The air in the underground safehouse was thick with tension. Kade sat in the dim glow of a flickering neon light, his fists clenched against the metal table. His pulse pounded in his ears. Across from him, Lyra stood with her arms crossed, her sharp eyes unreadable.
The loss of Nova burned in his chest like a fresh wound. But grief had no place in war. Not in the fight they were up against.
"You're reckless," Lyra finally spoke, her voice controlled but edged with something deeper—frustration, maybe even concern. "Running headfirst into the Syndicate's trap like that? Nova died because—"
"Don't," Kade snapped.
His chair screeched as he stood. His fingers curled into fists, but it wasn't directed at Lyra. It was at himself. The memories of Nova's last moments, her fading voice in his earpiece, haunted him like a damn ghost.
Lyra held his gaze, her expression hard but not unkind. "I know what she meant to you, but if you keep letting your emotions control you, you'll be next."
Kade exhaled sharply. She wasn't wrong.
"Then help me," he said, his voice calmer, more focused. "The Syndicate is still moving pieces we can't see. We need to hit them before they hit us again."
Lyra hesitated, then reached into her jacket, pulling out a small holo-drive. She activated it, and a blue projection flickered to life—a detailed map of Syndicate-controlled sectors. One location pulsed brighter than the rest.
"They've been shifting key assets to a hidden facility deep beneath the city. It's not just another base—it's where they're building the next generation of enforcers. More Shadowborn. More weapons."
Kade's jaw tightened. He had barely survived the last one.
"Then we destroy it."
Lyra gave a dry chuckle. "Not that simple. This place is locked down like a war bunker. If we go in, we do it smart. No backup, no reinforcements. Just us."
Kade ran a hand through his hair. "Sounds like a death wish."
Lyra smirked. "I thought you liked those."
Before Kade could reply, the emergency alarms blared to life. Red lights bathed the room. A voice crackled through the intercom, robotic and cold:
"Perimeter breach. Hostile entities detected."
Lyra was already moving. She holstered her holo-drive and drew her energy pistol in one smooth motion.
"They found us," she muttered.
Kade grabbed his plasma blade as the walls trembled. The heavy sound of boots echoed through the tunnels outside. Then came a deep, metallic growl.
Shadowborn.
But there was more than one this time.
The reinforced door to the safehouse shuddered under a powerful impact. Then another. Dents formed as something massive slammed against it.
Kade and Lyra exchanged a glance.
"We hold the line," Kade said. "We don't run."
Lyra gave a sharp nod. "Then let's make them regret coming here."
The door buckled. The metal groaned before it was ripped clean off its hinges.
Two towering figures stepped through the doorway. Shadowborn assassins. Their mechanical bodies gleamed under the red emergency lights, cybernetic limbs twitching with unnatural speed. Their glowing red eyes locked onto Kade.
One of them spoke, its voice a distorted rasp.
"The hunt ends tonight, Kade Ronin."
The other Shadowborn lunged.
Kade barely had time to react before a bladed arm slashed toward his throat. He ducked, feeling the sharp wind of the strike as it sliced the air inches from his skin. In a flash, his plasma blade ignited, and he met the next strike head-on. Sparks erupted as the weapons clashed.
Lyra moved like lightning, firing precision shots at the second assassin. It twisted unnaturally, dodging with inhuman reflexes, before charging at her with a brutal swipe. She rolled to the side just as metal claws tore through the spot where she had been standing.
"We're boxed in!" she shouted, firing at the creature's exposed joints.
Kade gritted his teeth. They couldn't win a prolonged fight.
They needed to escape.
Dodging another blow, he locked eyes with Lyra. "Hit the detonator. We blow the tunnel and take them with us."
Lyra hesitated for half a second—just long enough for the Shadowborn to capitalize.
The first assassin slammed into Kade, driving him against the wall with crushing force. Pain exploded through his ribs. The Shadowborn's grip tightened, servos whirring as it prepared to crush him.
Kade let out a sharp breath. Then he jammed his plasma blade into its side.
The creature let out a metallic screech as the energy blade burned through its reinforced armor. Kade twisted the hilt, sending a surge of raw power through its circuits.
It convulsed violently before collapsing.
Lyra didn't need further convincing. She slammed her fist against the detonator on the wall.
The charges lining the tunnel detonated with a deafening explosion.
The shockwave hit them like a freight train. Dust and fire consumed the passage, swallowing the remaining Shadowborn in a cloud of destruction.
Kade coughed, his ears ringing. He turned to Lyra, who was already pulling him to his feet.
"That was too close," she muttered.
Kade wiped blood from his lip. "And it's only the beginning."