ZAYDEN CROSS THE IRON GUARDIAN

The Woman Who Lied

The hospital corridor was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that hums with secrets.

Zayden Cross stood by the window at the far end, his hood drawn low, watching rain streak against the glass. Down below, the city pulsed with light and noise — a world that kept moving while his own felt frozen.

In Room 306, his son lay sleeping, breathing weakly through the hiss of oxygen. Machines blinked steadily beside him. Zayden’s reflection in the window looked almost human again — stripped of armor, hiding his bruises under a dark jacket. But inside, he was steel and fire.

He turned as footsteps approached.

“Mr. Cross,” came a soft, careful voice. “You shouldn’t be here after visiting hours.”

Dr. Mara Holt. The woman who had promised to save his son. The woman Rafe claimed was working for Viktor Draven.

Her white coat swayed as she walked closer, eyes gentle but guarded. She looked tired — the kind of tired that sinks into your bones after too many sleepless nights. Zayden studied her in silence, every instinct sharpened.

“I just came to check on him,” he said quietly. “He’s all I have left.”

She smiled faintly. “He’s strong. Like his father.”

That almost broke him.

But Zayden forced himself to stay calm. “You’ve done a lot for him. I owe you.”

Mara shook her head. “You don’t owe me anything. I just want him to get better.”

Her words were soft, sincere — too sincere. That’s what made them dangerous.

Zayden stepped closer. “Tell me something, Doctor,” he said evenly. “How’s the treatment going?”

Her brows knitted. “Slow. The toxin’s complex — mutagenic, unstable. We’re doing everything we can.”

He watched her eyes. No flicker of guilt. No fear. She was either innocent — or she’d mastered the art of lying.

Zayden’s voice dropped lower. “Do you know what HYDRA-X really is?”

She blinked. “The substance we found in his blood sample? It’s… a synthetic compound. Why?”

Zayden stepped forward until the space between them vanished. “Because I was in the place it’s made. Last night. Warehouse 47.”

Her expression faltered. Just for a second — but it was enough.

“You went there?” she whispered. “That’s suicide, Zayden—”

He cut her off. “You know who runs it. Don’t you?”

Mara’s lips parted, but no sound came. Her gaze darted toward the door, then back at him. The heartbeat monitor in the room next door beeped faintly through the wall, marking the seconds of silence.

Then, finally, she spoke — voice trembling.

“It’s not what you think.”

Zayden’s pulse pounded in his ears. “Then make me understand.”

She turned away, running a hand through her hair. “Draven—he came to me months ago. He said he could help. That he had the antidote for the HYDRA-X strain. He promised to save your son.”

Zayden’s stomach twisted. “You believed him?”

Tears glistened in her eyes. “I didn’t have a choice. Your boy was dying, Zayden! I ran every test, every trial, and nothing worked. Then Draven sent me a serum. It stabilized his vitals — just enough to keep him alive. But he wanted something in return.”

“What did he want?” His voice was low, dangerous.

Mara’s shoulders shook. “Updates. His progress. Every test result. He said if I refused, he’d cut off the supply — and your son would die.”

Zayden stared at her, every word slicing deeper. The rage in him warred with the part that still remembered she’d sat by his son’s bed night after night, whispering that he’d live.

“You should’ve told me,” he said, voice breaking with fury. “You should’ve trusted me.”

“I wanted to!” she cried. “But Draven watches everything, everyone. If he knew I’d spoken to you—”

Zayden’s hand slammed against the wall beside her, the sound echoing through the hallway. “He already knows, Mara! He’s using you to get to me!”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

He turned away, breathing hard, trying to silence the storm inside him. He wanted to hate her. But he couldn’t. Not yet.

Then the hospital lights flickered.

Once. Twice. And went out.

Emergency alarms hummed to life. Red light flooded the hall.

Zayden spun around. “What the hell—”

A voice crackled through the intercom:

“Security breach. Lower level. Code Black.”

Mara’s face went pale. “That’s impossible. Only staff—”

“Stay here,” Zayden ordered.

He tore off his jacket, revealing the armored vest beneath. The Iron Guardian wasn’t gone. He was just waiting to rise again.

As he moved toward the stairwell, he heard shouting from below. The air smelled of smoke and gunpowder. The sound of boots echoed up the concrete steps.

Zayden descended fast, blending into the red glow. On the third floor, he caught sight of three armed men in tactical suits, their helmets marked with Draven’s insignia — a stylized serpent coiled around a cross.

They weren’t here for chaos. They were here for something — or someone.

Zayden lunged before they saw him. His fist cracked the first man’s visor. The second swung a rifle, but Zayden ducked, grabbed the barrel, and drove it into his throat. The third tried to shoot — a mistake. One round from Zayden’s pistol ended it.

Silence. Except for the distant hum of life-support machines.

He crouched and checked the bodies. Each carried the same encrypted comm-link. He pressed one to his ear.

A distorted voice came through.

“Target confirmed. Child room 306. Extract and eliminate the asset. Leave no witnesses.”

Zayden froze. 306. His son’s room.

He ran.

The hallway blurred around him as he sprinted back upstairs. The alarms blared louder. He turned the corner just as two more masked men burst into his son’s room.

“Get away from him!” Zayden roared.

He hit the first one so hard the man crashed into a cabinet. The second swung a knife, slashing across Zayden’s side, but he barely felt it. He twisted, slammed his elbow into the attacker’s jaw, and sent him flying through the glass partition.

Mara was crouched beside the bed, shielding the boy. She looked up, shaking. “Zayden—”

“It’s okay,” he said, voice trembling with fury. “I’ve got you.”

The boy stirred weakly. “Dad… what’s happening?”

Zayden forced a smile. “Just a bad dream, buddy. Go back to sleep.”

But even as he said it, he knew the dream was his — and it was only getting worse.

He turned to Mara. “How many more are coming?”

She swallowed. “I don’t know. But Draven must know you’re here.”

Zayden’s jaw clenched. “Then he knows I’m coming for him.”

The building’s sprinklers activated, spraying water over everything. Smoke filled the corridor. He grabbed his son gently, wrapping him in a thermal blanket, and handed Mara a sidearm.

“Can you shoot?”

“I can try.”

“Good. You’ll have to.”

They made their way down the emergency stairs, the child held tightly in Zayden’s arms. Every level echoed with distant gunfire. Somewhere above, another explosion rocked the structure.

Outside, sirens wailed — police and paramedics, too late as always.

They reached the parking bay. Zayden’s black bike — the one he’d rebuilt from scrap — waited under the flickering lights. He secured his son behind him, Mara climbing on next.

“Where are we going?” she shouted over the rising storm.

“Somewhere safe,” Zayden said. His eyes burned with promise. “Then straight to hell — to drag Draven out.”

He revved the engine. The bike roared to life, slicing through the rain as they tore out of the hospital lot, disappearing into the night.

Hours Later — Abandoned Metro Station

The boy slept soundly now, wrapped in Mara’s coat beside a small heater. Zayden stood a few feet away, staring at the encrypted flash drive Rafe had given him. He inserted it into his gauntlet’s data port. The holographic projection flickered to life.

Encrypted message. Source: M.HOLT.

Zayden looked up sharply at Mara. She froze.

“It’s not what you think,” she whispered.

Zayden played it anyway. The message filled the air — her voice, recorded days earlier.

“Draven, the child’s condition is stable. The guardian hasn’t shown up yet. If he does… I’ll contact you immediately.”

Silence.

Zayden turned off the projection. “You told him I wasn’t here.”

Her eyes brimmed with tears. “He forced me, Zayden. He said if I didn’t—he’d kill my sister. She’s still trapped in his compound.”

Zayden’s anger cracked like lightning. “You should’ve told me.”

“You were gone! I didn’t even know if you were alive!”

He stared at her, breathing hard, torn between rage and pity. Finally, he turned away. “No more lies, Mara. Not one.”

She nodded, wiping her tears. “Then let me make it right.”

Zayden looked at her over his shoulder. “How?”

“Draven’s lab has the master formula — and your son’s real cure. I can help you get it.”

Zayden’s eyes hardened. “Then we go there. Tonight.”

Mara hesitated. “It’s suicide.”

He stepped closer, his voice a cold whisper.

“So I came back from the dead. But here I am.”

Outside, thunder cracked over the city. Far above, in his penthouse tower, Viktor Draven watched the live feed of the hospital breach — and smiled.

“You've  taken the bait, Guardian,” he murmured. “Now let’s see if your armor can protect your heart.”