
"She's working with them. Your mother. Vira."
Elira's heart dropped. "You're sure?"
Luka coughed. "Crane… he didn't keep her locked up. She ran the project after Delgado disappeared. She perfected you."
"No—she saved me. She risked her life—"
"She used you."
The door slammed shut behind them.
---
Crane Returns
A screen lit up across the room, revealing Crane's face, pale and grinning.
"Touching reunion," he said. "But I'm afraid it's time for clarity."
Elira rose, gun drawn. "Let him go."
"Oh, I will. But first, you need to hear something."
He tapped a button. A video played.
Vira, standing beside Crane, speaking into the camera.
"She's ready. We've erased her earliest memories. If she survives the next test, she'll be the first of a new generation. More human. More powerful."
Elira staggered back.
Luka's voice cracked. "She was never a prisoner, Elira. She was the architect."
---
Escape and Fire
Alarms blared. Ares's voice cut through the comm. "We're compromised. Extraction in two minutes."
Elira grabbed Luka. "Can you walk?"
"Barely."
She slung his arm over her shoulder, fighting through security guards pouring into the corridor. Her blade slashed through flesh. Bullets ricocheted. Blood sprayed.
She moved like a storm—silent, fast, merciless.
They reached the rooftop where Ares hovered in a stolen chopper. As the hatch opened, a sniper fired. The bullet grazed Elira's arm. She didn't flinch.
Ares pulled them both inside. "You got him?"
She nodded, breathless. "But we've got something worse."
He saw it in her eyes. "Vira?"
"She lied. About everything."
---