Chapter 34 " No way Back"

The storm faded behind them, swallowed by the trees and mist as they pressed forward..Yona leading with Lena close to his side, Daigo steady now but burning with purpose, Ayumi sharp and focused, and Noir moving in near silence, guiding them with the device glowing dimly in his hand.

The terrain thickened with every step..mud clinging to boots, branches clawing at their sleeves. The further they moved, the quieter the world became, like even the wind refused to follow them. Eventually, the woods broke apart into a stretch of fenced terrain and silent concrete.

The facility loomed ahead.

It wasn't a hospital. Not exactly. Not anymore.

Rows of dull gray buildings lined the grounds, scattered like bones across a field of forgotten people. Tall fences crowned with barbed wire, old surveillance towers rusting at the edges. But the main structure stood in the center..cold, clinical, massive. A rectangular beast of glass and steel, too modern to belong to the world around it.

"Looks abandoned," Ayumi whispered.

Noir shook his head.

"That's the trick. It was designed that way. Most people see ruins. But it's active. Buried under levels of clearance and illusion."

Daigo's eyes scanned the place, his breath shallow.

"And she's in there?"

Noir didn't answer with words. He simply pointed..to the glowing pulse on the device. It flickered in the shape of a signal… pulsing from the very center of the building.

They crept forward through the shadows, slipping past the outer fence where the rust had eaten through metal, ducking between silent watch posts and long-dead cameras. The deeper they went, the more wrong the air felt.

Inside, the lights were dim. Not flickering, not broken. Just muted, like someone had turned the world down to a whisper. Hallways stretched in endless directions..metal doors sealed shut, no handles, only slits for observation. Silence echoed louder than footsteps. Somewhere far off, the hiss of air vents blended with the occasional mechanical hum.

"It's a maze," Ayumi muttered.

"It's supposed to be," Noir said. "They built it to confuse memory. Even if someone escaped, they wouldn't know how they got out."

Lena stayed close to Yona, her eyes wide with recognition and dread.

"I was here. Before… when they moved me."

"Which way?" Daigo asked quickly.

She pointed left.

"This leads to the central ward. That's where they kept the ones they didn't want the world to remember."

They moved fast, hearts racing. Doors passed. Lights flickered. Twice, they had to duck into side rooms as patrols passed..orderlies in white, too silent, their movements unnatural, like mannequins remembering how to walk.

Eventually, they reached a corridor that felt different. It hummed with low, electric tension.

And at the end..behind a wall of glass..they saw them.

Two girls...Identical.

Both of them stood on opposite sides of the room. Cold gray walls stretched up on all sides, bare and humming faintly with energy. Dim lighting flickered overhead. The space was divided by metal bars running through the center like a cage split in two halves, and the air felt heavy, as if memory itself were trapped here. 

One of the girls with long pale yellow hair brushed back neatly, stood still and composed, her eyes unreadable. The other trembled, her eyes red-rimmed, her frail figure pressing close to the bars as if they'd been holding her back for a long, long time. They weren't looking at each other. They were looking… past.

As if they both somehow sensed the group watching them from beyond the observation glass. Daigo froze. His breath caught in his throat.

"Aleria…" he whispered. But which one?

Ayumi stepped forward, her hand instinctively lifting toward the glass,but before she could speak, both girls turned. Slowly. As if hearing a voice from a distant dream. And they looked directly at them.

Time didn't stop. It fractured.

One of the girls ..calm, distant..tilted her head slightly, lips parting as if to ask something no one could hear. The other..eyes shining with emotion..took a shaky step forward. Her fingers curled around the metal bars, her knuckles pale.

She looked at Daigo. Straight at him.

"Daiki…?" she whispered.

Her voice was fragile. Familiar. Tears slipped silently down her cheeks as she pressed closer to the bars. Daigo's heart skipped. His breath hitched. She called him Daiki. Only one person would call him that. Only one from the real world.

So she is the real Aria… Daigo thought. He stepped closer to the glass, his eyes shifting to the other girl..the composed one. Still watching. Still silent. So that one… that's Aleria.

He spoke her name softly. "Aleria?"

Aleria turned her gaze on him, her expression still unreadable, as if his voice had barely stirred something inside. There was no warmth in her eyes. No recognition. But then..slowly..her eyes shifted past Daigo. Past the others.

She fixed her gaze on Noir. Unblinking. Focused. As if some invisible thread pulled her attention there and nowhere else. Noir, sensing it, lifted his head and met her stare. Silent. Still. Something passed between them..unspoken, fragile, tense.

Ayumi saw it. Her eyes flicked between the two of them.

But she said nothing.

Then, without warning, the tearful Aria..turned her head, looking at her counterpart on the other side of the cage. Her face trembled with emotion… then she looked back at Daigo.

"It's me… Aria, Daiki," she said, her voice shaking but sure.

Yona stepped forward now, her face pale with confusion.

"Aria? How did you get here?"

Ayumi's voice followed, quiet and worried.

"Aria… are you okay?"

Aria didn't respond to them. Her eyes stayed on Daigo. She leaned closer to the bars, her lips barely moving.

"…You are not Daiki."

Daigo flinched. Her words pierced something deep. He stared at her, silent. Then he nodded slowly, voice low and steady.

"I'm Daigo."

But then..the lights above them flared. A siren began to shriek in the distance. The hallway behind them lit up with red pulses.

"They saw us," Noir said, voice sharp.

"No," Lena whispered, eyes still locked on the glass. "They knew we were coming."

Behind the glass, the Arias stood frozen..mirror images separated by fate. One moved toward the door. The other stood back, gaze unreadable. Then the hallway behind the team flooded with light, and footsteps.

"We have to move!" Ayumi shouted.

"But we can't leave them!" Daigo cried.

"We won't," Yona said, already moving. "We're getting in."

Noir pressed something on the device, and the wall beside the glass shimmered faintly. A hidden panel. A side entrance.

"Hold your breath," he said.

They slipped inside the hidden passage, hearts pounding, the door sealing behind them just as shadows approached. And on the other side of the glass..the two Arias watched in silence, waiting for the moment the world would choose who belonged, and who didn't. A sudden clang echoed behind them.

"Keep moving!" Daigo hissed.

The dim corridor pulsed with flickering red emergency lights. Sirens began to wail somewhere above, distant but rising like the tide. The shadows outside the sealed door had grown limbs and voices..guards. Armed. Alert. Yona's voice cracked through the tension.

"There's a split ahead!"

They skidded to a junction where the narrow passage diverged in three directions..left, right, and one path steeply descending underground.

"Split up," Lena said breathlessly. "We'll draw them off!"

Noir grabbed Yona's wrist, nodding toward the right corridor. "Come with me. If they double back, I can cover us."

"Wait..!" Ayumi called, reaching after them, but they were already gone..disappearing into the dark. A shout rang out from behind. Too close.

Ayumi turned..then a second door slid shut between her and the others, isolating her.

"No..!"

She slammed her hands against the steel.

"Daigo?! Yona!?"

Silence answered.

Daigo was already pulling Lena toward the left passage, deeper into the unknown. The floor trembled as boots pounded above them. A siren blared louder now, its how l like a creature waking from a long, merciless sleep.

"We'll find the others later," he said, trying to sound sure.

Lena didn't respond. Her hand tightened in his.

Behind them, the echoes of pursuit faded..but the dread didn't. It traveled with them, a weight on every step. Then, from somewhere through the walls..distorted by static..they heard it.

A voice...Female...Familiar.

"…Daiki…?"

Daigo froze in place. So did Lena.

"That's.."

"Aria," he whispered.

The real one. The voice repeated, fainter now.

"Where… are you?"

Lena turned to him, her eyes full of questions. But Daigo wasn't looking at her. He was staring ahead..where the passage curved and sloped downward into dark, humming silence. The air felt warmer there. Electric.

"Do we go down?" Lena asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Daigo nodded once.

"We have to."

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AYUMI – Lower Isolation Ducts

And somewhere far behind them, in another corridor, Ayumi pressed her back to the wall, breath shaking. A flickering light buzzed above her, and the sound of boots echoed from both ends of the tunnel. She was alone. But she wasn't the only one being hunted.

Somewhere high above the sealed corridors, the alarm lights turned crimson. A mechanical voice rang out, emotionless and brutal:

"Subject breach in Sector B. Initiating lockdown protocol. Live fire authorized."

Massive metal gates slammed down over main passageways with a seismic shudder. Steel walls shifted—reshaping, sealing, rerouting like a living maze.

Ayumi broke into a sprint. She ran through the narrow corridor, her heart thundering in her chest, every breath ragged and uneven. Sweat clung to her skin as she pushed forward, boots pounding the floor. She turned a corner.. Dead end.

"No, no..."

From above, a ceiling vent dropped with a metallic clang. A black drone slithered down on a cable, its glass lens sweeping the space. The red targeting grid blinked to life, locking on.

Ayumi dove just as it fired. The bolt grazed her arm..burning through fabric and skin. The pain tore through her, white-hot. She bit down a scream and rolled into a narrow crawlspace, her body trembling as she activated her cloaking patch.

The world shimmered faintly. Her body faded into a transparent blur. She pressed her injured arm to her side and held her breath. The drone hovered at the crawlspace's edge. Searching. Waiting.

She didn't move. Didn't breathe. Seconds stretched like hours.

Then... It turned away.

Ayumi exhaled shakily, her body trembling as the faint hum of the drone disappeared down the corridor. Tears slid silently down her cheeks. Her mouth was dry. Her arm burned.

She pressed her forehead gently against the cold wall of the crawlspace, biting back a sob. With her voice barely audible..cracked with pain and fear..she whispered,

"Noir…"

The name trembled off her lips like a memory she was afraid to lose. 

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YONA & NOIR – Right Wing, Corridor 6B

Yona's footsteps pounded against metal grating, Noir leading just ahead. They turned a sharp corner, and nearly collided with a reinforced gate as it slammed shut inches from Noir's face.

"Damn!" he snarled.

Behind them, the hiss of hydraulics. A vent slid open..then another. The facility was sealing alternate routes.

"They're forcing us inward," Noir said. "Like rats in a cage."

Yona was already typing on her comm band. Static.

"No signal. The walls are jamming us," she said, panic rising.

From down the corridor, red laser dots began to flicker..three… five… nine. And then came the sound. Marching. Armored boots. In sync.

"They're sending in Cleaners," Noir said grimly. "Not guards. Kill units."

Yona's face paled.

"We need to move. Now."

But there was only one open path left: a narrow maintenance shaft glowing dimly with blue light. Without a word, they plunged into it, the walls tight, the air cold.

Somewhere behind them, the corridor erupted with rapid-fire pulses of white-hot energy. The sound echoed through the vents as they crawled, breathless. They moved in silence until the sound faded behind them. Then Yona spoke..quietly, but sharp as a blade.

"…Why did you take my hand and run instead of Ayumi's?"

Noir didn't look back. His voice low.

"I thought you were her."

Yona scoffed gently.

"You still don't know how to lie."

The silence thickened.

"…I don't know what happened between us," yona said finally. "We were close. Life felt… easier. Then suddenly we were strangers."

Noir didn't reply.

"You just disappeared," Noir went on. "Didn't tell anyone. Changed your face. Your name. And what's with those homeless clothes?"

Yona exhaled, still crawling forward.

"You know why. Before I left, everyone treated me like a trophy. Girls got close just to touch my wallet."

Yona paused. Noir could hear the weight behind the words.

"…So you vanished for good? You know your parents gave up trying to find you."

Nori stopped, and yona stared at the wall in front of him. "…I'm tired, Noir. Tired of being what they want. Of being forced on girls who smile for the money but never see me."

Noir went silent.

"I didn't want a name that came with chains," Yona whispered. "So I cut it off."

Noir finally spoke. "I'm sorry… I knew you were struggling, but I still put my anger on you."

Yona looked back. "I know you were passing through things too. Same as me."

Noir hesitated..then his voice dropped.

"My family still tries to force matches. Still want to tie me to the perfect girl for the perfect image."

His mind flickered back..his aunt's voice echoing:

"You should be with her." The rooftop phone call. His voice hoarse, whispering: "I won't ever go back to her."

"I'm sick of it too," Noir said. "I hate being rich. Every choice already made."

Yona gave a small, sad smile. "I saw you reject Yui. Again and again."

Noir's jaw clenched.

"That girl's a fraud. I saw her dating three guys behind my back..playing the perfect girl for my family while sneaking off like no one would notice. I tried to tell them."

He slammed his fist softly into the vent wall.

"But they think I'm just arrogant. That I'm ungrateful. Always selfish."

His voice broke slightly.

"I wish I was born in another family. With different parents. Ones who listened."

Yona reached back, placed a hand gently on Noir's shoulder.

"Let's just get out of here first. When we're back..I promise, we'll fix this. Everything."

Noir looked at him. His eyes were glassy but steady.

"I miss you, Yona."

Yona nodded, his smile gentle and true.

"I know. I miss you too, my friend."

They clasped hands firmly. No words. Then continued forward through the narrow blue tunnel..together again.

---------------

DAIGO & LENA – Sublevel Access Tunnels

The air grew warmer the deeper they went. Humid. The walls pulsed faintly with light, like veins beneath skin. Lena touched the wall.

"It's organic."

Daigo nodded.

"This part… isn't human-made."

They stopped as a chamber opened before them. Vast. Circular. Lined with pods. Inside each pod floated a figure. Children..Teenagers...Copies. Some were sleeping. Others eyes wide open..watched in silent horror through the glass.

Daigo's stomach turned.

"They were experimenting on them."

Lena's hand trembled.

"It's a harvesting chamber. These aren't just clones…"

She trailed off as a heavy door opened across the chamber, and in stepped two armored soldiers, their rifles glowing, masks hissing as they scanned the room. Lena looked at Daigo.

No more running.He stood tall.

"We end this. Right here."

The chamber was deathly quiet..except for the soft hum of the pods, each one pulsing with a pale green glow. Daigo's fists clenched as the soldiers stepped into the room, rifles raised. No warning, no hesitation. They were here to neutralize.

He ducked just as the first pulse shot screamed through the air, vaporizing a chunk of metal inches from his head. Lena slid behind one of the pods, drawing the stolen sidearm she kept hidden beneath her coat.

"We can't fight them head-on," she hissed.

"I'm not planning to." Daigo pulled a small black cylinder from his belt. "EMP charge. One-time use."

Lena's eyes widened.

"That'll fry the entire grid down here."

"Exactly."

Another burst of gunfire split the air. One of the pods exploded behind them, releasing a hiss of pressurized steam and a child's choked gasp.

Daigo's hand moved fast, slamming the charge onto the floor.

"Cover your ears!"

He closed his eyes, just as..

BOOM.

A blinding flash of blue light erupted across the chamber. Everything went still. The rifles dropped. Lights flickered out. The humming pods dimmed. The soldiers twitched, then collapsed, their suits sparking violently.

Daigo staggered to his feet, ears ringing. All around them, the pod chambers began to hiss open. Steam spilled across the floor. And from the nearest pod… a boy stepped out. No older than twelve. Eyes glassy. His voice cracked:

"Where… where is Daiki?"

Daigo froze.

Lena whispered, "They know your name."

"No," Daigo said, heart pounding. "They know his."

To be continue ...