Carl stood rigid behind Eric.
His hands gripped the metal bar so tightly his knuckles whitened. His breaths came in short, uneven gasps, as if his lungs had forgotten how to work. In front of him, Clara watched with a calm smile. Too calm for a situation like this.
"You're late," Clara said to Eric, her tone casual. "And lateness always comes at a price."
Eric didn't have time to fully turn when something slammed into the back of his head.
The sound of metal against bone echoed.
His body lurched forward; his knees smashed into the metal floor. The world blurred, his ears rang. Blood dripped slowly, thick and dark, onto the floor.
Behind him, Carl remained standing.
His hands trembled.
"Why…" Eric's voice was hoarse, barely audible. "Why did you—"
Carl didn't answer.
He couldn't.
His eyes stayed fixed on the floor, jaw tight, holding back something on the verge of breaking inside him.
Clara stepped forward, her heels clicking softly. She stopped beside Carl and placed a hand on his shoulder. The touch seemed gentle, but it jolted Carl.
"See?" Clara said. "He made his choice."
Eric let out a bitter, short laugh. "Choice… or coercion?"
Carl closed his eyes.
Clara smiled.
"The difference doesn't matter."
She leaned slightly, bringing her face level with Eric's. Her gaze was sharp, cold, void of any sympathy.
"Ferom 9 you're looking for?" she said. "Not here."
Eric lifted his head slowly.
"This ship is just bait," Clara continued. "The real one's long gone. Silent. Without anyone knowing. Without permission."
Around them, footsteps began to echo. Many. Too many. Armed shadows emerged from every corner.
Liam was yanked roughly.
Noah pressed to the floor.
Levant tried to resist, but was thrown down.
Carl saw it all. And every sight felt like a new sin staining his hands.
"Clara…" Carl's voice almost broke. "Enough."
Clara turned. Her smile didn't fade.
"You've started," she said softly. "There's no turning back."
She nodded at Eric.
"Finish it."
Carl shook his head. His breaths caught. "I can't—"
"You can," Clara interrupted. Her tone was soft but lethal. "Or I will. And this time… I won't stop at the head."
Carl shivered.
Eric looked at him. Their eyes met. No anger in Eric's gaze. Just exhaustion. And an understanding more painful than hate.
"It's fine," Eric said quietly. "I understand."
That line broke Carl completely.
He lifted the bar again.
The second blow landed.
Harder.
Eric collapsed to the side, unmoving.
Blood spread across the metal floor, creeping toward Carl's feet.
Carl dropped the bar. Its clatter sounded hollow. His hands shook, his breaths ragged, as if he'd been the one struck.
Clara watched with satisfaction.
"Good," she said. "Now you're truly mine."
Carl stood there, drenched in guilt he never wanted.
And Clara?
She smiled.
Because in this game, it wasn't Ferom 9 that was the most dangerous.
It was the human who knew how to break others without spilling their own blood.
---
Clara stood, observing Eric's body lying motionless on the floor, blood still warm on his head. Her face didn't change. Calm. Empty.
"Dispose of him," she said plainly. "If you want to be sure, burn him too. I don't want evidence left behind."
Carl froze. His fingers trembled. His breaths were heavy, as if chains bound his chest. He nodded slowly—not out of agreement, but because he knew the cost of refusal.
He lifted Eric alone. Heavy. Too heavy for someone who should already be dead.
In Carl's mind, Clara's voice still echoed. The threat didn't need repeating. He had already lost a brother. He wouldn't lose anyone else.
But Carl didn't take Eric where Clara wanted.
He drove far. Too far. Through roads no one traveled, until he stopped at a remote location in Asia, an old site only a few knew of.
A place once meant for healing, not killing.
Eric still breathed. Weakly. Almost imperceptible, but enough for Carl to make his final decision.
He treated Eric.
Not once. Not easily. Day after day, Carl battled time and guilt. Eric's head wound was stitched. Poison in his body neutralized slowly. His body burned, chilled, shivered—and then settled.
After that, Carl returned for the others.
Liam. Noah. Levant.
All alive, but broken. Bruised bodies, disrupted pheromone systems, effects of attacks designed to incapacitate rather than kill. Carl tended to them one by one, with the same hands that had struck Eric.
That night was silent.
The scent of medicine, blood, and sweat mingled in the air. Carl leaned against a wall, head down, waiting. To see if they would wake… or if he had failed completely.
Eric awoke first.
His eyelids opened slowly. Vision blurred. Breathing caught for a moment before stabilizing. Pain remained, but he lived.
He tried to stand. Failed.
Carl stayed before him.
"Don't get up," Carl's voice was hoarse. "You're not strong enough yet."
Eric studied his face. Long. Sharp. Memories came back in shards of glass.
"You…" Eric's voice was low. Not anger. More like heavy disappointment.
Carl swallowed. His knees nearly gave way.
"I'm sorry," he said finally.
"I had no choice."
Eric stayed silent. Waiting.
Carl spoke, fast. Tense. As if stopping would make him unable to continue. About Clara. About Ferom 9. About the threat. About his dead brother. About the truth he'd kept hidden for too long out of fear.
"I did all of it because if I didn't obey, she would've done worse," Carl confessed. "I know I was wrong. But I couldn't watch anyone else die."
Eric closed his eyes briefly. Drew a deep breath.
When he opened them again, his voice was firm. Tired, but clear.
"We're not done," he said. "And this time, we don't follow her rhythm anymore."
Outside that room, the others still struggled to recover.
And far away, Clara believed it was all over.
She was wrong.
---
Carl stood for a long moment before speaking again. Before him, Eric could already sit, though his face remained pale. Liam, Noah, and Levant were not far, silent. No one interrupted. Everyone knew what Carl was about to say wasn't small talk.
"I'll tell everything," Carl said at last. "Nothing left hidden."
He drew a deep breath.
"It all started long before Ferom 9 became a major mission," he said slowly. "Back then… I still thought Clara was just a wounded person."
Carl lifted his head, eyes red but dry.
"My brother died first. His death wasn't an accident. Nor betrayal as people believed." His voice shook slightly. "Clara did it."
Noah tensed. Liam clenched his fists. Eric didn't move.
"She killed my brother because he tried to stop the early Ferom 9 experiments. Back then, Ferom 9 wasn't a weapon. Just an idea. But Clara already saw its potential to destroy."
Carl laughed softly, bitterly.
"And when my brother died, I became the next target. Not to be killed. But to be controlled."
He looked at Eric.
"She threatened me. Not once. Not just me. The people I cared about… all on her list. If I didn't obey, she would make them 'disappear' one by one."
Levant spoke softly, "That's why you were always on the early missions."
Carl nodded.
"I was her eyes and hands. I'm not proud. But I lived in fear every day."
Eric finally spoke. Calm, but sharp.
"Ferom 9 was already delivered earlier?"
Carl nodded again. This time heavier.
"The ship you raided was fake. A distraction. The real one… sent quietly, through routes that can't be tracked. Target countries already received part of the shipment."
Silence fell.
"Clara knew you'd come," Carl continued. "She wanted you to catch her. Because, to her, the real game had already begun."
Eric leaned against the wall. His face hard, but his eyes slightly shattered.
"So all of this… was planned."
"Yes," Carl admitted honestly. "And hitting your head…" He lowered his gaze. "That was a direct order. If I hadn't done it, she would've made sure you were really dead. I did just enough to make her believe."
Liam exhaled sharply.
"You realize the risk you took saving all of us?"
Carl lifted his head.
"I do. But I couldn't be her dog to the end."
Eric stood slowly, though his body hadn't fully recovered. He stood directly in front of Carl.
"You're coming with us," he said firmly. "Not as a prisoner. But as a witness and a target."
Carl nodded without protest.
"I've been waiting for those words."
Outside, night deepened.
Ferom 9 had already escaped into the world.
And Clara… was still free.