The lab had grown too quiet.
The steady hum of the machines sounded more like a death rattle than a promise of life. Tubes hissed faintly as Michael's chest rose and fell in shallow, reluctant breaths. The glow of monitors painted everyone's faces in pale blue light, but no one spoke.
Alice sat frozen, her hands pressed against each other as if in prayer, her lips trembling but no words leaving them. Rhea leaned against the wall, her sniper slung but her hood shadowing a face locked in grim thought. Hana stood near the door, arms crossed, eyes closed, her silence sharper than steel. Haruka's blade rested beside him, untouched, as if even he had no fight left to offer.
At the center, Mika sat on her stool, hunched forward, staring at the screen with glassy eyes. Her gloves were half-off, her lab coat crumpled, her breathing shallow. Leo's fingers hovered over a holographic keyboard, but he didn't type. Shan, stiff and bandaged, remained upright in his chair, his gaze fixed on Michael—not with pity, but with an intensity that bordered on defiance.
Minutes passed.
Nothing.
The silence began to choke.
Then—Shan's eyes flickered, sharp as blades. Leo caught it. His hands clenched, as though he too felt the spark of something buried under despair. They both turned slowly toward Mika.
She hadn't noticed. Her head was still bowed, hair covering her face.
Then it hit her. A twitch, a widening of her eyes. The light bulb moment slamming through her chest.
Shan leaned back. Leo almost smiled.
Mika broke the silence with a sharp, almost manic laugh. It replaced Leo's usual steady presence like a sudden storm.
Everyone turned, frozen in shock, as if she had truly gone mad. Shan leaned back in his chair, a small smile forming beneath his fatigue.
"What is it, Master?" Rosemary asked, gently supporting Shan's aching body as she helped him sit upright.
Shan pressed a finger to his lips.
"Mika is about to explain," he whispered.
"Mama!" Mika called, sliding toward Alice. Her glasses were slipping down her nose, her blood-stained lab coat catching the dim light. She grasped Alice's hands with urgency.
"We can still save Michael," Mika said, excitement trembling in her voice.
Alice's eyes widened. Everyone in the lab straightened, drawn in by Mika's energy.
"How… how?" Alice asked.
Mika's grin widened. "There are multiple versions of the Cadence Cell."
"Multiple?" Hana asked, raising a brow.
"Yep," Mika said, nodding eagerly. "The one you were chasing was the hardened version. Works best with mechanical systems—machines that need a lot of spark."
"Exactly what he said," Leo added, stepping closer.
"Right," Mika continued, "but there's also a softened version, usually used in chemical production and science labs."
Alice's eyes went wide. "So… we could've gone for that instead?"
"But—" Shan interrupted, and the lab fell silent.
"There's a chance it might not work," Mika admitted, her earlier joy dimming.
"What? Why? Isn't it a Cadence Cell?" Alice asked, confused.
"It is," Leo said, "but it's like trying to use a defibrillator to jump-start a car."
Haruka spoke up from the corner. "What are the chances?"
Shan turned to him, momentarily startled to hear his voice.
"Sixty to seventy percent," Mika replied, standing straighter, determination etched in her expression.
"Good enough," Haruka said, sheathing his katana and rising to his full height.
"Haruka," Shan said softly, eyes glistening.
"I… I know how it feels," Haruka murmured, turning away. "To be this close to reuniting with someone only to have them ripped away."
"Where… can we find it?" Jax asked, breaking the momentary silence.
"Aesthetic City's only chemical plant," Rhea said firmly, stepping forward.
"Young master Haruka," Rosemary said with a chuckle, "fighting for someone beyond your own brother, or the three of us."
---
Outside, behind a truck, Lark curled protectively around Kierah and the crates they'd scavenged from the H.O.T ruins. Kierah spun the Cadence Cell in her hands like a toy, her expression serious, regret flickering in her eyes.
She glanced back at the H.O.T base, now just a shadow of its former self.
BANG! BANG!
Kierah struck the side of the truck, forcing it to a halt. Phillip stepped out, moving toward her.
"Here," Kierah said, tossing the Cadence Cell to him.
"Take good care of it," she added, tapping Lark awake. He shook off his slumber, lifting both Kierah and Phillip as he followed her command.
"Where are you going?" Phillip asked.
"Don't worry. I'll be back," Kierah replied, mounting Lark's broad shoulder.
---
Mama's Fangs entered the decaying chemical plant: rusted pipes, cracked tanks, and the lingering stench of chemicals.
"A few of them," Rhea whispered, spotting movement ahead.
Psew—psew.
Bodies thumped with each low, sharp sound.
"You hear that?" Hana asked, eyes darting toward the source.
The drone of a helicopter's blades cut through the air, growing louder until a beam of light illuminated Mama's Fangs. On its side, a symbol—a shard—was displayed, unmistakable.
"Obsidian… how'd they find us?" Jax asked, tense.
Alice didn't answer. She didn't shield her eyes from the blinding light. Her gaze was fixed on one thing: the helicopter's darkened windows.
A voice, faint and haunting, echoed in her mind, drowning out the helicopter's roar—a memory.
"Is it true… did you have another child?"
"Yes… her name is…"
Evelyne.
The name reverberated in her head as the helicopter hovered above them.