The helicopter's blades ripped through the dark night, circling over Mama's Fangs beneath the torn-open roof of the abandoned chemical plant.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three missiles tore through the plant, each strike erupting in fire. The ground quaked beneath the inferno.
"Fuck! RUN!" Alice shouted as the group sprinted toward a doorway.
BRRRRRRRRRTTTTTT!
The night screamed as the helicopter raked the plant with bullets, shredding the thin metal walls like paper.
"Crap! What's Obsidian doing here?" Jax kicked aside a loose piece of metal as the gunfire died down.
"I don't think it's an assault on Therma," Rhea muttered, loading her sniper rifle.
"A personal visit?" Hana asked, snapping a mag into her Tech-9.
"Nah. We might be famous, but not that famous," Alice disagreed, scanning the burning building as smoke billowed in.
"Unless…" Rhea trailed off, eyes cutting toward Haruka, who crouched near the ragged hole in the roof.
"No way," Hana shook her head.
"Listen," Jax interrupted.
The group froze.
"…It's quiet. Did they leave?" Hana asked.
"I don't see them," Haruka whispered, peering through the haze.
"Good. Maybe it was just a scare tactic," Alice said, pointing toward another door that led into a bay of old, decaying chambers. "Through there."
Jax pushed up first—just as the helicopter swooped back into view, guns blazing.
"God damn it! We're pinned!" Jax roared.
He slung a fresh belt of ammo into his machine gun. "Cover fire!"
"No, that's cra—" Hana started, but Jax was already standing, unleashing a stream of lead into the sky, trading bullet for bullet with the chopper.
"Dumb tank," Rhea muttered, before darting past him into the chamber. The others followed. Haruka tapped Jax's shoulder, snapping him out of his fury, and he broke into a sprint behind them.
BOOM!
Another missile struck. A pillar collapsed in flames, slamming down between them. Alice and Haruka on one side. Jax, Rhea, and Hana on the other.
"Help me lift this!" Jax snarled, dropping his gun to grab the smoking pillar.
Alice pressed a hand to his arm, steady. "It's fine. The Cadence Cell should be in there. You find it—we'll look for another exit. Meet at the truck."
Hana and Rhea pulled Jax back. He clenched his jaw but nodded.
"I found it!" Hana shouted, pointing through smoke.
Inside a cracked chamber, three softballs of light glowed—green, blue, and white—pulsing through glass.
"That's it," Rhea confirmed.
"Too hot—we need something to break it," Hana barked. "Jax, help me look—"
"STOP!" Rhea cut her off, rifle raised.
A voice slipped from the smoke. "Good eye."
Evelyne stepped forward, scythe in hand.
Hana snatched Jax's machete while Jax leveled his pistol.
"Where is he?" Evelyne asked coldly.
Meanwhile, Alice and Haruka charged up a flight of stairs to a sealed door. Haruka slammed his shoulder into it. Nothing.
"Move," Alice said flatly, raising her shotgun.
BANG! Click! BANG! Click!
The hinges shattered, the door swinging wide. They spilled onto a metal bridge spanning the plant. At the far side, an emergency exit beckoned.
Then a figure dropped down, blocking their path.
Raito.
Haruka froze, legs buckling, breath caught in his throat as those burning eyes seared into him. Alice grabbed his arm, pulling him upright.
"No…" Haruka whispered. His hands trembled, heart pounding.
Raito's gaze shifted from Alice to his brother.
Haruka reached for his katana—too slow. Raito's boot slammed into his chest, hurling him against the door. He collapsed, stunned.
Alice fired instantly. BANG! The blast staggered Raito, pellets ricocheting off his mask. She racked the gun for another shot—only for Raito to seize the barrel with his bare hand. Metal melted under his grip.
Alice's eyes widened.
Raito smashed her head into the railing—once, twice—before hurling her limp body at Haruka. Blood streaked her face as she groaned.
Raito's axe ignited in hellfire, the flames crawling across the bridge.
Haruka shook—not from pain, but from fear. His brother's fury seared into him, tearing a single tear from his eye.
Raito raised his axe.
The bridge gave way.
CRASH!
Raito plummeted into the fire below.
Haruka gasped for air, chest heaving.
Back at the chamber, Hana and Jax braced as Evelyne advanced.
"Jax! Get the Cadence Cell—we'll hold her off!" Rhea snapped, rifle trained.
BANG! Evelyne's scythe flicked, deflecting the bullet. Hana lunged, throwing a punch, but Evelyne struck her down with the scythe's shaft.
Rhea fired again, again—every shot deflected as Evelyne closed in.
The scythe swept for her throat. Rhea twisted, bashing Evelyne's face with the stock of her sniper. Evelyne staggered but rose again, unfazed.
Rhea dropped the rifle, drawing twin daggers. "Come."
Evelyne smirked. "With pleasure."
They clashed, blades sparking in the firelight.
"How's it coming, Jax?" Rhea called, backflipping away.
"Fuck it—I'm punching it!" Jax dropped a pipe and slammed his fists into the glass. Cracks spiderwebbed wider with each hit.
CRASH!
The chamber shattered. Jax snatched the three Cadence Cells, shoving them into his bag.
CRUMBLE!
The rubble shifted. Flames burst. Raito emerged, axe blazing, Evelyne moving to his side.
"Where is he?!" Raito thundered. "He was right in front of me!"
Evelyne froze, concern flickering in her eyes.
"Holy shit," Hana whispered.
"That's—" Jax started.
"Raito," Rhea finished coldly.
The siblings squared up.
"Alright, sis. Guess I'm in too," Jax cracked his knuckles.
"No. Best case is we escape," Rhea muttered.
"Exfil? What about Haruka and Mama?"
"We already have what we came for. And we can't exfil without passing them."
"…You've got a point. So what's the plan?" Jax asked.
"I go for Hana. You bulldoze the way out."
Jax hesitated. "But what if—"
"Promise me."
"…Fine."
They braced to charge—
CRAAAAAASH!
The wall exploded. Lark burst through, tackling Raito into the far wall. Kierah flipped in, boots slamming into Evelyne's chest.
"Consider this thanks for the Cadence Cell," Kierah smirked. "Now—RUN!"
Jax scooped Hana into his arms. He and Rhea sprinted into the smoke. Rhea threw herself behind the wheel of the truck.
Haruka staggered out of the flames, Alice unconscious in his arms, her clothes drenched. He leapt into the bed of the truck.
The engine roared. Tires spun. The truck tore through the night.
Through the haze, Alice's eyes cracked open. She saw Evelyne watching from the burning plant. For a heartbeat, Alice didn't see the scythe-wielding killer. She saw her daughter—white-haired, smiling.
The vision faded. Evelyne's sorrowful face hardened as she turned, striking at Kierah.
The truck rumbled into the distance, dust trailing behind.