The camera system suddenly fluctuated. Screens in the monitoring room flickered for a few seconds before returning to normal. To the organization, it was nothing more than a brief technical glitch.
To Specter and Orion, it was the only opening they had been waiting for.
Specter took a deep breath and gave Orion a slight nod.
"Time's limited. Move."
Orion tightened his grip on the sword hidden beneath the disguise. Every step felt like it could explode at any second. The tension kept piling up—any corner of the corridor could expose them, any glance could reveal that they didn't belong here.
Inside Orion, impatience gnawed relentlessly. He clenched his teeth, forcing his breathing to stay steady, while his heart pounded like a war drum. The longer Noir remained unseen, the heavier the dread became. He knew she wasn't someone who broke easily… but this time, the enemy had prepared everything to turn her into a living experiment.
As for Specter—Noir was perhaps half of his soul. His heart raced, his hands trembled as he moved through corridors that once had been his own prison. For her, he was willing to accept any risk. He only hoped she was still safe.
Inside a cold detention chamber, Noir slowly opened her eyes. Her strength had nearly recovered; her skin was no longer as pale as before. Her body—the "perfect vessel" the organization craved—regenerated rapidly, fueling the scientists' obsession as they observed her.
Yet that very perfection was why this prison had been designed exclusively for her. The restraint ring clamped tightly around her wrists, packed with dense circuitry, constantly emitting suppressive pulses. No matter how many times Noir tried, not a single trace of power could escape.
She closed her eyes, her breath gathering heavily in her chest.
Recklessness was impossible.
The door slid open. Lysander stepped in, his eyes cold as ice.
"Sit still. Don't waste your strength. With those restraints, even you can't do anything."
He stopped at a distance, his gaze detached—like there was no trace of feeling left for someone who had once been a comrade. And yet, within those eyes, a flicker of pain surfaced—only when Noir wasn't looking.
Noir raised her head. Her eyes burned brightly, piercing straight through the pretense. But she remained silent, not a word spoken.
Far away, Specter and Orion had just passed another control room. Their hearts hammered violently, tension draining every breath. One tiny mistake, and everything would collapse.
They didn't know that Noir was already awake…
but trapped inside a cage more perfect than ever.
Metal boots struck the cold steel floor, blending with the scanning hum of surveillance systems. Specter and Orion advanced at a measured pace, indistinguishable from the organization's patrol units. Behind their expressionless masks, every muscle was pulled tight like a drawn bowstring.
Specter tilted his head slightly, voice low through the internal comm.
"North sector cameras have been reset. The Doctor can only hold this system for… ten minutes. After that, we change plans."
Orion nodded faintly.
"Just find Noir. Even if I die, I'm not leaving empty-handed."
They turned into a narrow corridor. A real patrol unit approached from the opposite direction. Orion's heartbeat stuttered; his hand hovered near the sword concealed beneath his armor. Alertness peaked.
The lead soldier glanced at them. The moment stretched razor-thin. Specter returned a cold, mechanical nod—exactly like one of them. The unit passed. No one stopped.
Orion exhaled sharply, cold sweat soaking into the fabric.
"That was close…"
Specter raised a hand, signaling silence. He activated a mini-scanner. Dozens of life signals appeared underground. One of them emitted abnormal energy—strong, chaotic.
"Lower level… that's it," Specter whispered.
"She's there."
They unconsciously quickened their pace, impatience surging like it wanted to tear them apart. And that very haste triggered it—an automated security scanner swept over them. Warning lights flashed red.
Beep… Beep…
Specter ground his teeth, whispering,
"Damn it… we're compromised."
From the end of the corridor, dark figures surged forward. Alarm sirens screamed throughout the base.
Their urgency had changed everything.
The battle in the shadows—had officially begun.
Sirens roared across the lower levels. The maze-like corridors flooded with red light, flashes strobing violently, casting human silhouettes onto the walls like trembling blades.
Noir slowly opened her eyes. The haze still clung to her mind, but her hearing was sharper than anyone's. Vibrations in the metal, shifting security mechanisms, even the scent of ozone from high-voltage systems rushed in.
"An alarm?" She tilted her head, suspicion flashing in her eyes.
Void's infrastructure was unlike anything Noir had ever seen. Alloy steel panels were embedded with glowing blue energy conduits running along the walls, forming a network that pulsed like living veins. The ceiling towered high, packed with spectral cameras and biometric scanners. Any fluctuation was instantly recorded.
The cold restraint on her wrists limited her movement. But Noir knew—if alarms were sounding in the lower levels, someone had infiltrated.
A thought crossed her mind. Her lips trembled slightly.
"Don't tell me…"
Meanwhile, in another corridor, Specter pulled Orion into a narrow gap between cooling units. Troops rushed past, synchronized footsteps, weapons gleaming. One backward glance—and both of them would be dead on the spot.
Orion clenched his teeth, hand gripping the sword hilt.
"We're screwed! VOID operatives don't just let you run."
Specter replied quietly,
"We made a fundamental mistake…"
"If they take a few more steps, I'll cut them down," Orion hissed, about to draw his blade.
Specter pressed a hand down, whispering firmly,
"No. This is Void's central infrastructure. Every sound, every vibration is recorded. One drop of blood, and the entire lower level will swarm here."
The alarms continued to flash, metal mechanisms roaring relentlessly. In the darkness, tension compressed until even breathing felt heavy.
Noir slowly sat up, eyes sharp as ice.
She knew it now.
The game of cat and mouse…had begun.