JAY'S POV
The house was finally quiet.
The last guard checked in, the last car vanished into the outskirts, and the sun was just beginning to bleed faint gold into the horizon.
I exhaled.
One night. One night of chaos, bullets, blood, truths and half-truths—and somehow everyone was safe.
Or so I thought.
A knock.
Soft.
Too soft.
Jay's instincts flared. She signaled Angelo without even looking—hand behind her back, two taps.
Danger.
Angelo stepped close silently as Jay opened the door.
A small box sat on the floor.
No name.No address.No seal.
Just a box.
She picked it up and set it on the table.
Her fingers hesitated only for a fraction of a second before she opened it.
Then everything inside her froze.
A shirt.
Small. White.
Completely soaked in dried blood.
Her breath hitched.
She knew that shirt.She knew that size.
She knew that tag.
SUBJECT 08.
Her stomach twisted. A cold wave crawled up her spine.
Next—A photo frame.
Jay's fingertips trembled when she lifted it.
A girl and a boy.
Arms around each other's necks.
Smiling like nothing in the world could ever break them.
The girl was her.
The boy—
No.
She closed her eyes.
Bad memory.
Bad place.
Bad time.
She shouldn't remember.
But she did.
She didn't want to.
But she did.
Angelo leaned closer. "Jay? What is that?"
Before she could answer, a small folded note slipped out from under the frame.
She unfolded it slowly.
Her entire body went still.
"Time to settle scores, Subject 09…
Or should I say—MJ ."
Her throat tightened.
Angelo read it from behind her, and the color drained from his face.
"Jay... That's—"
"Don't." Her voice was razor-sharp, a warning, a plea, a breaking point.
Her eyes were locked on the shirt. On the blood. On the name tag.
And the truth she had buried deep—deeper than anything else in her life—clawed its way back to the surface.
He was back.
Subject 08.
Her past.
Her mistake.
Her ghost.
Her greatest enemy… or her greatest guilt.
She clenched the shirt in her fist, knuckles turning white.
"Kuya…" she breathed out, voice trembling like she hadn't heard it tremble in years.
"He's come for me."
FLASHBACK — Jay, Age 12–14 (Subject 09)
The walls of the old facility echo in Jay's mind like a ghost.
She remembers the smell first—
Metal, sweat, sterilized floors, and gun oil.
She was 12 when she met him.
Subject 08 — Sebastian.
Tall for his age. Sharp eyes. Quiet.
A perfect mirror of her in all the ways that mattered.
They were always at the top of every evaluation.
Always side by side.
Always competing, always protecting each other.
When Jay would have a fight with her family, she wouldn't cry. She'd just walk silently toward the east wing—
And he'd already be there, sitting on the floor against the hallway wall, knees pulled up, waiting.
"Rough day?""Yeah.""Same."
They'd lean heads together.
Two kids forced into a world meant for monsters, clinging to the only softness they had—
each other.
And when Sebastian got hit by his father…
Jay patched him up quietly, wiping blood from his eyebrow.
"You'll get stronger," she whispered.
"We both will," he answered.
They promised each other:
No matter what, we survive together.
---
Age 14 — The Night Everything Broke
The alarms weren't supposed to go off.
Not at training hour.
Not like that.
Red lights flashed. Sirens blared.
Gunshots echoed down steel corridors.
"Attackers—Section D breached—subjects compromised—!"
Jay grabbed Sebastian's hand.
They ran.
Every kid they passed—every subject their age—dead or dying.
They fought through groups of armed men, backs pressed together, moving like one body.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Just survival.
By the time they reached the south exit, both were covered in blood—
Their own and everyone else's.
"Jay—left!"
She shot.
"Seb—behind you!"
He kicked a blade out of a man's hand and slit his throat.
But then—
A wall of soldiers blocked their path.
Too many.
Too heavily armed.
Jay glanced at Sebastian.
"Together?""Always."
They launched forward—
But something shifted.
Sebastian froze.
For just a second.
A single heartbeat.
And everything changed.
A man stepped behind Jay—pointing directly at her. She didn't see him.
Sebastian did.
He shouted her name, shoved her aside, and took the blade meant for her.
It pierced his side.
Deep.
Jay screamed—real, terrified, primal, then she looked at him...
—something dark. He liked the killing. And when I hesitated to kill the last group, he looked at me like I was the enemy…"
A flash grenade exploded.
Jay was thrown back.
Smoke. Screams.
Gunfire.
Everything went dark....
When she crawled out—Sebastian was gone.
Dragged away.
No body left behind.
Just blood on the floor.
And the tag in her hand.
Subject 08 — TERMINATED.
That's what the report said.
But Jay never believed it.
ANGELO'S POV —
Angelo froze.
The blood-soaked shirt. The tag: Subject 08. The photo frame — a much younger Jay, maybe twelve, smiling with a boy who looked equally young. Arms thrown around each other's necks like the world didn't scare them.
Then the note.
> Time to settle scores, Subject 09…
or should I say, MJ? ?
Angelo felt the air leave his lungs.
"MJ?" he whispered, turning sharply at Jay.
His little sister.His baby sister.Subject 09?
Jay didn't answer.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
The only sign of life was the slight tremble in her fingers as she picked up the shirt.
"Jay…" Angelo stepped closer, voice cracking. "Who—who is Subject 08? Who is that boy?"
Jay swallowed hard.
And then—slowly—she sat down, the weight of years crashing over her.
JAY'S POV — Flashback
"I was twelve," she began quietly.
Angelo's eyes widened.
"I got recruited into the program the same time he did—Sebastian. Subject 08. We were… good. Really good. The best, they said."
Angelo's jaw clenched.
He'd always known Jay was trained.
He just never knew how deep it went.
Jay continued.
"We weren't just partners. We were best friends. If I fought with Aries, or you, or…lola or mom I ran to him. When his father hit him, he ran to me."
Her voice softened at the memory.
"We shared food we stole from the kitchen.
Sleepless nights before evaluations.
We promised to get out together one day."
Angelo felt a sting in his chest.
Because he had never seen Jay talk like this about anyone who wasn't them.
Jay's gaze drifted far away.
"When we were fourteen… the facility was attacked."
Angelo stiffened.
"Everyone else died," Jay whispered. "Every subject except us."
She inhaled shakily.
"We fought until we couldn't stand. And when we were cornered… something changed. I saw something in him—something dark. He liked the killing. And when I hesitated to kill the last group, he looked at me like I was the enemy…"
Her voice cracked for the first time.
"He was going to kill me, Kuya."
Angelo's blood ran cold.
He stepped closer and placed a shaking hand on her shoulder.
"What happened?"
Jay stared at the ground.
"I ran."
The memory burned behind her eyelids.
"And that's when I met Cole."
Angelo froze.
"He found me on the street trying to run. Bleeding. Alone. He… saved me." Her voice softened. "He took me to his family. Hid me. Told me I could just be Jay, not 09."
A tear finally slipped down her cheek, but she wiped it quickly.
"So I chose to leave that side behind. I never spoke about Sebastian again. Never asked around. Never looked for him. I just… forgot."
Her hands curled into fists.
"But now he found me."
Kuya Angelo's reaction was a mix of rage, fear, and heartbreak.
"Jay…" he whispered hoarsely. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you carry this alone?!"
Jay looked up, eyes sharp again.
"Because knowing makes you a target. And I couldn't lose you too."
Angelo pulled her into a tight, trembling hug.
"You're not alone anymore," he said fiercely. "He wants war? Then he'll deal with all of us."
But Jay's eyes had already darkened.
Because she knew something Angelo didn't:
Sebastian didn't want war.
He wanted her.
And he had waited years for this moment....
Jay's POV — Home, Finally… but Not Really
The house was quiet when they returned.
Too quiet.
Aries opened his mouth the moment Jay stepped in.
"Jay, what the hell happened back the—"
"Not now."
Angelo's voice was sharp. Not loud. Sharp.
Sharp enough that Aries' mouth shut on instinct.
Jay didn't even turn around.
She just walked straight to her room.
The second the door closed behind her, the silence shattered.
Memories didn't come gently.
They crashed.
Training grounds. Gunfire. Static in her ears.
Sebastian—Subject 08—laughing beside her, telling her she aimed like a robot.
Sharing stolen snacks.
Falling asleep on the rooftop after he fought with his dad.
Her crying in the hallway after Angelo scolded her — him wiping her tears with his sleeve.
And then—
The attack.
Bodies. Sirens.
Running.
Blood.
Sebastian's blood.
Her hands shaking as she tried to drag him.
His voice telling her to go.
Her refusing.
His last look — betrayed, scared, broken — when she ran because she had no choice.
Then Cole.
Cole pulling her behind him.
Cole carrying her when her legs gave out.
Cole telling her,
"You're done with this life, Jay. You hear me? You're done."
And Jay believed him.
She buried every part of MJ — Subject 09 — in that moment.
She forced herself to forget Sebastian because remembering meant drowning.
And now he was back.
Calling her out with a blood-soaked shirt.
With their old photo.
With subject 08 on the tag.
She pressed her nails into her palms, trying to ground herself.
A soft knock.
"Jay?"
Angelo again.
She knew that tone — he was fighting worry, anger, fear all at once.
Jay didn't answer.
Angelo opened the door anyway.
The moment he saw her face, his breath stilled.
"Jay…" he whispered, walking in.
She didn't look up. She couldn't.
He crouched in front of her, picked up the photo from the bed.
"You were just a kid," he murmured.
Then he looked at the bloodied shirt and his jaw clenched, eyes full of rage she rarely saw in him.
"When did this happen?" he asked quietly.
And Jay told him the rest — the part she hadn't said earlier.
"When I ran… that's when I met Cole," she whispered.
"If he hadn't found me… I wouldn't be alive. He dragged me out of that hell and… and I promised myself I'd never look back. I didn't want that life. I didn't want to remember Sebastian. I didn't want to find out what happened to him."
Angelo exhaled slowly.
"So you erased him… to survive."
Jay nodded once.
"I thought he died, kuya. I hoped he died, because that was better than him becoming… this."
Angelo placed a hand on her head, pulling her gently into a hug.
"Jay… you don't have to go through this alone. Not anymore."
But Jay didn't hug back.
Her mind was somewhere else.
Some one else.
Keifer.
His face when she untied him.
The way he punched his father without hesitation.
The way his eyes searched for her first, always.
She sucked in a breath, her chest knotting.
If Sebastian was back…
If he wanted revenge…
If he wanted her…
Then everyone around her was a target.
Aries. Angelo.
Section E—loud, annoying, loyal idiots.
And Keifer.
Especially Keifer.
The thought of him in danger hit her harder than any blow she took today.
Jay looked up at Angelo, voice barely holding steady.
"I need to protect them, kuya… all of them."
Her voice cracked, rare and raw.
"Especially Keifer."
Angelo's eyes softened, but the worry in them sharpened.
Because he understood exactly what that meant—
MJ wasn't going to sleep tonight.
MJ wasn't going to rest.
MJ was coming back.
And whatever Sebastian wanted…
Jay was ready to become the monster he remembered.
---
ONE WEEK BEFORE EXAMS — THE PREP BREAK
JAY'S POV
The school might've declared it a study break, but for Jay, it was anything but a break.
Morning to evening? Textbooks. Group calls. Study sessions with Section E and Keifer.
Midnight to sunrise? Blood, shadows, and her old ghost—Subject 08—slowly coming back to life.
But no one knew.
Because she couldn't let them.
---
THE GROUP CALLS — THE NORMALCY SHE HAD TO FAKE
Every afternoon, Section E had a giant video call for "group studying," which mostly meant:
Edrix ranting that math is evil
Cin screaming every time she got a question wrong
Keifer staring at the screen only when Jay spoke
Jay explaining topics like the calmest genius alive
Sometimes Keifer called her separately afterward.
Keifer: "Your eyes look tired."
Jay (forcing a smile): "They're fine."
Keifer: "Jay."
Jay: "Kiefer."
Keifer: "Don't… lie."
Her heart clenched.
But she kept lying anyway.
"It's handled," she said every time he asked about Subject 09.
It wasn't.
Not even close.
---
THE NIGHTS — JAY'S REAL LIFE
When the house goes quiet, everyone asleep, Jay slips out through the back door.
Black hoodie.
Silver gun.
Watch tracker synced to Zack and Alex.
She dug into every old contact, every abandoned database, every shady informant.
Every night she returned home with—
blood on her knuckles,
new bruises,
and a little more information about Sebastian… Subject 08… the boy who used to share his food with her, sleep beside her after nightmares, swear they'd escape together.
Except now he was hunting her.
And she had to stay two steps ahead.
For them.
For all of them.
---
KEIFER — HIS POV
Keifer knew she was hiding something.
It was in the small things:
The slight wince when she lifted her hand.
The way she always checked exits.
The way her eyes kept scanning, even during their study sessions.
The way her phone buzzed and she froze.
He didn't press.
Didn't push.
But every night before sleeping, he whispered to himself:
"Please come back safe."
Even though he had no idea what she was going into.
---
SECTION E — THEIR POV
They were confused.
This was the first time they saw Jay…
zoning out,spacing out,losing track for a second,almost flinching when someone called her name.
David: "She okay?"
Cin: "She's Jay. She's always okay… right?"
Kit: "She better be. I'll kill whoever—"
Felix: "Kit."
Keifer (quiet): "She'll talk when she's ready."
They trusted her.
Jay just wished she could trust time.
---
JAY'S INTERNAL STRUGGLE
Every night she looked at her phone—at the photo Sebastian mailed her.
Her younger self smiling.
His arm around her.
The bloodstained shirt.
The message:
"Time to settle scores, Subject 09."
She swallowed hard.
If Sebastian was really back…
He wouldn't stop.
And eventually—
He would come for the people she loved.
Especially Keifer.
She could not allow that.
---
END OF WEEK — BEFORE EXAM DAY
Jay sat at her desk pretending to read, but her mind was spinning.
Her plans were ready.
Her weapons cleaned.
Her shadows alert.
But she was tired.
So tired.
She closed her eyes, thinking only one thing:
"I'll protect them. Even if it kills me."
Jay's POV
The exam ended faster than I expected.
Half the room was still flipping through page two when I stood up, handed in my paper, and walked out without waiting for anyone — not Keifer, not David, not even Cin.
The hallway felt too quiet.
Too bright.
Too normal.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown: "Almost."
My stomach tightened.
He was getting bolder.
I exhaled slowly, shoved the phone into my pocket, and walked straight out of the school gates where the tinted car Angelo sent was already waiting.
Ten minutes later, I was inside FER Corp — the only place where logic, not emotions, ruled. Marble floors. Silent guards. Keycards. Retinal scanners. My world before the world knew I existed.
I tapped my ID.
Authorized.
Angelo was already in the private conference room, sleeves rolled up, hair messy — signs he'd been working nonstop…for me.
Angelo took one look at her and knew something was wrong. He closed the office blinds, locked the door, and turned to her.
"Another message, Jay?"
Jay didn't waste time. She placed her phone on the table, pulled out printed maps, timestamps, and screenshots. Her voice was low, steady — but Angelo could hear the tremor hiding under it.
"Kuya… his movements aren't random."
She pointed to one red-marked location.
"This was where I was during the mock test."
Another.
"This was when I went to the safe house."
Another.
"And this one—when I went to the grocery with Section E."
Angelo's brows furrowed.
"Jay… that's all within—"
"A hundred-meter radius," she finished for him.
She exhaled shakily.
"Every. Single. Time."
Angelo felt his stomach twist.
"Meaning…"
Jay swallowed hard, eyes cold now.
"Meaning he's been watching me for weeks. Every move. Every place. Every second I step outside."
She laid down the last sheet — a pattern forming around her life.
"Subject 08 isn't just back, Kuya."
She lifted her eyes, expression tightening.
"He's hunting me."