The scientist's words still hung in the air like smoke.
"Destroy them," Kyle repeated, his voice low and edged with something dark.
The rogue scientist leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "Yes. Burn them down until there's nothing left but ash and fear."
Kyle glanced at Gia. Her eyes held a flicker of doubt, but beneath it… there was something else. Determination.
Felix grinned like this was the best news he'd ever heard. "Finally, a plan I can get behind."
Kyle shot him a glare. "This isn't a game."
Felix only smirked. "It's war. And I've always been good at winning those."
The scientist tapped the side of his cybernetic eye, pulling up a holographic display that hovered over the table. A blueprint of an underground facility appeared, filled with corridors, containment cells, and a central chamber.
"This," the scientist said, "is The Order's primary research base. Everything they've been doing—torture, experimentation, extraction trials—it all happens here."
Gia's jaw tightened. "You've been there?"
"I helped design it," the scientist admitted without shame. "Which means I also know every weakness they don't think exists."
Kyle narrowed his eyes. "You're awfully calm for someone who used to work for them."
The man smirked. "When you've seen enough monsters, boy, you either become one or learn how to kill them."
The Plan
The hologram zoomed into the central chamber. Inside was a large, circular machine—its metal arms lined with jagged needles and tubes.
Kyle recognized it instantly.
The extraction rig.
He felt his blood heat, tendrils of crimson energy curling around his hands before he forced it down. "That's where they were going to do it. To me."
The scientist nodded. "And that's where you'll hit them. But you won't just destroy the rig. You're going to destroy the people who operate it."
Gia frowned. "You're talking about killing."
"Self-defense," the scientist corrected, though his smirk said otherwise.
Kyle's jaw clenched. "They won't stop until one of us is dead."
Felix tapped the blueprint casually. "And if we pull this off, maybe they'll be the ones in body bags."
Kyle didn't like agreeing with Felix on anything, but this time… he wasn't wrong.
The scientist poured three glasses of something amber from a dusty bottle. "Tradition," he said. "Before you go to war, you seal it."
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "With alcohol?"
The man chuckled. "With intent."
Felix took his glass first, holding it up. "To bringing down The Order."
Kyle reluctantly grabbed his, eyes still on Gia. She hesitated, but eventually lifted hers too.
The scientist leaned in, voice dropping. "Say it."
Kyle took a breath, the words heavy but certain. "I won't stop until they're gone."
Gia's voice was softer, but steady. "I'll stand with you. Always."
Felix grinned. "And I'll make sure it's fun."
They clinked the glasses together.
Kyle didn't drink his. He didn't care about the toast. What mattered was the unspoken promise.
This was no longer just survival.
It was revenge.
And Kyle was ready to give The Order a taste of their own blood.
That night, as they prepared to leave, Kyle caught Felix watching Gia again.
Not just a glance—watching.
Kyle's blood curled inside his veins, sharp and ready.
If Felix thought for a second he could turn this into some twisted competition, he was going to learn exactly how dangerous a Blood Weapon could be.
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