Chapter 20 – Shadows of Betrayal

🕯️ Underground Safehouse – Sector 7 – 4:02 AM

The air was cold. Suffocating. Heavy with dust, metal, and the stench of blood that no amount of bleach could wash away. Cracks split through the concrete walls. Loose wires dangled like the veins of a dying beast.

Liana sat at the steel table, patching herself up. Blood stained her fingers, her chest rose and fell rapidly, pain gnawed at her ribs. But her eyes... her eyes still burned with fire.

— "He's still breathing... He just won't die..." Daniel muttered, pressing an ice pack to the side of his bleeding temple.

— "That's not a man, Daniel..." Liana whispered, her voice sharp. "That's a weapon. A weapon that doesn't stop... until the mission is done. Or until it's destroyed."

Silence stretched between them, broken only by the slow drip... drip... drip of water from a broken pipe nearby.

Then—three knocks.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Liana snapped her pistol up instantly, shooting Daniel a sharp glance. They both knew the rule. No one was supposed to know about this place. No one.

— "Open up. Now. Before I change my mind," came a voice from beyond the door. Female. Tense. But defiant.

Daniel crept forward, slid open the viewing slot. His eyes widened.

— "No... No way... You?!"

Liana stood, despite the pain stabbing her side.

— "Who is it?!"

The door groaned open... and she stepped inside.

A woman. Tall. Midnight-black hair hung over her shoulders. Amber eyes glowing with a fire of their own. Her leather jacket was torn and stained. Her right hand was wrapped in bloody bandages. Around her neck... a pendant. The same symbol Daniel used to wear before he defected.

Daniel's voice cracked.

— "Her name's Rin... She was... she was my partner. Before... before she disappeared. Before I thought... she was dead."

Rin scoffed.

— "Surprise." She turned her gaze to Liana. "So... you're the storm everyone's whispering about. I've heard... a lot... about you."

Liana didn't lower her gun.

— "Why are you here? Who sent you?"

Rin shrugged.

— "If I wanted you dead... I wouldn't have knocked." She tossed a small device onto the table. A screen flickered to life—displaying schematics... blueprints... of a massive underground facility.

— "This... this is where Specter was born. And inside... lies the truth you're not ready to hear."

Daniel's knuckles went white.

— "What truth?"

Rin's expression darkened, her jaw tightened.

— "Specter... wasn't the only one."

Silence.

She continued.

— "There's another program. Worse. A nightmare buried so deep, even the Syndicate pretends it doesn't exist. You think Specter is bad?" Her voice lowered to a whisper. "What about an army of Specters?"

Liana's breath caught.

— "What's it called...?"

Rin looked her dead in the eyes.

— "It's called... Protocol Zero."

---

⚠️ Meanwhile – Blacksite Facility – Command Operations Room

Rows of capsules lined the chamber. Hundreds. Bodies inside. Motionless. Lifeless.

Until—

Eyes opened. One pair. Then another. And another. Cold. Empty. Void of anything human.

> Unit 47 – ACTIVATED

Unit 48 – ACTIVATED

Unit 49 – ACTIVATED

Siren lights flared. Red. Blazing. A mechanical voice echoed across the chamber:

> "All Units Online. Mission Directive: Terminate Targets – Morgan, Liana. Codename: Echo. And Subject: Daniel."

---

🔥 End of Chapter 20

> Is Rin truly an ally... or just another trap? Can Liana and Daniel survive an entire army of ghosts? And what is the terrifying truth still hiding in the shadows? The next chapter... will change everything.