Chapter 8: Shadows and Smoke
The silence after Noah's voice ended was thick.
Elira pulled away from Ares, breathless and dazed, her lips still tingling from the kiss. Ares's hand lingered on her waist, his body tense, protective.
Then he spoke, his voice low. "Let's go."
They stormed into the surveillance room, where Noah stood pale and wide-eyed, pointing to the screen. The grainy footage showed a man in a sharp grey suit walking through a hallway—secure, restricted, supposedly untraceable. Yet he moved as if he belonged there.
Ares leaned in. "Who is he?"
Noah typed rapidly. "No ID on facial recognition. No fingerprints. He's a ghost."
Elira's stomach dropped. "Wait. Zoom in."
Noah did.
The man's features came into focus—icy green eyes, dark stubble, a faint scar across his jaw. Elira's breath caught.
Ares turned sharply. "You know him."
She swallowed. "His name is Luka Zorin. Ex-intelligence agent. Russian division. He disappeared years ago... after helping me escape a lab Crane used to run."
Ares's jaw tensed. "And now he's back. Walking through our building."
Noah added, "The last camera caught him heading toward your father's vault, Elira. The one with the original Delgado files."
Elira's heart began to pound. "If he gets those... he'll have everything."
---
Forty Minutes Later – Midtown Warehouse
The rain had returned, slicing down like daggers as Ares, Elira, and Noah arrived at the warehouse Luka was last spotted entering.
They approached cautiously—Ares leading with his gun drawn, Elira close behind, her pulse racing.
Inside, the air was thick with humidity and oil. Machinery rusted in silence. A faint echo of footsteps led them deeper into the belly of the building.
"Are you sure about this?" Ares whispered.
Elira nodded. "If it's Luka... he won't hurt me."
"You trust him?"
"I used to."
Ares didn't like that answer.
Suddenly, a shadow darted past. A second later, a figure dropped from the ceiling, tackling Ares to the ground.
Crash!
The two men rolled, fists flying. Ares was fast, but Luka was trained in a dozen lethal ways. He moved like water—fluid, fast, and brutal.
"Elira, move!" Ares shouted.
But she stepped forward instead. "Luka, stop!"
Luka froze mid-punch.
His eyes locked onto hers. In that moment, the tension snapped like a rubber band. He stood, slowly helping Ares to his feet.
"Elira," he said softly. "You're alive."
She nodded, eyes wide. "You're supposed to be dead."
"So were you."
---
Five Minutes Later – Inside the Warehouse Office
Luka leaned back against a steel table, arms crossed, posture relaxed—but his eyes never stopped moving.
"You left without saying goodbye," Elira said quietly.
"I had to. They were hunting everyone tied to Delgado."
Ares leaned in. "Then why the hell are you back now?"
Luka met his gaze calmly. "Because Crane has a new weapon. A prototype. Delgado's original research was just the start. What he has now... it's something darker."
"Where?" Elira asked.
Luka hesitated. "It's hidden beneath Crane's biotech facility in Queens. But it's locked behind biometric scanners. Only two people alive can open it—"
"Delgado," Ares guessed.
Luka nodded. "And you, Elira."
The room fell silent.
Noah paled. "So this is why they've been hunting her?"
Luka's voice was low. "They don't need her alive to access it. Just... parts of her."
Elira gasped. Ares stepped in front of her, rage flashing in his eyes.
"No one's touching her."
---
That Night – Planning the Raid
The group reconvened at Ares's penthouse. Maps, blueprints, and security schematics were spread across the dining table.
"We get in, extract the data, destroy the prototype," Ares said. "No casualties unless necessary."
Luka smirked. "That's adorable. You think this can be clean?"
Ares glared. "We're not monsters."
Luka's tone hardened. "They are."
Elira interrupted. "We don't have time to argue. If Crane's already activating the prototype, we have to move now."
Noah frowned. "You'll need a diversion. A big one."
"I'll handle that," Luka said, loading his gun.
Ares didn't like how comfortable he was with Elira. He especially didn't like how Elira's eyes softened when Luka spoke. But he said nothing.
They were fighting a war. Emotions could come later—if they survived.
---
The Next Morning – Queens Biotech Facility
Dressed in stolen security uniforms, the team moved through the outer gates like ghosts. Elira's heart thundered as she scanned her fake ID badge, the red light blinking.
"Access granted."
They were in.
The first ten minutes were smooth. Silent takedowns. Avoided cameras. Noah working from a van nearby, whispering updates through earpieces.
But halfway to the core lab, everything went wrong.
"Trap!" Luka shouted.
Lasers shot across the hallway. Red lights flooded the walls. Security bots activated, screeching through metal doors.
Ares grabbed Elira's hand. "Move!"
They ran, ducking under barriers, dodging gunfire. Luka covered them, gunning down drones with precise aim.
"Exit route's blocked!" Noah shouted in their ears. "There's only one way out now—through the vault!"
"That's what they want!" Elira yelled.
But it was too late.
The metal walls slammed shut behind them. They were locked in.
Ahead of them, the vault hissed open.
Inside was a large chamber lined with glass tanks—each holding failed prototypes. Twisted, mutated human forms floated in chemical blue.
And standing in the center, hands clasped behind his back, was Crane himself.
"Well," Crane said, smiling. "Looks like all my favorite people are here."
Ares raised his gun. "It's over."
"No, Mr. Draven." Crane's voice was calm. "It's just beginning."
He pressed a button.
And one of the tanks began to drain.