21:24 PM.

En route to Jade City.

The hoverbike hummed beneath Jayden as he flew through the darkening sky. The city lights of Emerald City faded behind him, replaced by the sprawling darkness of rural areas and eventually the distant glow of Jade City on the horizon.

Jayden used the time of the journey to review everything one more time. The facility layout. Guard rotations. Scorched’s known patterns. His tactical plan.

[You’re really doing this alone?] Luna said quietly.

"Yes," Jayden replied flatly.

[Going into a heavily fortified facility, against forty armed guards and a Level 62 mercenary]

"Yes."

Luna sighed. [To rescue Cassandra]

"To save her," Jayden corrected. "There’s a difference."

[Is there?] Luna asked.

"Rescue implies she’s helpless," Jayden said quickly. "Saving her means I’m giving her a way out. A chance to fight back."

Luna was quiet for a moment. [You’ve changed, Jayden. Since all this started. It’s like you’ve gone back to your previous self, but this time, you’re even more... ruthless]

"Good," Jayden said simply.

[Is it? Is becoming this... this thing that hurts people and doesn’t feel anything... is that really good?] Luna asked in concern. [I know it’s necessary, but Jayden, you’ve been doing it a lot lately without any remorse, and I fear that it’s turning you into something else. A cold killing machine that feels nothing]

Jayden’s hands tightened on the handlebars. "I feel plenty, Luna. I feel rage at the people who took her. I feel guilty that I wasn’t there to protect her. I fear that I’ll be too late. But I can’t let those feelings control me. And tonight, I need to be cold. Hard. Whatever it takes to bring her home."

[And after? When this is over? What then?]

"Then I deal with whatever consequences come," Jayden thought. "But first, I save her."

Luna didn’t respond, and they flew on in silence.

Jade City appeared on the horizon—smaller than Emerald, more industrial, its skyline dominated by factories and warehouses rather than gleaming corporate towers. The kind of place where people came to work, not to live.

Perfect location for a secret holding facility.

Jayden descended, flying low over the city outskirts, following the coordinates Big T had provided. The industrial complex appeared exactly as the blueprints had shown—a five-story building, old concrete and steel construction, surrounded by a chain-link fence with barbed wire on top.

From the outside, it looked abandoned. Dark windows. No visible activity.

But Jayden’s Dragon Eye picked up heat signatures inside. Lots of them.

He circled once at a distance, noting the external layout, then found a safe landing spot three blocks away in an abandoned lot.

The hoverbike dissolved into his glove, and Jayden stood in the darkness, breathing slowly, centering himself.

This was it.

He checked the time: 21:47 PM.

Guard shift change at 2200. Thirteen minutes.

Jayden activated his invisibility and began moving toward the facility.

-----

21:58 Hours.

Black Cobra VIP Facility - Exterior.

Jayden crouched in the shadows across the street from the service entrance, watching.

Two guards stood outside, both armed with energy rifles. They looked bored, tired, ready for their shift to end.

At exactly 2200 hours, the service door opened and two fresh guards emerged. The shift change took ninety seconds—a brief conversation, exchange of notes, the tired guards heading inside while the fresh ones took position.

During the confusion of the exchange, Jayden moved.

Still invisible, he slipped through the closing door before it locked, entering the facility.

....

Facility Interior - Ground Floor.

The inside was exactly as the blueprints had indicated. Long hallway, fluorescent lights, doors leading to various rooms. Jayden could hear voices—guards chatting, someone laughing at a joke.

He moved silently, following the path to the stairwell that would take him down to Sublevel 2.

A guard walked past, not three feet away, completely unaware of Jayden’s presence.

Jayden reached the stairwell door, eased it open, and descended.

Sublevel 1 was quieter—mostly storage and the power systems. One guard on patrol. Jayden waited until the man passed, then continued down.

Then he reached sublevel 2.

The holding cells.

The stairwell door opened into a corridor lined with reinforced steel doors. Each door had a small window. Each window showed the same thing: cells. Captives.

Jayden’s heart pounded as he moved from door to door, looking through each window.

Young women. Teenagers. Some barely conscious. All terrified.

But no Cassandra.

He reached the end of the corridor. Turned the corner. More cells.

His heart began pounding. "Please. Please let her be here."

Third door on the left.

Jayden looked through the window and his breath caught.

Cassandra.

She was sitting on a metal bench, her back against the wall, arms wrapped around her knees. Her blonde hair was dirty, dishevelled. Her clothes—the same ones she’d been wearing when she disappeared—were torn and stained. Her face was bruised, one eye slightly swollen.

But she was alive.

Jayden’s hands trembled as relief and rage warred inside him. She was alive. Hurt, but alive.

He tried the door. Locked. Electronic keypad.

But he’d expected this.

Jayden pulled out a small device he’d purchased earlier from the system shop—a basic electronic lock bypass. He attached it to the keypad, let it run through combinations.

Five seconds. Ten.

BEEP.

The lock disengaged.

Jayden opened the door and stepped inside, dropping his invisibility.

Cassandra’s head snapped up, her eyes going wide with shock and fear—

Then recognition hit her.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Jayden?" she whispered, her voice hoarse from disuse.

"It’s me," Jayden said, moving quickly to her. "I’m getting you out of here."

"How did you—" Tears were already streaming down her face. "You came. You actually came."

"I promised I’d find you," Jayden said, kneeling beside her. "Can you walk?"

"I think so." She tried to stand, stumbled. Jayden caught her, and she grabbed onto him like a lifeline. "They... they hurt me, Jayden. I tried to fight but he was too strong and—"

"I know. I know. But you’re safe now. I’m getting you out." Jayden muttered softly. Then he checked her all through. She had several bruises, was dehydrated, and looked exhausted. There was nothing immediately life-threatening, but she needed proper care.

"Can you run if you have to?" Jayden asked.

Cassandra nodded, wiping her eyes. "Yes. If it means getting out of here, I can run."

"Good," Jayden said. "Stay close to me. Do exactly what I say. Understood?"

Cassandra gave a slight nod. "Understood."

But before they could even leave the cell....

WREEEEEE!

Alarms exploded throughout the facility. Red lights flashed. Doors began sealing automatically.

Jayden gritted his teeth. "Shit!"

Someone had noticed the open cell. Or spotted him on a camera he’d missed.

"INTRUDER ALERT! SUBLEVEL 2. ALL UNITS RESPOND."

The loudspeaker announcement echoed through the corridors.

Jayden grabbed Cassandra’s hand. "Change of plans. We’re fighting our way out. Stay behind me."

Heavy footsteps thundered down the stairwell. Shouts. The sound of weapons being readied.

Chaos was about to ensue.