Chapter 230

Morrigan let the noise around her fade into the background until she could focus on what really mattered. The facility buzzed with all kinds of sounds—alarms blaring, distant shouting, boots throbbing against linoleum—but underneath all was the rhythm she needed: heartbeats. Slow, steady, unmistakably human beats, even through cloaking tech built to hide everything else.

The first one gave himself away by breathing heavier than he should've. Amateur mistake. Morrigan turned toward the sound and fired before he could register his own stupidity. The shot tore through his midsection like a sledgehammer through drywall. His cloaking gear sparked and fizzled out as he hit the floor—a messy pile of gear, blood, and regret.

"One down," she muttered, already pivoting to find the other.