2025-04-15 19:00:47
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Chapter 16
The tunnels smelled of rust and damp concrete. Felix leaned heavily against Dan, his breath ragged from the gunshot wound in his side. Riley led the way, her flashlight cutting through the darkness as they navigated the labyrinth of forgotten maintenance shafts. "Almost there," she muttered, more to herself than to themThey reached a rusted grate tucked behind a collapsed service corridor. Riley knocked twice, paused, then knocked again—an old rhythm she had picked up from a dead forum thread months ago.There was silence.Dan adjusted his grip on Felix, whose face was pale with pain and said, “ he's not gonna shoot us on sight right? " It worked.The grate hissed open. A man in a patched jacket and rebreather mask gestured them inside. The room beyond was dimly lit, cluttered with soldered tech, cables, monitors blinking with scrambled static. One of the Collective’s hideouts.The man pulled off his mask—mid-fortie
Chapter 15
The tunnel air was thick with dust and echoes. Riley crouched beside Felix, checking his vitals while pretending her hands weren’t shaking. Across from her, Dan sat on a crumbling ledge, staring at his hands like they didn’t belong to him.They didn’t say much after what happened. After Dan lit half the tunnel with fire like a walking torch… and didn’t burn.But Riley’s silence wasn’t from shock. It was from recognition.Weeks ago, she’d picked up a faint digital trace while probing through the city’s underbelly — a tiny anomaly buried deep in encrypted data. It wasn’t just curiosity; she was following a lead that had slipped through every official channel, a whisper of something tied to a shadowy military contractor, Velis Defense Systems.Her gut told her this wasn’t just another dead end.This was about more than energy tests or ghost towns. It was about missing people—people like her mother, whose name had vanished from ever
Chapter 14
Dan’s body screamed in protest as he dragged himself through the shattered window. His palms sliced on jagged glass, knees scraping asphalt. Behind him, Felix groaned, wedged between the deflated airbag and the twisted steering column. "Felix!" Dan coughed, grabbing his friend by the collar and yanking. The smell of leaking fuel filled the air, sharp and dangerous. Riley crawled out of the backseat, clutching her ribs and wincing. Her laptop was smashed, wires and fragments trailing from her backpack. “I’m okay,” she rasped, eyes wide as she scanned the wreckage. “Dan, they’re coming.” He turned. The men moved with ruthless efficiency, dressed in tactical black, no insignias—just cold purpose. One held a compact rifle low, sweeping it across the wreck like he was clearing a room. Another moved toward Dan, his boots crunching glass underfoot. Dan barely got to his feet, shielding Felix. “We don’t have anything you want,” he shouted. “On the contrary,” the lead man replied, raising
Chapter 13
It was a cool evening and Dan sat cross-legged on the stiff mattress, his gaze fixed on the metal bars of his cell. They stood there like prison guards, cold, unyielding, taunting him with their permanence. The urge to lash out, to burn them down until nothing remained but smoldering ash, had been clawing at him since he was thrown in here. But he couldn’t afford to lose control. Not with eyes always watching, waiting for him to slip up. Instead, he trained. Not his muscles—though prison life forced him to stay in shape—but his power. His fire. He reached out, his fingers curling around one of the thick, iron bars. The coolness of the metal seeped into his skin. Dan closed his eyes, inhaling slowly, trying to channel the rage and frustration coiled inside him. Heat gathered in his palm, a prickling warmth that intensified the longer he focused. His hand trembled with the effort, sweat beading along his forehead. He imagined the metal glowing red-hot, bending to his will, melting
Chapter 12
The cell door slammed shut behind Dan with a metallic clang. The place was cramped and smelled of sweat and mildew. Light seeped in through a small, barred window, cutting through the dimness. Dan stared at the wall, his fists clenched. Dr. Sanders had played his cards well. Accusing him of trying to kill Lauren was a stretch, but the Doctor had money, lawyers, and enough connections to make things stick. Dan had barely spoken to his court-appointed lawyer—an overworked man who seemed more interested in clearing his schedule than fighting for him. It was obvious doctor Sanders had it all wrapped up. He was done Dan tried not to believe it, but doubt gnawed at him. Lauren’s father had made it clear he didn’t want Dan around his daughter. But to go this far? It felt personal. Prison life was rough, and Dan did his best to avoid trouble. Most days, he kept his head down, only speaking when necessary. But staying out of sight didn’t stop the rumors or the knowing looks from the other
Chapter 11
Riley’s eyes widened at the sound of footsteps and low, gruff voices echoing through the darkened warehouse. She spun around, her gaze locking onto Felix, who was crouched behind a stack of rusted crates. “Great. Just great,” Riley muttered. Felix glanced at her, his own nerves rattled but his expression stubborn. “You’re the one who broke into this place. I just followed.” “Yeah, well, you’re still an idiot.” They were tucked behind a metal shelf cluttered with broken tools and rotting wood. The room stretched far, with shadows deepening toward the corners. Dust swirled in the air, disturbed only by their hurried movements. The men were moving quickly, flashlights sweeping across the room. One of them kicked over a metal can, the clatter making Felix flinch. “They’re tearing the place apart,” Felix whispered. “No kidding.” Riley’s fingers danced along a small, rectangular device she had pocketed moments before—some kind of data chip she figured would fetch a decent price on the
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