Into the Abyss: The Rise of the Malevolent Player

Chapter 3: The Resistance

Aiden’s POV

Darkness wrapped around me like a suffocating shroud. Pain radiated from where the sniper’s bullet had struck me, the dull ache a cruel reminder that even in The Abyss, danger was very real.

Somewhere in the distance, voices filtered through the haze.

“Is he dead?” a gruff voice asked, followed by the sound of footsteps crunching over debris.

“Not yet,” came another voice, smoother but edged with suspicion. “Patch him up, and let’s move before they track us.”

I blinked, trying to bring the world back into focus. Shadows flickered, shapes materializing into figures standing over me.

“Who…” My voice cracked. “Who the hell are you?”

The taller of the two crouched down, his piercing blue eyes meeting mine. He had a scar running across his jawline, and his presence screamed authority.

“Zane Wolfe,” he said bluntly. “Leader of the Resistance. You’re lucky we got to you before the Crimson Hand did.”

Resistance? The word felt foreign, out of place.

I forced myself to sit up, wincing as pain shot through my side. “I didn’t ask for a rescue.”

Zane’s eyes narrowed. “No, but you needed one. And now you owe me answers.”

I glared at him, biting back a retort. Before I could speak, a woman stepped into view. She had sharp features, dyed red hair, and a steely gaze that could cut through glass.

“Zane, we don’t have time for this,” she said, tapping at a holographic display on her wrist. “The Hand’s patrols are sweeping the area. We need to get him back to base.”

Zane didn’t look away from me. “Fine. But the moment we’re safe, you talk. Got it?”

I nodded, too exhausted to argue.

---

The Resistance base was hidden deep within The Abyss, tucked away in a section of the grid that pulsed with corrupted data streams. It was a far cry from the sleek, neon-lit hubs I was used to. Here, everything felt makeshift—cobbled together from scraps of code and abandoned assets.

Zane led me into a dimly lit room, where a handful of people hunched over consoles. The air buzzed with tension, every keystroke charged with urgency.

“Sit,” Zane ordered, pointing to a metal chair in the center of the room.

I hesitated but complied, my instincts telling me not to push my luck.

“Start talking,” Zane demanded, crossing his arms. “Who are you, and why were you skulking around the Hollow Core?”

I met his gaze, my voice steady despite the situation. “Aiden Cross. I came back to The Abyss looking for someone—Rhea Valen.”

At the mention of the name, a murmur rippled through the room.

Zane’s jaw tightened. “Rhea Valen doesn’t exist. She’s a ghost, a myth.”

“She’s real,” I snapped. “And I have reason to believe she’s tied to whatever the hell Malrik Vayne is planning.”

The mention of Malrik’s name drew immediate reactions. Some of the resistance members stiffened; others exchanged uneasy glances.

“Malrik Vayne,” Zane said slowly, his tone dripping with disdain. “The man who thinks he can play god.”

“What’s his endgame?” I asked, leaning forward.

Zane studied me for a moment before nodding to the red-haired woman. “Kara, show him.”

Kara stepped forward, activating a large holographic display. Streams of data cascaded across the screen, forming a complex web of connections. At the center of it all was Malrik’s face, his cold, calculating eyes glaring down at us.

“Malrik’s been working on a project called ‘Convergence,’” Kara explained. “He wants to merge The Abyss with the real world, creating a hybrid reality where he controls both.”

“That’s insane,” I said, my mind racing.

“It’s more than insane,” Zane interjected. “It’s catastrophic. If he succeeds, he’ll destabilize Erebus Spire—and anyone not under his control will be wiped out.”

The weight of his words settled over me like a heavy fog. This wasn’t just about Mila or Rhea anymore. This was bigger than anything I’d imagined.

“And where do I fit into this?” I asked, my voice low.

Kara hesitated, her eyes darting to Zane. When he nodded, she brought up another screen.

“Your name,” she said, pointing to a highlighted entry in a long list of data. “It’s flagged in Helios’s database. You’re listed as ‘Project Catalyst.’”

My blood ran cold. “Project Catalyst? What the hell does that mean?”

“We’re still figuring that out,” Kara admitted. “But whatever it is, it’s important enough for Malrik to take notice.”

The room fell silent, the weight of the revelation hanging heavy in the air.

“You’re a liability,” Zane said bluntly, breaking the silence. “For all we know, you could be working for Helios, feeding them information.”

“I’m not a spy,” I shot back, anger flaring in my chest.

“Then prove it,” Zane said, his voice icy. “Because right now, I don’t trust you.”

Before I could respond, Kara spoke up. “There’s one more thing.”

She hesitated, glancing at Zane before pulling up a final fragment of data. The image that appeared on the screen stole the breath from my lungs.

It was Mila.

Alive.

She stood beside Malrik in a sterile, brightly lit lab, her expression blank and emotionless.

My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at the image, disbelief and anger warring within me.

“This can’t be real,” I whispered.

“It’s real,” Kara said quietly. “We recovered this from a Helios server. It’s timestamped three weeks ago.”

Three weeks.

My mind reeled, the pieces of the puzzle twisting and shifting in ways I couldn’t comprehend. Mila was alive—or at least she had been. And she was with Malrik.

Zane’s voice cut through the storm in my mind. “Now do you see why we can’t trust you? If Mila’s alive and working with Malrik, what does that make you?”

I clenched my fists, my voice low and filled with resolve. “It makes me the one who’s going to find her and stop whatever Malrik is planning.”

“Good luck with that,” Zane said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Because if you screw this up, we’re all dead.”

The room plunged into silence, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

And then, the base’s alarms blared to life.

“They’ve found us,” Kara said, her voice sharp with urgency.

Zane grabbed his weapon, his expression grim. “Looks like your presence here just made things a whole lot worse, Reaper.”

The doors burst open, and chaos descended.