Chapter 5: Beneath the Ruins

The tunnel stretched on, its walls lined with flickering emergency lights that barely held back the suffocating darkness. Kade led the way, his plasma blade still humming softly in his grip. Nova followed close behind, her pistol raised, cybernetic eye scanning every shadow for movement.

The fight with the Shadowborn had rattled them both, but there was no time to dwell on it. The Syndicate wouldn't stop sending more. Stronger ones. Smarter ones.

Kade wiped sweat from his brow. His body was still humming with adrenaline. That thing had known his name, had moved like a nightmare pulled straight from his past.

"You okay?" Nova's voice was softer than usual.

"Yeah," Kade muttered. He wasn't.

Nova didn't believe him for a second. "We need to talk about what happened back there."

He shook his head. "Later. We need to—"

A deep, mechanical growl echoed through the tunnel.

Both of them froze.

Kade's grip on his blade tightened. More of them.

The sound of metal scraping against stone sent a shiver down his spine. Then—movement.

Three Syndicate Hunters emerged from the darkness, their sleek black armor gleaming under the dim light. Unlike the brute force of the Shadowborn, these were built for speed and precision. Their glowing visors pulsed as they analyzed Kade and Nova.

Then, they attacked.

The first Hunter lunged, twin energy blades slashing toward Kade's throat. He barely dodged, twisting his body as the blade seared the air where he had been a moment ago. The second Hunter flanked from the side, delivering a powerful kick that sent him crashing into the wall.

Damn, they were fast.

Nova fired, her shots aimed perfectly—but the third Hunter deflected them mid-air with its gauntlet. It moved in a blur, closing the distance between them in an instant.

Nova cursed, blocking the first punch with her forearm, but the force of impact still sent her stumbling back. The Hunter went for a second strike, but Kade recovered just in time—he grabbed the Hunter's wrist, twisting it violently. The joint snapped, and the Hunter let out a distorted snarl.

"Stay down," Kade growled, before driving his blade through its chest.

The other two Hunters didn't hesitate.

One came at Nova again, its curved blade slicing dangerously close to her neck. She ducked at the last second, using her momentum to drive her knee into the Hunter's side. It barely flinched.

"Could use some help here!" she shouted.

Kade was already moving. He closed the distance between them and grabbed Nova by the waist, spinning her out of the Hunter's reach just as its blade sliced through the air where she had been standing.

For a brief moment, their faces were inches apart. Nova's breath caught. Kade's arms were firm around her, his grip strong but careful.

Then, he set her down.

"Less talking," he said. "More shooting."

Nova blinked, her heart racing for an entirely different reason now.

The last two Hunters charged at once. Kade dodged left, Nova dodged right.

Kade parried a strike, spinning low and slicing the Hunter's legs out from under it. The moment it hit the ground, he plunged his blade straight into its chest.

Nova wasn't about to be outdone. She vaulted over the last Hunter, twisting in mid-air and firing two perfect shots right into its visor. The Hunter let out a distorted shriek before collapsing.

The fight was over.

The tunnel was silent again, except for their heavy breathing.

Nova wiped blood from her lip and glanced at Kade. "You still think we don't need to talk?"

Kade exhaled, glancing down at the fallen Syndicate Hunters. His past was catching up to him faster than he could outrun it.

He turned to Nova, his gaze lingering for a second longer than it should have.

"Fine," he muttered. "Let's talk."

To be continued…