CHAPTER 13
Chapter 13 - Fractures in the Shadows
The thundering clash of steel on steel echoed down the sterile corridors of Section 12's forgotten annex. Frank ducked under a sweeping kick from Spike, her foot slicing through the air like a blade. Elias flanked from the side, his movements precise, almost surgical, as he attempted to pin her in. But Spike—fluid, fast, and deadly—twisted with unnatural grace, leaping back into the air and launching herself off the wall.
"You two are infuriating!" she growled, landing between them again, blades in hand. "You were supposed to be simple reconnaissance—what the hell are you?"
Elias panted, keeping his stance low. "I ask myself that every time this guy pulls something new."
Frank grinned, eyes glowing faintly with that strange hue. "Just a fast learner, sweetheart."
Spike's expression faltered. For the first time since their encounter, she looked… concerned.
Frank mimicked her combat flow—step-for-step, her speed, her angles, even her reactive timing. As she pivoted, he did the same, shadowing her with uncanny precision. A counter. A strike. She leapt back, only to find Elias catching her blind side. She hissed, blocking just in time, but not without strain.
"I don't know what kind of trick this is," she snapped. "But you're wasting my time."
Frank narrowed his gaze, feeling something unlock deep within him—a rhythm syncing, like muscle memory not his own. His body moved before thought, matching Spike's best techniques.
Her breath hitched.
"You're replicating me…" she muttered.
Frank locked eyes with her. "You should've done your homework."
Cornered and panting, Spike's gaze darted between the two. Her wrist bled. Her breathing was shallow.
"No… this isn't the assignment I prepared for." She reached into her pouch, pulling a glowing blue crystal. "We'll finish this another day. You've given me… more than enough to report."
She crushed it in her hand.
A circular pulse surged beneath her, glyphs flashing blue as the teleportation stone activated.
"Hail Vance!" she shouted with a twisted grin—and vanished.
Silence. Then the soft hum of energy fading.
Elias exhaled. "What the hell is a 'Vance'?"
He turned to Frank, who stood frozen, still staring at the space where she had stood.
"Yo. You stiff from all the fighting or…?" Elias waved a hand.
Frank didn't respond.
"Why the hell does she know my name…?" he thought to himself, pulse rising.
---
Elsewhere in the Lab – Section 12 Research Subfloor
Raymond crept along the wall, sleek armor glinting beneath flickering emergency lights. A guard had spotted him moments ago, and he'd acted fast—grabbing the man and slamming him into the wall with one smooth movement.
"Shhh," he muttered as the man slumped, unconscious.
But then he heard it.
A gasp.
He spun around to see a woman in a white lab coat trembling at the corner. Her eyes wide, she instinctively reached into her coat pocket.
"Wait—!" Raymond stepped forward.
She pulled out a phone and tapped something.
Alarms screamed to life. Red lights blinked into existence.
"Great," Raymond muttered.
A voice crackled over unseen speakers. "Section 12 breach detected. Lockdown protocol active."
From across the corridor, Kaido emerged, sprinting from the far end where he had been waiting.
"I thought you were watching the south entrance!" Raymond snapped.
"I was! But when I heard the alarm—never mind, we've got trouble!"
Bodies littered the hallway—adventurers taken down in their infiltration. But one, just one, was sprinting away from the chaos with a data chip clutched tight.
"There!" Kaido pointed.
Raymond narrowed his eyes. "He's not making it out."
They gave chase.
But just before they could intercept him, the runner pulled out a glimmering blue gem.
Raymond's eyes widened. "Another teleport stone?!"
"Rare as hell," Kaido muttered. "I've only seen it once before…"
The adventurer crushed it mid-run, and just as Raymond launched a magnetic tracker that stuck to the hilt of his sword, the runner vanished.
Kaido panted, glaring at the empty space. "Damn it."
Suddenly, from behind the wreckage, a low groan.
One of the downed adventurers stirred, reaching weakly for his wrist.
Raymond caught the movement. "Don't—"
A holographic panel shimmered above the adventurer's communicator.
He slammed a hand down.
"Hail Vance…"
A blinding flash engulfed the hall.
BOOM.
---
Outskirts - Section 3 Vicinity
Tayla stopped mid-step.
Joel looked around. "Did you feel that?"
A low rumble shook the ground. Then it cracked.
The terrain under them buckled and gave way as a massive shockwave ripped through the foundation. Smoke billowed into the horizon.
"What the hell just happened?!" Tayla shouted, tumbling backward as Joel grabbed her.
"Something just blew up back near the labs… and that wasn't a minor blast."
They struggled to regain footing as debris rained down in the distance.
---
Back at the core of the devastation, the fate of Raymond and Kaido remained uncertain.
Only the faint signal of Raymond's tracker pulsed on Frank's wrist device—a lone beacon blinking in a sea of static.