Rain came down in sheets, hammering against the cracked streets as Kyle, Gia, and Felix crouched in the shadow of an old factory. The rogue scientist's directions had led them here—a crumbling building on the outskirts of the city that hid a steel elevator shaft plunging deep underground.
Kyle scanned the perimeter. Guards in black tactical armor patrolled in perfect formation, their visors glowing a faint, menacing red.
"Twenty guards," Kyle murmured. "Probably more inside."
Felix smirked. "That's not a problem. That's a warm-up."
Kyle shot him a look. "Try not to get us killed before we even get in."
Gia adjusted her jacket, her voice quiet but firm. "Once we're inside, we stick to the plan. Find the extraction chamber, blow it, and get out. We can't get cornered."
Felix grinned. "Cornering's my specialty."
Kyle muttered, "That's what I'm afraid of," but moved forward anyway.
The Descent
The first part went smoothly—too smoothly. Kyle took down the outer guards in silence, blades of solidified blood slicing through their weapons. Felix picked locks like he was born to do it, and Gia… well, Gia made the corridors twist subtly, bending space just enough to hide their movements.
They reached the elevator, a massive industrial platform with security panels on both sides.
Kyle pressed his palm to the panel. The blood in his veins pulsed, flowing into the scanner's ports, short-circuiting the system.
The elevator shuddered to life, descending into darkness.
Gia stood close beside him, her hand brushing his. He didn't move away.
Felix leaned casually against the railing, smirking. "I have to admit, you make breaking into death traps look easy."
Kyle didn't respond. He was too focused on the tight feeling in his chest. This was it. The place where they'd almost taken everything from him.
And he wasn't leaving without burning it to the ground.
The Ambush
The elevator slowed to a stop in a vast underground hangar. Dozens of soldiers stood waiting, weapons raised.
"Damn," Felix muttered. "Guess they knew we were coming."
Kyle's blood surged instantly, weapons forming in both hands. "Then let's make them regret it."
The fight exploded into chaos. Kyle's crimson blades tore through the air, blocking gunfire and slicing through armor. Felix moved like a ghost, striking from shadows before disappearing again.
Gia opened shimmering rifts in the walls, redirecting incoming shots through portals that sent the bullets right back at their shooters.
But more soldiers poured in. Heavy troopers. Stun drones. Gas dispersers.
"Kyle!" Gia shouted, her voice cutting through the noise. "We're getting boxed in!"
Kyle spun, slicing a trooper in half before looking for an exit—
And that's when he saw them.
A group of armored scientists moving a massive, wheeled case toward the far end of the hangar. Even without seeing inside, Kyle knew what it was.
The extraction rig.
The Trap Springs
He charged toward it, rage boiling through him—only to be slammed to the ground by an energy net. Pain flared through every nerve, locking his muscles.
"Kyle!" Gia screamed, trying to reach him—
—but a soldier grabbed her, twisting her arms behind her back.
Felix fought his way toward them, but even he was forced to back off when a dozen rifles aimed straight at Gia's head.
The lead commander stepped forward, voice dripping with triumph. "We knew you'd come back for it, Blood Weapon. And now you'll finish what we started."
Kyle strained against the net, teeth gritted. "You touch her, and I'll—"
The commander chuckled. "Oh, we won't touch her. We'll just let her watch."
Two soldiers dragged Kyle toward the rig. Gia's panicked voice echoed after him. "Kyle! Don't—"
He met her eyes for a fraction of a second. Enough to say everything he couldn't out loud.
And then the steel doors slammed shut between them.
_______