Chapter 27: The Signal
The city is quieter underground.
Not silent.
Just controlled.
Lights hum instead of flicker. Footsteps echo once, then fade. Every sound feels approved—allowed to exist.
I move through it without rushing.
Black jacket. Hood low. No symbol. No name.
Down here, I'm not Evan.
I'm Assassin X.
The elevator doors slide shut behind me.
No buttons.
Just a scanner.
I place my palm against it.
The machine pauses.
Then beeps.
Access granted.
The elevator drops.
Fast. Smooth. No shaking.
Levels pass that don't exist on any map. No numbers. Just darkness between stops. My reflection stares back at me from the metal walls.
Calm.
Focused.
Empty.
Mia's face flashes in my mind.
Her warmth.
Her breathing.
The mark on her wrist.
I push the thought aside.
Emotion later.
Right now, I need answers.
The elevator slows.
Stops.
The doors open.
The underground market is already awake.
Corridors stretch in every direction, lit by soft white strips along the floor. People move without greeting each other. No eye contact. No hesitation.
Weapons are visible.
No one hides them.
That's how you know this place is real.
A man sharpens a blade that hums softly. A woman counts vials filled with glowing liquid. Someone laughs behind a metal mask.
No law lives here.
Only value.
I step forward.
Conversations don't stop.
But they change.
I feel it—the shift. Bodies straighten. Eyes follow without staring.
Someone whispers.
"Is that—" "No." "Yes." "I heard he erased a whole cell alone." "I heard he doesn't miss."
Rumors stack on each other.
I let them.
Fear is useful.
A man steps aside as I pass.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Respectful.
Another turns his face away, pretending to inspect a weapon he's already holding.
His pulse is too fast. I hear it.
On the far wall, a digital board flickers.
Contracts scroll past.
Faces.
Numbers.
Deadlines.
My name isn't there.
That's not comfort.
That's warning.
People don't post bounties on ghosts.
They wait until they're sure the ghost is real.
I stop at a stall built into the wall.
Too clean.
Glass containers line the shelves. Powders. Liquids. Thin crystal strips.
The man behind the counter looks up.
Old. Thin. Sharp eyes.
He freezes.
Not because he recognizes my face.
Because he recognizes what I am.
"…X," he says quietly.
I don't respond.
I place a small metal disk on the counter.
It rolls once.
Stops.
His eyes widen.
"That's real," he whispers.
"It is," I say.
My voice is flat. Controlled.
"What do you want?" he asks.
"Information."
He nods quickly.
"Of course."
[Hours earlier.]
Mia sleeps.
Her breathing is shallow but steady.
Evan sits beside the bed, watching the monitor. Numbers rise and fall.
Heart rate.
Temperature.
Oxygen.
She looks peaceful.
Too peaceful for someone carrying a weapon in her blood.
The doctor injects the suppressant slowly.
Nothing dramatic happens.
No pain.
No shaking.
Just a quiet change.
The screen stabilizes.
The doctor exhales. "It's working."
Evan looks at Mia's wrist.
The mark is still there.
Dark.
Thin.
Inactive.
"What happens now?" Evan asks.
"She'll feel better," the doctor says. "Less weak. Less fog."
A pause.
"But the system remains."
Evan already knows.
"This was built by a major organization," the doctor continues. "Military level. It weakens the host and sends data. Location. Condition. Stress."
Control.
Leverage.
Evan stands.
He leaves payment on the table.
"If they detect the suppression—" the doctor begins.
"They won't," Evan says.
The doctor doesn't argue.
[Back underground.]
"About the mark," I say.
The merchant stiffens.
I lean closer.
"It's not alive," I continue. "What is it?"
He swallows. "A biological tracking system. Runs like code. Uses the body as hardware."
"Removal?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "Too integrated. It would cause collapse."
"Suppression?"
"Yes. Temporary masking. Signal distortion."
"Who built it?"
He hesitates.
I place my hand on the counter.
Not hard.
Just present.
"Obsidian," he says.
The name lands heavy.
"And everyone under him," he adds.
That's enough.
I turn away.
A presence shifts.
Someone steps into my path.
Big. Augmented arms. Scar down his cheek.
Rank A.
At least.
He smiles. "Didn't expect to see you here, X."
I stop.
Look at him.
His smile tightens.
"Move," I say.
He doesn't.
"I've got a contract," he says. "And you look valuable."
I sigh quietly.
He lunges.
Fast.
Too fast for most.
I step aside.
One movement.
A sharp crack fills the air.
He freezes.
Confusion flashes across his face.
Then his knees give out.
He collapses.
Alive.
Unhurt.
Shut down.
The crowd backs away instantly.
No one interferes.
I keep walking.
The elevator ride up is silent.
When I emerge, the city feels louder. Messier. Human.
I move across rooftops. Through alleys. Back to the safehouse.
Dawn is close.
Mia is asleep where I left her.
Curled on her side. Hair spread across the pillow. One hand near her chest.
She looks safe.
That scares me.
I kneel beside her.
Check her wrist.
The mark is still there.
Faint.
Inactive.
I check the injector.
The indicator glows green.
Active.
Stable.
The suppressant is holding.
Her breathing evens out.
The heat under her skin fades slightly.
The mark dulls.
Not gone.
Just quiet.
Her fingers twitch.
Then curl around my sleeve.
Reflex.
Instinct.
"I'm here," I say softly.
Her fingers tighten.
"Evan…" she murmurs.
It's barely a sound. More breath than voice.
"I'm here," I say again, softer this time.
Her lashes flutter. Not fully awake. Just drifting close to the surface.
Her hand shifts, fingers brushing my wrist like she's checking if I'm real.
"Don't go," she whispers.
"I'm not going anywhere."
The words come out before I think about them.
She exhales slowly. Her forehead rests against my arm.
Her body relaxes, tension melting out of her like she finally feels safe enough to let go.
For a second, I let myself stay like this.
No missions.
No underground.
No signals.
Just her breathing.
Just warmth.
If anyone could see me now, they wouldn't recognize Assassin X.
They'd see something far more dangerous.
Someone with something to lose.
The mark doesn't react.
No pulse.
No movement.
Just a system running in silence.
I sit beside her as the sun rises.
Because now I understand.
This wasn't a mistake.
This wasn't random.
Someone wanted leverage.
Someone wanted eyes on her.
And now...
As long as she breathed beside me,
anyone who followed that signal was already dead.