Chapter 12 — Phase Two
Derek had finally reached Switzerland.
After following the information from the book he recovered from the Cripo facility, he stood in front of what appeared to be an ordinary government building hidden among the mountains.
But Derek knew better.
"This is Phase Two."
He stepped forward and entered the facility.
The deeper he went, the more unusual the place became. Security doors, laboratories, computers, holding rooms, and government equipment filled the underground complex.
Derek continued walking until he reached the main containment area.
Then he stopped.
His expression completely changed.
Inside the facility were dozens of people.
Men. Women. Children. Relatives.
And then Derek recognized them.
His eyes widened.
"My family…"
He looked again.
Cousins.
Uncles.
Aunts.
Relatives he hadn't seen in years.
Then he saw someone he never expected to see inside the facility.
His current nuclear family.
Derek stood completely still.
For a moment, Transition disappeared.
There was only Derek.
"They took all of them…"
A heavy door opened behind him.
A large government official walked into the room. He was a fat, well-dressed man carrying himself like he had already won.
He smiled.
"Welcome, Derek."
Derek slowly turned toward him.
"You."
The official laughed.
"You finally found Phase Two."
Derek's eyes narrowed.
"You kidnapped my entire family."
"Not everyone," the official replied. "Just almost everyone who mattered to you."
Derek's hands tightened.
The official continued.
"You've been destroying facilities. Killing officials. Hunting everyone connected to the project."
He smiled.
"So we decided to bring you here."
Derek immediately understood.
"This was a trap."
"Exactly."
In an instant, Derek transitioned directly in front of the official.
The man's smile disappeared for a moment.
Derek stared at him.
"You have about three seconds to explain yourself."
The official laughed nervously.
"Whether you kill me or not doesn't matter."
Derek's expression became colder.
"What did you do?"
The official pointed toward the family members.
"Poison."
Derek looked toward his family.
The official continued.
"Every single one of them has been given a poison. If you kill me, they die."
Derek stared at him.
"And if I don't?"
"They die anyway."
Silence.
The official smiled.
"You're trapped, Transition."
For several seconds, Derek said nothing.
Then something unexpected happened.
He smiled.
The official became confused.
"Why are you smiling?"
Derek looked at him.
"You made one mistake."
"What?"
"You assumed I had to play by your rules."
The official's face changed.
Derek raised his hand.
Transitioning activated.
The poison inside every family member suddenly disappeared.
Derek had transitioned it.
But he didn't leave the poison nowhere.
It appeared inside the government official.
The man's eyes widened.
"What did you—"
Derek interrupted him.
"You should have studied my ability more carefully."
The official grabbed his chest in panic.
Derek turned away.
Then he transitioned every member of his family out of the facility.
One after another, they were transported safely back to their respective countries and secure locations.
Derek watched the last family member disappear.
Everyone was safe.
The official stared at Derek.
"You... you could have saved them?"
Derek looked back.
"I didn't need to choose between killing you and saving them."
The official began laughing.
"So that's it?"
Derek said nothing.
"You've become weak."
Derek looked at him.
The official continued laughing.
"You had the perfect opportunity to kill me, and you walked away."
Derek simply turned around.
"Goodbye."
He transitioned himself away.
The official stood alone in the facility.
He smiled.
"Transition has finally become weak."
He didn't realize the poison was already inside him.
Minutes passed.
His laughter stopped.
He looked at his hands.
"Wait…"
He realized what Derek had done.
"No…"
The facility became completely silent.
The government official collapsed.
There was nobody left to save him.
Phase Two had effectively been destroyed.
Derek returned to the slums.
He stepped into his apartment and sat down quietly.
For the first time in a long time, he wasn't thinking about revenge.
His family was alive.
His family was safe.
Derek leaned back and closed his eyes.
"They're safe."
A small smile appeared on his face.
Then he opened his eyes.
"But Phase Two…"
He looked at the files.
"They were willing to use my entire family as bait."
His expression became serious again.
"So how many other families are they doing this to?"
Derek picked up the Phase Two book.
His investigation wasn't over.
It had only become much bigger.