They moved before sunrise.
Aelina and Kael rode in silence in a nondescript transport, her hand resting near her thigh holster, his fingers tightening every few minutes on the encrypted data slate in his lap. The plan was clear—leak a trail to a fabricated location, lure out the traitor, and strike hard.
They had chosen a deserted medical facility on the outskirts of Sector 9, recently condemned after a chemical fire. Its isolation made it perfect for an ambush.
As they arrived, Kael turned to her. "You don't leave my side."
She arched an eyebrow. "You trying to be romantic or controlling?"
He smirked. "Both."
The building loomed before them—charred, skeletal, ghostly.
Inside, the trap was already set. Surveillance drones hovered silently above while armed agents stationed themselves in blind spots, ready.
Aelina and Kael stood in the central corridor, bathed in the green glow of broken emergency lights. The silence pressed against their skin.
Minutes passed.
Then—
Footsteps. Soft. Deliberate.
Kael tapped his comm. "Visual."
The drone feed lit up—Aven Ryse was alone. A hood over his head, gun in hand. He walked like he belonged.
Aelina exhaled. "He really came."
Kael's voice turned sharp. "Hold until confirmation."
Aven moved to the marked room.
Then—he paused.
Turned. Looked straight into the corner camera.
He smiled.
"Abort!" Kael barked.
Too late.
The ceiling above them blew apart.
Aelina was thrown into the wall, Kael slammed against the floor. Dust and fire erupted. Static filled their comms.
Shots echoed through the corridors. Drones fell. Screams pierced the smoke.
Kael pushed up, blood running from his forehead. "Aelina!"
"I'm here!" she coughed, pulling herself up, grabbing her blade.
Aven's voice rang through a speaker in the rubble. "Predictable. Always so noble, Kael. So weak."
Kael's fury exploded. He bolted forward. Aelina followed without hesitation.
They emerged in the upper levels, chasing shadows. Two men blocked their path—mercenaries enhanced with cybernetic implants.
Aelina didn't slow.
She ducked under the first attacker's strike, drove her knife into his side, then rolled and fired a shot into the second's neck. Kael neutralized a third with a spin-kick, disarming and breaking the man's wrist in a blink.
They reached the control room.
Aven stood inside, hands raised in mock surrender, a console behind him glowing.
"Tell me, Kael," he said, voice silky. "Do you still believe she makes you stronger?"
Kael aimed his pistol. "You're done."
"Am I?"
He pressed a button.
The building's core systems began to overload.
Red lights flashed. Evac protocols activated.
Aelina stepped forward. "You're coming with us. Or not at all."
Aven laughed. "You still don't get it. Graye doesn't want to kill you. He wants to break you. Bit by bit."
Kael fired.
The bullet struck Aven in the leg. He dropped, screaming.
Kael moved fast, disabling the overload before the system could fully detonate. Alarms slowed.
Aelina stood over Aven. "You picked the wrong side."
He coughed blood. "You'll see… He's already inside."
Before they could demand more, a grenade clattered in.
Kael tackled Aelina, shielding her.
Boom.
Darkness.
She awoke first.
Dust covered everything. Her ears rang.
Kael lay beside her, unconscious but breathing. Blood trickled from his temple. She dragged him out into the hallway, her legs barely steady.
Backup arrived minutes later. Medics. Soldiers. The facility was secured.
Aven's body wasn't found.
Only his blood.
---
Later that night, Aelina sat beside Kael's hospital bed. He stirred, eyes fluttering open.
"Still alive," he rasped.
She smiled. "Barely."
He reached for her hand.
"You saved me again."
She shook her head. "You saved me."
They sat in silence for a long time.
Kael finally said, "I love you."
Aelina blinked. Her voice came as a whisper.
"I know."
He smiled, despite the pain. "Say it back."
She leaned down, kissed his mouth.
"I love you."
And the war outside the window paused, if only for a moment.