Chapter 15: Blood Doesn't Mean Bond
Rain fell in slow sheets as the helicopter landed atop the rooftop of an abandoned warehouse outside the city. The metal creaked under the weight of their decision—Elira, Ares, and Luka stepping onto ground that suddenly felt more fragile than ever.
Inside, Noah was already setting up medical equipment. Luka collapsed into a chair, wincing in pain but alert.
"She's coming, isn't she?" he asked hoarsely.
Elira nodded, wiping blood from her temple. "She won't run. Not yet. Vira always finishes what she starts."
Ares leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "We sure this isn't just another trap?"
"Everything's a trap now," Elira muttered. "The difference is whether we spring it… or burn it."
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The Confrontation
An hour passed. Then the doors opened.
Vira walked in slowly, dressed in black, face calm—but her eyes carried the weight of storms. Her gaze locked with Elira's, then drifted to Luka.
"You survived," she said softly.
"Barely," Luka growled. "Thanks to you."
She looked back at Elira. "You found the footage."
"You let him rot in there," Elira snapped, stepping forward. "You lied to me. Used me."
"I saved you," Vira replied sharply. "You wouldn't exist without me. They were going to kill you when the first test failed. I changed the parameters. I made you strong."
"You made me a weapon," Elira seethed. "What about my life? My choice?"
Vira's voice cracked, only slightly. "You were a child. They called you 'Prototype E'. I called you Elira."
"But you let them experiment on me."
"I gave you purpose," Vira said, stepping closer. "You think you're angry now? Imagine what they would've done without me inside the system. I shielded you from the worst."
Luka coughed from the chair. "So you get to play savior and torturer in the same breath?"
"I did what I had to do to keep her alive," Vira hissed.
Elira stared at her—this woman who had once been her light in the dark. "You didn't save me. You shaped me into something I never asked to be. And now, I don't know who I am."
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A Blade Between Them
Vira stepped forward again. "You're my daughter."
Elira pulled a blade from her belt and pointed it directly at Vira's heart. "Then why do I feel like killing you would set me free?"
Ares moved quickly, grabbing her wrist. "Elira—don't."
Her arm trembled, eyes burning with betrayal and heartbreak. But slowly, she lowered the knife.
Vira didn't flinch. "I won't fight you. Because I believe one day, you'll understand."
"I understand enough," Elira whispered. "You're the reason Crane built me."
"No," Vira said. "Crane's not finished. And now he's moved on to something worse."
Luka sat up straighter. "The hybrid?"
Vira nodded grimly. "A second generation. Made from your DNA… and something else. He's faster. Stronger. And fully loyal to Crane."
Elira's heart dropped. "Another me?"
"More like your shadow," Vira said. "And he's already killed Delgado."
A hush fell.
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The Fracture
Noah stepped in with a report. "Satellite picked up movement outside the east compound. Could be the hybrid's testing site. We need to move."
Elira looked back at Vira. "You're coming with us. But understand this—we're not family anymore. You're just one more asset I have to watch."
Pain flickered in Vira's eyes. "I'll earn it back."
"You won't," Elira said coldly. "But you'll help me end this. Then disappear."
Vira nodded.
Ares, quiet until now, walked beside Elira as the team prepared to leave. "You okay?"
"No," she said. "But I'm ready."
"Then we finish it."
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