Defiance

Elysia shot into action as the officials opened fire. 

She grabbed the arm of the one in front of her, forcing his rifle toward the ceiling as he squeezed the trigger. 

The deafening crack of the shot echoed through the cavern, mingling with the panicked cries of the workers.

Then, she kicked, aiming for the place she knew would hurt him the worst.

The official buckled with a strangled grunt, his grip loosening as he stumbled back. His rifle clattered to the ground, its glowing blue light growing dim. 

Without hesitation, Elysia snatched it up and fired. The shot rang true, striking the man clean in the head. He collapsed instantly, his body hitting the cold stone floor with a sickening thud.

There was no time to think. No time to hesitate. 

Chaos erupted all around her. Workers screamed. More gunfire split the air. Bodies fell. The metallic scent of blood filled her nose as she turned, rifle gripped tight in her hands.

She had drawn attention. More officials turned toward her, their rifles raised.

Elysia didn't hesitate. She raised the gun and fired at the nearest one.

But he moved unnaturally fast. He sidestepped the bullet with a fluidity that shouldn't have been possible, his body twisting like a shadow slipping through the light.

"You dare?" His voice was a venomous whisper, barely audible over the chaos.

Elysia barely had time to react before the official surged forward. 

He moved like a predator, closing the space between them in seconds. She fired again, but he was already too close. His gloved hand lashed out, striking the rifle with enough force to wrench it from her grasp.

Pain exploded through her wrist as she staggered back, but she forced herself to stay on her feet. She wouldn't go down that easily.

Behind her, she heard Ryker shouting—his voice raw with fury—but she couldn't afford to look. The official loomed over her, his breathing heavy through his mask.

"You don't know when to kneel," he said, almost amused. "A shame."

Before he could strike, something barreled into him from the side.

The official grunted as he was thrown off balance, stumbling backward. Elysia blinked in shock as Ryker drove his fist into the man's masked face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Ryker didn't stop. He pounced, grabbing the official's fallen rifle and smashing the butt of it against his skull. Once. Twice. The mask cracked, blood pooling beneath the shattered visor.

Panting, Ryker turned to Elysia, his eyes burning with something fierce and desperate.

"Come on," he growled, grabbing her arm and yanking her to her feet. "We're not dying here."

Her eyes darted toward Kael, who lay on the ground in a pool of blood, unmoving. Kreel had already moved on to the other workers, and was now looming over Nella.

The girl had become one of Elysia's close friends, supporting Elysia as a leader from the very start. She had been the first to rally behind her, the first to encourage others to follow.

And now Elysia had to watch her die. 

It wasn't fair. One bad shipment. And this was the punishment? The deaths of all of her friends?

She watched, wordlessly as Kreel raised the rifle toward Nella. 

Nella trembled but held her chin high, her lips pressed into a thin line. No pleas. No cries for mercy. Just quiet defiance, even in the face of certain death.

The next thing she knew, she was running forward, leaving Ryker behind. 

She had to make it in time. She had to. Each step pushed her closer to-

The bullet tore through Nella's skull, a spray of crimson misting the air. Her body crumpled to the ground.

A raw, visceral scream tore from Elysia's throat. 

Blind with rage, she lunged at Kreel, tackling him at the knees with the full force of her weight. 

They hit the ground hard, the impact rattling through her bones, but she didn't stop.

Her fists slammed into him, wild and unrelenting. 

She didn't care that he was stronger, that he was more powerful. She didn't care that he had killed Kael, that he was killing them all.

She just wanted him to suffer.

With a snarl, Kreel twisted beneath her, using his inhuman strength to rip free from her grasp. Before she could react, he surged upward, throwing her off him like she weighed nothing.

Elysia hit the ground hard, and within a moment, Kreel was on top of her, sinking a heavy boot into her ribs. 

She gasped, curling instinctively to protect herself. But the official was relentless. 

He sent a second kick, this time into her stomach. 

"You little rat," Kreel sneered. He reached down, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and yanking her up. 

Her feet barely touched the ground as he held her there, his grip like iron.

"You think your leadership makes you special down here? You're nothing but a mutant. A lab creation meant to do our dirty work. You mean nothing to us."

He slammed her back down into the ground, her skull cracking against the hard stone. Her vision went black for a moment.

When it cleared, Kreel was still standing over her.

But now he was looking away, as if something had caught his attention.

"Step away from her," a voice said. 

Elysia tilted her head toward the voice. No, she wasn't going crazy. It was….

"I'll kill you for this," Kael said, fury burning behind his eyes. Blood was soaked into his clothes, even dripping from his hands. But he was somehow still standing.

Kreel let out a cackle. "Come at me then, rat. Let's see what you've got."