The rain eased to a drizzle, but inside the walls of Central Jaipur High, the storm hadn't stopped — it had simply changed shape.
Lucy moved through the silent corridors, the glow of her flashlight cutting through the darkness in thin, trembling lines. Each beam revealed fragments of destruction: shattered glass, bullet marks, and a faint trail of wet footprints — Nick's.
> "Siya, status?" she whispered.
> "Cameras are up, but feeds are flickering every two minutes. He's jamming us again, in bursts. Smart… efficient," Siya replied, her voice tight.
Lucy's jaw set. "That's his style. Controlled chaos."
---
The air smelled of rain and rust. Water dripped rhythmically from the ceiling, echoing like a ticking clock. Lucy's boots made almost no sound as she moved past the old chemistry lab, the air heavy with chemical residue.
Her taser was drawn, her senses sharp. Every muscle in her body was poised for motion — or survival.
---
Nick Verma, meanwhile, stood in the shadows of the old auditorium balcony, watching her through the cracked glass of the security mirror. The stormlight glimmered across his face, tracing the faint scar under his right eye — a memory of their last mission together.
> "You're fast," he murmured, eyes tracking her every step. "But you still hesitate when the air changes."
He pressed a small switch on his wristband. The sound system of the hall crackled faintly to life, sending faint echoes through the corridors. A whisper of distortion.
He wasn't just watching — he was talking to her through silence.
---
Lucy paused. The faint hum reached her ears, like the building itself was breathing. She turned, scanning every direction.
> "Siya, I'm hearing something—feedback through the walls. He's using the school's PA system."
> "I can't shut it off remotely," Siya replied, fingers clattering on her keyboard. "He's isolated the frequency."
> "Then I'll do it manually."
Lucy moved faster now — down a long, flooded corridor, toward the main auditorium. Her flashlight flickered as she went, shadows dancing across the graffiti-covered walls.
---
She pushed open the door — the hinges groaned. Inside, the hall stretched wide and hollow, littered with abandoned chairs and half-burnt banners. The sound of dripping water echoed like footsteps.
She scanned the stage.
Nothing.
Then—
A whisper.
> "You always were brave, Lucy."
Her breath caught.
Nick's voice — calm, low, intimate — floated through the hall.
> "And that's what got Sid killed."
The words hit her like a strike to the chest. Her grip on the taser tightened until her knuckles turned white.
> "You don't get to say his name," she hissed.
---
Above her, on the balcony, Nick's eyes darkened. "I don't say it. I remember it. You've forgotten what he died for."
Lightning flashed — and in that instant, she saw him: standing at the edge, weapon lowered, but eyes burning.
Lucy raised her taser, hands trembling slightly.
> "Don't make me do this."
> "You already did," Nick said quietly. "The day you chose them over me."
And then — silence. He was gone again. The balcony door creaked open, letting in a gust of wind and rain.
---
Lucy sprinted after him, her breath sharp, the storm echoing her pulse. She turned the corner — empty hall. Only the faint impression of wet boot prints fading toward the stairwell.
> "Siya, I've got movement heading north stairwell!"
> "Copy! I'll block his exit!"
The chase turned desperate — both knew these halls by heart, both were hunting and being hunted at the same time. Every turn, every shadow was a potential ambush.
Lucy's reflection flashed in a broken window — soaked hair, focused eyes, trembling determination.
> "No mistakes," she whispered. "Not tonight."
---
Nick stopped at the final door — roof access. He looked back once, hearing her footsteps approach. For a split second, he allowed himself to smile — not with arrogance, but with something close to sorrow.
> "Still chasing ghosts, Raven?" he murmured. "Then catch me if you can."
He slipped into the storm.
Lucy reached the door seconds later, pushing it open — but the rooftop was empty. The rain fell harder now, drenching her in cold defiance. Only a faint, blinking red light remained on the railing — another transmitter.
She knelt, examining it. The device pulsed once, then projected a small holographic image — Sid's old Agency logo.
Underneath, a message glowed faintly:
"Truth is not where you're looking."
Lucy's eyes glistened with water — or tears, she wasn't sure.
> "You're not escaping me again, Nick," she whispered. "This ends soon."
The storm answered with thunder — a sound that promised war.
---