Odyssey Of Survival-Chapter 184 - Sera’s Surprise

Nate suddenly appeared at the location where Ray was being held. The first thing he noticed was the vast emptiness surrounding him. The land stretched out infinitely in all directions, dry and cracked, with not a single structure in sight. The heat distorted the horizon, creating mirages of wavering air. His boots crunched against the hardened earth as he took a few steps forward, scanning the barren landscape.

Speaking into the comm in his ear, he muttered, "There's nothing out here, just an empty dried and cracked ground. You sure this is the right spot, Jack?"

Jack, monitoring their location through the vision lenses embedded in Sera's suit, responded almost immediately. "That's what the coordinates say, and I trust my own tech more than anything else. Keep looking, there has to be something hidden there."

As Sera turned to glance at Nate, Jack suddenly exclaimed, "Wait! Why the hell did Nate take off his suit?"

Sera's head snapped toward Nate, and sure enough, he was back in his usual clothes, having somehow discarded the advanced combat suit Jack had designed for him. The sleek red fabric with streaks of silver lightning was gone, replaced by his usual attire.

Nate shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "While the suit enhances my control, I just didn't like how it looked on me. Felt too tight," he admitted with a smirk. "But it looks good on Alice and Sera."

Before Jack could argue, Madison's voice rang out over the comms. "Nate, look for any signs of underground buildings. If there's nothing on the surface, it has to be beneath you."

Alice had been scanning their surroundings carefully, and her sharp eyes caught something first. "Over there!" she called out. The others followed her gaze to a seemingly insignificant dried-up plant sticking out of the cracked ground. But upon closer inspection, they realized the plant was merely a disguise, covering what appeared to be a metallic door handle embedded in the dirt.

Nate wasted no time. He stepped forward, gripping the handle tightly before giving it a firm pull. The heavy door groaned in protest before lifting effortlessly in his grip. The strength he applied should have made it feel like moving a boulder, but to him, it was practically weightless.

As the concealed entrance fully opened, they peered into the darkness below. A long, narrow staircase descended downward, disappearing into the depths of the earth. The steps were made of reinforced steel, their surfaces coated in dust but otherwise well-maintained. Small lights lined the walls at regular intervals, casting a dim glow that barely reached the bottom.

Alice was the first to move. She stepped onto the staircase cautiously, testing its stability before glancing back. "Seems safe," she said. "Let's go."

Nate gave her a dumbfounded look. "Wait, isn't that my job?"

Alice smirked but didn't respond. Instead, she continued down, her movements silent.

Sera and Nate followed, making sure to step lightly. They didn't want to alert anyone inside to their presence just yet. If they were lucky, they could get in undetected. If not, well... they were ready for a fight.

As they descended further, the air grew cooler, a stark contrast to the heat above. The faint hum of machinery echoed in the distance, an indication that this underground facility was very much operational. The deeper they went, the more intense the feeling of anticipation became.

They were walking straight into enemy territory.

And there was no turning back now.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the air grew cooler, thick with the scent of damp earth and old metal. The descent had taken nearly three minutes, a slow, careful journey into the unknown. Nate scanned the area as his boots touched the solid ground. The underground structure was vast, with aged stone walls that looked like they had been reinforced with metal over time. It was clear that this place had been built long ago, possibly repurposed over the years for different secret operations.

Before them lay a series of tunnels, each branching off in different directions like veins of an ancient beast buried beneath the earth. The dim lighting cast eerie shadows, making it difficult to tell which path led where. The structure itself looked abandoned, yet there was something about it that felt too preserved to be entirely forgotten.

Nate's sharp eyes caught something above them—something small, barely noticeable against the rough ceiling. It wasn't a camera, at least not a conventional one, but it gave him a bad feeling. His instincts screamed at him that it wasn't as harmless as it appeared.

"Sera, look up," Nate murmured, keeping his voice low.

Sera followed his gaze, and her eyes narrowed as she spotted the small device. It was almost invisible against the dark ceiling, tucked neatly between some exposed pipes. Jack's voice came through the comms in their ears. "Alright, what am I looking at?"

Nate exhaled sharply before answering. "That thing up there—it's an energy detector. It's designed to sense and alert based on abnormal energy signatures. Not movement, not heat, but anything outside the normal electromagnetic spectrum. That includes our powers."

There was silence for a moment before Jack responded. "Wait… how do you know this?"

Nate glanced at the detector again before replying. "Back before our plane crashed, I saw it being auction on the dark web by some delusional guy saying it can track ghost, everybody laughed at it, never thought a big organization would be the one purchasing it. It works by tracking energy frequency shifts. Every power we use, even if it doesn't emit visible light or sound, disturbs the surrounding energy field. It's like an electric pulse in the air that's detectable."

Jack let out a low whistle. "Damn. That makes sense. It would explain how they keep catching up to you guys so easily. If they have these detectors set up, all they need to do is wait for a blip on their system and send forces there."

Nate clenched his jaw, realizing Jack was right. The people who had captured their friends were more advanced than they initially thought. He turned toward Sera and Alice. "That means we can't use our powers without setting off an alarm. We need to do this without abilities."

Alice raised an eyebrow, her expression incredulous. "Are you kidding me? You expect me to go in blind? Without my ice?" She crossed her arms, clearly unhappy with the decision. "Nate, I am stronger than any normal soldier, sure. But they have guns. I don't like my odds against bullets."

Sera rubbed her forehead, sighing. Unlike Alice and Nate, she wasn't physically enhanced. She relied almost entirely on her shadows for combat. Without them, she was just a regular person, which put her at an extreme disadvantage. "This just keeps getting better and better," she muttered sarcastically.

Nate took a step forward, glancing between them. "Look, I get it. It's not ideal. But we don't have a choice. If we trip that alarm, we could lose any chance of getting to Ray and the others before they're moved—or worse." He turned to Alice specifically. "I need you to trust me on this."

Alice's lips pressed into a thin line, but she eventually gave a small nod. "Fine," she muttered. "But the second this goes sideways, I'm freezing the whole damn place."

Sera just sighed again, rolling her shoulders as if preparing herself mentally. "Guess I'll just have to stick close to you guys. No powers means no shadows."

Nate nodded, then turned his attention back to the tunnels ahead. "Alright, let's move carefully. No unnecessary noise, no sudden movements." His eyes flickered to the energy detector above them one last time. They couldn't afford a single mistake.

With that, the three of them advanced, their steps silent against the cold, ancient floor.

Nate's ears twitched at the sudden sound of footsteps, his body reacting instantly as he reached out, pulling both Sera and Alice behind a stack of metal crates. The echo of boots striking the hard underground floor filled the dimly lit tunnel, growing louder as the soldiers marched past. He held his breath, counting—at least fifteen of them, armed, disciplined, and dangerous.

Alice remained tense, her body slightly crouched in case they had to move. Sera, on the other hand, merely glanced at Nate, her expression unwavering. It was only after the soldiers had turned the corner and disappeared into the maze of hallways that Nate finally exhaled, giving Alice a small nod before stepping back onto the path. They had a mission to complete, and they couldn't afford to be spotted.

As they continued down the narrow, dim corridors, the air became thick with dust, and the old metallic scent of the underground structure made it clear this place had been abandoned for a long time—at least, until recently. The further they walked, the more Nate's eyes adjusted to the flickering lights overhead, their glow casting eerie shadows along the cracked walls.

They finally reached a large hallway, its width far more expansive than the narrow tunnels they had been navigating. At the far end stood a reinforced metal door, clearly designed to keep intruders out—or prisoners in. But the door wasn't the only problem. Two guards, dressed in full tactical gear, stood stationed at either side, rifles in hand, expressions stone-cold. Their posture alone made it obvious they were on high alert, ready to fire at the first sign of trouble.

Even Jack, who had been monitoring everything from the lab, let out an audible sigh over the comms.

"There's no way past them unless we make a move," he muttered.

Nate clenched his jaw. They had made it this far without being detected, and he wasn't about to mess it up now. But unless they wanted to announce their presence in the loudest way possible, they needed a strategy that didn't involve brute force—at least, not yet.

Suddenly, Sera stepped forward, a confident smirk on her lips.

"I have a plan," she whispered.

Nate raised a brow. "Oh yeah? What kind of plan?"

She didn't answer right away. Instead, she reached for the small device attached to her wrist—the watch Jack had given her—and pressed down on its interface. Instantly, the sleek black suit that had been covering her body began to dissolve, retracting like liquid metal until it completely disappeared. Now in her regular outfit—dark jeans, boots, and a fitted shirt—Sera looked far more casual.

Jack, who had been tracking their visuals through her suit's camera, groaned. "Great. There goes one of my viewpoints. I have to switch to Alice's now."

But Sera wasn't done. With a calculated motion, she ran her fingers through her hair, ruffling it slightly before letting the strands fall messily over her shoulders. Then, she reached down, adjusting her jeans just slightly, enough to make the fit look more relaxed, yet somehow, more form-fitting at the same time. Lastly, she unzipped the front of her jacket just enough to show a teasing glimpse of the tank top underneath, giving her a more effortless, confident look.

Nate blinked, staring at her as if she had just transformed before his eyes.

"What the hell have you been watching on the Internet?" he muttered.

Sera shot him a grin, then stepped forward, walking straight into view of the two guards.

The moment they saw her, their grips on their rifles tightened.

"Who is that?" one of them barked, already raising his weapon slightly.

Sera didn't flinch. Instead, she slowed her steps, letting her hips sway naturally as she raised her hands in mock surrender, her expression one of pure confidence.

"Hey, easy there," she said smoothly, her voice carrying just the right amount of casual amusement. "I was just looking for the bathroom."

The soldiers exchanged glances, clearly confused by her sudden presence. Nate remained hidden, watching from behind the crates, his body tense. If this didn't work, he'd have to move fast.

One of the guards narrowed his eyes. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

Sera tilted her head, giving them a small, almost flirtatious smile. "Oh, you know. I have my ways." She took a slow step forward. "But seriously, you guys don't have any maps down here? I've been wandering for ages."

The second guard hesitated, his grip on his rifle loosening ever so slightly. "You shouldn't be here."

Sera took another step. "That's exactly what I was thinking." She gestured toward the heavy metal door. "I mean, what even is this place? Some kind of secret underground bunker? Very mysterious."

Jack, still listening through the comms, let out a low whistle. "Damn. She's good."

Nate remained focused, his fingers twitching slightly. He was ready to strike if things went south, but for now, Sera seemed to have their full attention. That was exactly what they needed.

As she continued to talk, Alice and Nate silently maneuvered around the perimeter, inching closer to the guards' blind spots. If Sera could keep them distracted for just a few more seconds, they would be in the perfect position to take them down without a sound.

One of the guards finally lowered his rifle just slightly, his expression shifting from suspicion to mild intrigue.

"Where exactly are you from?" he asked.

Sera smiled, leaning in just a bit. "Oh, you know," she said playfully. "Here and there."

That was the moment Nate moved.

Like a shadow in motion, he surged forward, wrapping his arm around the first guard's throat in a chokehold before the man could even react. Alice followed suit, moving with deadly precision as she grabbed the second guard, her fingers pressing into the pressure point at his neck. Within seconds, both guards slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Sera let out a satisfied sigh, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, that was easy."

Nate gave her a dry look. "Next time, warn me before you decide to play secret agent."

She smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"

Jack's voice crackled through the comms. "Alright, you're clear. Get through that door and see what's inside."