FIGHTER

The Ascended closed in, their movements in perfect sync, enhanced bodies humming with an unnatural precision. The Clan barely had a moment to react before the first attack came.

A soldier lunged with inhuman speed, targeting Shade. He barely dodged, twisting his body just in time as a blade-like augmentation sliced through the air where his head had been. He countered, a precise shot from his pistol striking the soldier's reinforced plating. It barely made a dent.

"We're already losing the fight," Cipher snapped, fingers flying across his interface, trying to break through the jamming signal. "We need a fucking exit—now."

Blaze and Razor fought back-to-back, their movements fluid yet desperate. Blaze's customized flamethrower sent bursts of fire toward the advancing Ascended, forcing them to step back. Razor, blades glinting under the blinking lights, moved like a shadow, striking where he could and retreating just as fast.

Flux fired precise shots, aiming for exposed joints and weak spots, but the Ascended adapted quickly. Echo was fending off two at once, using sheer agility to evade their lethal strikes.

Then there was Myst.

One of them, a towering figure with glowing cybernetic veins pulsing along his arms, locked onto her. "You cannot run from what you are," his voice was synthetic, cold. "Come with us, Blue Rose."

"Like hell," she reacted on instinct. A quick sidestep, her fist snapping forward in a precise strike aimed at his ribs. He didn't flinch.

Shit.

She barely had time to shift before the soldier retaliated. His arm shot out, blocking her next hit like it was nothing before driving his knee into her stomach. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, and before she could recover, he was on her.

"You're one of us," his voice was a mechanical growl, synthetic enhancements distorting the words.

Myst groaned, struggling against his grip. Her arms strained, fingers clawing at his wrist, but his strength was unnatural. Her feet barely scraped against the ground as she kicked, but he didn't budge.

Panic rose in her ribs. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't break free.

No.

Her vision blurred at the edges, but somewhere deep inside, something pushed back.

The blue glow ignited beneath her skin, rippling outward. The soldier's grip faltered for a fraction of a second—just enough.

The surge hit like a shockwave. A pulse of raw energy blasted through the air, sending the soldier flying back with a violent crack of electricity. Myst collapsed to her knees, gasping, fingers digging into the dirt as she tried to steady herself.

Nyx reached her just in time, yanking her away before another could seize her. "Not happening," he growled, pulling his gun and firing a shot straight into the soldier's eye socket.

The Ascended dropped.

But more were coming.

"We have to move!" Echo shouted, blocking a strike with his reinforced gauntlet before driving his knee into an opponent's ribs.

Cipher finally broke through the interference. "I got it!" His voice crackled in their earpieces. "Sending coordinates now—northwest corridor! It leads straight to an access tunnel. Go!"

Shade was already covering their retreat, firing calculated shots to slow their pursuers. Blaze launched a final wave of fire, forcing a temporary barrier between them and the Ascended.

They ran.

The corridors blurred past them as they pushed their bodies to the limit. Myst's lungs burned, her legs screamed in protest, but she kept moving.

The Ascended didn't give chase immediately. They didn't have to. Their leader's voice echoed through the ruined structure as the Clan neared the exit.

"You cannot run from the truth, Blue Rose. We will find you again."

They didn't stop running until they were far beyond enemy territory, until their bodies could no longer keep up.

Only then did they collapse into silence, the weight of what had just happened settling over them like a crushing force.