The room was a war zone.
Julian's blood was still warm, soaking into the marble like an oath sealed in red. Alarms howled. Doors clanked shut. The chamber sealed like a crypt. Isabella stood frozen—gun smoke in the air, her scream caught somewhere between fury and grief.
Adrian's hands were shaking, but his voice came out steel-flat.
"Don't move," he barked at the Dons. "Nobody moves until I say so."
One of them flinched—gun rising.
Too slow.
Adrian shot him in the leg without blinking.
The man crumpled, screaming. "You've lost your mind—"
Adrian leveled the barrel at his face.
"No, I've finally found it."
Isabella dropped to Julian's side, pressing trembling hands to his chest. Blood pumped between her fingers, thick and impossible.
"You stupid bastard," she whispered. "You don't get to do this again."
Luciana knelt beside her. "We need to move. Now."
Isabella didn't look up.
"They're coming for me."
"Yes," Luciana said, voice clipped. "And if we don't move, they'll get you."
Adrian reached down, hauled Isabella to her feet.
"You want revenge? You want answers? Then run. Live. Make them regret everything."
Isabella's knees buckled. Adrian caught her—his arms wrapping around her waist, grounding her. She hated how familiar it felt. Hated how her body responded like it remembered his touch before her heart ever did.
Their eyes locked—raw, bleeding truths between them.
Then she kissed him.
Hard.
It wasn't gentle. It wasn't sweet. It was desperate—laced with panic and lust and six years of near-deaths and unspoken hunger. His hand found the back of her neck, dragging her closer. Her fingers fisted in his shirt, tasting blood and needs memory.
She broke the kiss first, breath ragged.
"If I die tonight," she whispered, "I'm not dying untouched."
Adrian grabbed her face, stared down into her.
"Then don't die."
He slammed a button on the wall panel. A hidden door clicked open behind the tapestries—Julian's escape route, now theirs.
"Go," he ordered Luciana. "Take her."
Isabella hesitated.
He touched her lips. "I'll follow. I promise."
Then he turned back toward the Dons, reloading his gun.
Basement Corridor – Underground Exit
Luciana moved fast, but Isabella kept pace. The air was damp and metallic, thick with dust and secrets.
"How long have you known?" Isabella asked, breath heaving.
Luciana didn't lie. "Years. But I didn't know you were the endgame."
"I'm a prototype," Isabella spat. "A science experiment with a pulse."
Luciana stopped abruptly and shoved her against the stone wall.
"No. You're the evolution. And if you don't start acting like it, they'll erase you like the others."
Isabella's heart thundered. "Others?"
Luciana's eyes flashed. "The Protocol didn't start with you. You're just the last one standing."
The weight of it hit like a truck—generations of girls, bred for bloodlines, erased for failure. She wasn't special. She was a survivor.
Control Room – Council Tower
Dante stood with two guards at his back, watching the chaos unfold on-screen.
"Where's the girl?" one of them asked.
"She'll run," Dante said coolly. "That's what they all do."
Eva, still cuffed, snarled from the corner. "She's not like the others."
Dante turned slowly. "No. She's worse."
He keyed in another command.
PHOENIX FAILSAFE: PHASE TWO
STATUS: ACTIVE
ASSET DEPLOYED: SILVER HAND UNIT – ROOM CLEARANCE MODE
Outside, shadows moved through the trees. Six men in black exosuits descended the hill—silent, armed, trained to kill.
Escape Tunnel – Dead End
They hit the hatch. Locked.
Luciana cursed. "They sealed the outer exits."
Then a soft whine—metal gears shifting. The hatch slowly opened.
Adrian stood on the other side, gun in one hand, blood on the other.
"Miss me?"
Luciana rolled her eyes. Isabella pulled him into a kiss so rough it left her dizzy.
"Never do that again," she hissed.
He smirked. "Noted."
They climbed through into open woods—no cover, no allies, just wind and moonlight.
"Where now?" Isabella asked.
Adrian scanned the ridge. "Safehouse. Julian had one just north of the ridge. Off-grid, no Council taps."
He turned to Luciana.
"You coming?"
Luciana hesitated—then nodded.
But as they started toward the trees, Isabella stopped. Her spine locked.
Something moved.
Too fast.
Too quiet.
"Down!" she screamed.
Bullets shredded the tree next to them. A figure appeared in the darkness—silver armor gleaming. Not human. Not fully.
Adrian fired.
Nothing.
The thing didn't flinch. Just kept walking.
Luciana whispered, "Silver Hand…"
Adrian pulled Isabella behind a fallen tree.
"These aren't guards. They're erasers."
One step. Two.
The thing raised its weapon.
And then—
BOOM.
A shockwave split the air. Dust. Fire. Silence.
When Isabella opened her eyes, Luciana was gone.
Adrian grabbed her hand.
"RUN!"