The laboratory space was ringed by tiered containment tanks—various malformed bodies and isolated parts drifting inside, a sight disturbing enough to haunt anyone for days. At the center, Noir was fixed by both wrists and ankles into locking sockets like a sacrifice bound in place.
Orion held his breath, eyes locked on Noir within the cage, urgency burning through him. At that moment, a hand gripped his shoulder—Specter's.
"I'll support you," Specter said, his voice low but firm.
A small round device flashed in his palm, just enough to emit a brief electrical pulse that blurred nearby sensors within a narrow radius. Orion gave a slight nod. The two inhaled in sync, then dashed across the corridor.
In the remote control room, Doctor Aurel was under extreme strain. The organization's system was as dense as a digital labyrinth, and now he and his wife had to hold the line against dozens of encryption layers.
Red lights blinked continuously, signaling intrusion. The organization had begun to suspect something, pulling in every available tech engineer. But Aurel was not easily countered—his seasoned hands flew across the keyboard, knocking down firewall after firewall.
/Calm… just a few more minutes…/ he told himself, sweat soaking his collar.
His wife placed a hand on his shoulder, steadying him. Taut as a drawn wire, they still maintained control.
Inside VOID's high-level meeting chamber, several leaders frowned, panic creeping into their voices.
"The signal interference is constant. Someone has infiltrated!"
"Impossible! The core layer is supposed to be impenetrable!"
Fear surfaced on their faces. If the camera network truly lost control, it meant a lethal vulnerability was forming at the very center of their power.
Specter and Orion finally reached Noir's location inside the laboratory. Through the thick glass, she remained immobilized in the restraint device, eyes half-open—as if waiting.
Specter clenched his fist and lowered his voice.
"You cover the door. I'll disable the restraint."
Orion nodded, hand resting on the sword hidden beneath the false armor. Both were ready—waiting only for the moment to ignite.
Specter tightened his grip on the tool, fingers moving quickly over the lock nodes on the restraint around Noir's wrist. Small arcs of electricity snapped outward—the defense mechanism resisting.
Orion guarded the doorway, one hand gripping the concealed hilt, eyes scanning constantly for any movement.
A faint scrape of metal. The restraint shifted—just slightly—
Suddenly, a figure detached from the shadowed corner.
No warning sound. Lysander was already there—moving so fast the eye barely registered it.
His dagger sliced through the air straight toward Specter.
"Clang!"
Orion's sword intercepted just in time, sparks scattering through the cold room.
Specter stepped back half a pace, eyes narrowing.
"I didn't expect it to be you."
Lysander did not respond. His gaze—icy—rested on Noir's unmoving form, then snapped toward the intruders.
Another strike followed—stronger, faster. Orion gritted his teeth, metal crashing again and again, the sound echoing off sealed walls.
Specter tightened his grip on the tool, eyes flashing briefly. If Lysander truly intended to block them, removing Noir's restraints would be nearly impossible.
Red alarm lights strobed across the laboratory, stretching their shadows into warped shapes across the steel floor.
Orion and Specter pressed in together, yet Lysander stood like a wall of steel—every step, every turn, executed with absolute precision.
Then—
"Crack!"
The restraint around Noir's wrist flared brightly—then stalled.
Her eyes slowly opened. Her breathing was heavy.
Her left eye flashed red.
She took in the scene immediately—Specter and Orion straining in combat, and Lysander… blocking them from approaching.
"Lysander…" Noir rasped.
He faltered for a fraction of a second, something complicated flickering in his eyes—then he spoke coldly.
"You're not going anywhere. They're treating you. You belong to me."
Specter's jaw tightened.
"Are you FUCKING IDIOT?!" Orion swore, his blade slashing toward Lysander's side—but Lysander pivoted cleanly, countering in a flash.
"BANG! BANG!"
Gunshots thundered—bullets tearing into the steel wall. Specter had drawn the pistol hidden beneath his armor, forcing Lysander back several steps.
The noise was too loud. The alert system escalated instantly.
"Emergency warning. Intrusion confirmed. High-security response team, proceed to the laboratory immediately."
Footsteps pounded from afar. Multiple figures rushed toward them.
Orion clenched his teeth.
"Damn it—we just lit our own fuse."
Noir forced herself upright, her red-lit gaze locking onto Lysander.
"Then aim at me—… let them go…"
Lysander did not answer. His eyes dimmed slightly, but his blade rose again.
Outside, the thunder of boots and metal striking steel grew closer.
The real battle had begun.