Blood-Chained

Sylvie knew better than to believe in simplicity, especially when the Codex was involved. The only certainty was that once they set foot on Edrion, nothing would go according to plan.

Sylvie adjusted her visor, syncing it with the tactical readout on her wrist. The overlay displayed the maze of corridors, automated defenses, and enemy patrol patterns. Every breath she took was deliberate, measured, a reminder of her training as a Codex operative—training she now turned against her former masters.

Behind her, Rylan followed with precise, cautious movements, his weapon gripped tightly. He was tense, his eyes scanning every shadow for potential threats. The distrust between them was palpable. He spoke in clipped tones, his voice barely audible over the ambient noise.

"Move faster," he hissed. "We're exposed here."

Sylvie didn't reply. Arguing would be a waste of breath. The mission was straightforward on paper: infiltrate the supply hub, disable its automated defenses, and extract critical data on Frost Fang. The Codex's supply hubs were fortresses of layered security, designed to repel any incursion with ruthless efficiency.

As they advanced, the hallway split into two paths. Sylvie gestured toward the left route, speaking softly. "Turret emplacements are positioned along this corridor. I'll need about fifty seconds to bypass their targeting systems."

Rylan nodded, covering her as she moved to the control panel embedded in the wall. Her fingers danced across the interface, bypassing layers of encryption with the ease of someone intimately familiar with Codex protocols. The turrets' targeting arrays went dormant with a soft chime, their sleek barrels retracting into the ceiling.

"Clear," she said, stepping back.

Rylan's eyes flicked toward her, his expression unreadable. "You're awfully familiar with their systems."

"Let's just say I've had opportunities to learn." she replied, her tone neutral.

They pressed on, the faint sound of footsteps echoing behind them. The central control room was just ahead, its heavy blast doors sealed. Sylvie accessed a side panel, her visor projecting lines of code as she worked. She could feel Rylan's gaze boring into her back, his hand never straying far from his weapon.

"Two guards inside," he muttered, glancing at his scanner. "I'll take the left; you handle the right."

She nodded, the plan simple enough. As the doors hissed open, they moved in unison, a blur of calculated motion. Sylvie's target barely had time to react before she disarmed him, striking with a precise blow to the temple that rendered him unconscious. Rylan's takedown was equally efficient, his movements honed by years of combat experience.

The room was bathed in the cold glow of monitors, each displaying live feeds of the hub's extensive defenses. Sylvie moved to the central console, her hands flying across the keyboard..

"How long?" Rylan asked, his eyes on the doorway.

"Two minutes," she replied. "Maybe less if you stop distracting me."

A beep from the console drew her attention. "We've triggered a silent alarm." she said, her voice tight.

"We're compromised. They're converging on our position." Sylvie's breath hitched, but she forced herself to focus, pulling up the facility's door layout. Her mind raced, calculating the optimal sequence. "Staggered lockdown," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "It might… give us a minute." She began inputting the commands, her hands shaking slightly but her eyes fixed on the screen.

Rylan swore under his breath, moving to secure the room. The faint sound of boots on metal echoed down the corridor. The Codex's automated turrets activated, their sleek barrels swiveling to cover key entry points.

"We're not getting out of here with those other turrets active. " Rylan said. "We need to disable them."

"Those turrets are on a direct link to the central AI," Sylvie observed. "We need to sever that connection first."

She then accessed the turret control interface, bypassing several layers of encryption. Two turrets deactivated with a soft hiss before she was locked out. "They've locked me out." she reported, "We have a limited window before the turrets get back online."

The first wave of Codex guards arrived, their weapons blazing. Rylan returned fire, his shots precise. Sylvie covered him, her sidearm barking as she took down two attackers. The turrets came online, forcing them to retreat into the control room.

"We're boxed in," Rylan said, his tone grim.

A shadow moved to his left, a guard emerging from a concealed panel. The attack was swift, a blur of motion that caught Rylan off guard. Sylvie reacted instinctively, shoving him aside as the guard's blade slashed toward his chest. The blade caught her instead, a searing pain erupting in her side. Ignoring it, she twisted, her weapon firing point-blank into the guard's chest.

Rylan stared at her, his expression a mixture of shock and confusion. "Why on earth..."

She gritted her teeth against the pain, her voice steady. "Because if you fucking die, I die."

The sound of reinforcements approaching spurred them into action. Rylan helped Sylvie to her feet, his earlier hostility replaced by something resembling respect. They moved together through the narrow corridors, their synchronized firepower and sharp tactics keeping the relentless enemy forces at bay.

Every step was risky, the sound of their gunfire bouncing off the cold, metal walls. Smoke filled the air, making it hard to breathe, and there was a sharp, burned smell mixed with the metallic scent of blood. Sylvie was breathing hard, her side hurting more with each step, but she didn't let it slow her down. She kept moving forward, her mind locked on what needed to be done.

As they turned a corner, a sudden explosion sent debris raining down. Sylvie ducked just in time, but a shard of metal grazed her left hand. She grit her teeth against the pain, her determination unshaken. Rylan wasn't as lucky—a piece of shrapnel embedded itself in his upper arm. He hissed in pain but kept moving, refusing to let the injury slow him down.

"Keep going!" he barked, covering Sylvie as she took out two more guards who blocked their path. Rylan moved with a rare fluidity, wielding his weapon with equal precision in either hand.

Years of training had made him ambidextrous, allowing him to switch seamlessly between hands depending on the situation. This skill had saved his life countless times, and today was no different as he held off attackers with precision, creating just enough time for Sylvie to advance.

Their comms buzzed —seven other soldiers, deployed to locations suspected to be the control room, reported back, converging toward their position. The reinforcements arrived just in time to engage the remaining enemy units, creating a momentary opening.

Rylan, clutching his injured arm, motioned Sylvie forward. "This is our chance! Move!"

The combined firepower of the reinforcements overwhelmed the enemy, allowing the pair to reach the extraction point. As they stumbled onto the shuttle, Sylvie collapsed into a seat, her hand pressed against the wound in her side. Blood seeped through her fingers, but she forced herself to focus. Nearby, Rylan sank into a corner, his arm covered in a makeshift bandage. Both were battered, but the mission wasn't over yet.

Later, as the shuttle drifted through the void, Rylan's voice broke the silence. "Was that your unit in the Codex?"

She looked at him, her expression guarded. "What?"

"Blood-chained," he said. "I heard Jaroslov mention it once. What's it mean?"

Her gaze dropped to the floor. "It's a vow—a promise to protect someone, no matter the cost. It's not something taken lightly." She hesitated, as if weighing how much to reveal.

As she spoke, Rylan's gaze shifted downward. A tear in her sleeve revealed more than just blood. Ink, faint but unmistakable, peeked through the edge of her wound. He pointed at it, then hesitated. "That's the mark, isn't it?"

Sylvie followed his gaze, her face tightening. "It doesn't matter anymore." she muttered, pulling the fabric tighter over the tattoo, though blood still seeped through the makeshift bandage.