"Requesting immediate backup! I repeat, requesting immediate backup!"
Sophie's voice echoed through the comms, sharp with panic, reverberating against the hollow expanse of the subway station. It was clear she was facing a critical situation.
"23, what's your status over there?"
Gareth cut in right away, reaching out to Unit 3 to assess what forces were still available.
"We've secured our side. Currently assessing damage and detaining those who surrendered."
23 replied in a calm, steady tone, completely unshaken despite the burning wreckage of armored trucks surrounding him.
"Send whatever men you can spare to reinforce Sophie. Now."
Gareth's order came down without hesitation. He knew that if Sophie's unit collapsed, the entire encirclement would fall apart with it.
"Understood."
23 answered briefly before turning to the soldiers beside him.
"You. Pick twenty of our best and move with me. The rest of you hold this position and wait for prisoner transfer."
He moved with quick, decisive steps toward the unit's transport vehicle. The twenty selected soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons and climbed in without delay. The engine roared to life, and the vehicle lurched forward, speeding toward the subway station where Sophie's unit was being pushed into a corner.
…..
Amid the thunder of gunfire echoing through the narrow tunnel, mixed with the sharp clatter of shell casings hitting concrete, Drago moved like a living shield. He pushed forward through the relentless barrage, bullets tearing through his flesh only for it to regenerate in an instant, clearing the way for his team.
Edward and Jenkins stayed close behind, advancing with caution. They laid down suppressive fire, preventing the government soldiers from regaining their footing. But the chaos inside the dim, smoke-filled subway station made it nearly impossible to identify their primary target.
"How the hell are we supposed to know which one is Sophie?"
Edward shouted over the gunfire, his eyes fixed through the mask as it struggled to process the overload of data.
"Pulse readings are useless. There are too many people in here, the sensors are practically glitching out!"
Just as he said, the confined space was packed with dozens of panicked soldiers. The overlapping signals of heartbeats and heat signatures on his display blurred together, making it impossible to distinguish their target from the rest. Somewhere in that mass was Sophie... but right now, she was indistinguishable from the frightened soldiers surrounding her.
Before Edward could even finish his sentence, Drago exploded forward, tearing into the circle of soldiers like a raging storm. He moved with brutal force, driving fists, kicks, knees, and elbows into anyone in his way, sending them flying one by one. In the middle of that chaos, he seized a split-second opening and yanked a young woman out of the crowd with precise accuracy.
Her body skidded across the cold concrete floor. Without hesitation, Drago pulled out a stun gun and fired, sending a surge of electricity through her exactly as Zenos had instructed in secret. Her body convulsed before going completely still. If they could take down the leader, Sophie, the rest would be nothing more than directionless pawns.
"How did you know she was there?"
Edward asked, stunned, staring at the unconscious body on the ground. The soldiers who had been fighting moments ago now backed away cautiously, their eyes shaking with fear. No one dared pull the trigger or step closer, as if they had already accepted the truth that their bullets meant nothing against this man who might as well be immortal.
"Simple..."
Drago replied, his voice cold.
"She's the one not wearing a mask. Don't tell me you forgot. Test subjects like me don't need one. Our bodies can handle the dust."
As he spoke, he nudged the woman's motionless body with his foot, turning her over to get a better look. The moment her face came into view, Drago's eyes narrowed in surprise.
She wasn't Sophie. The body lying there was just an ordinary female soldier from the unit. Her face was flushed deep red from severe inflammation, her skin beginning to blister after inhaling massive amounts of toxic dust straight into her lungs, all because she had taken off her mask to deceive them.
"Damn it... she threw her life away just to buy time."
Drago muttered, scanning the station hall now filled with soldiers, every single one of them wearing identical masks.
An uneasy silence crept back in. The soldiers who had been holding their ground began to shift subtly, their movements laced with intent. If the body on the floor had been nothing more than a decoy to lower their guard, then where was the real Sophie hiding in the shadows? And worse... she could be watching them right now, through the eyes of any one of the soldiers in this room.
As the atmosphere shifted in an instant, both Edward and Jenkins went pale the moment they realized they had made the wrong move. While their attention had been fixed on the unconscious body on the ground, a soldier had quietly stepped up beside Drago, his movements eerily calm.
The soldier leaned in close and whispered into the giant's ear, his voice carrying a hypnotic authority.
"Drago, a soldier of exceptional skill... standing before you are rebel forces. The duty of a good soldier is to eliminate them completely."
The moment the command was given, the sharp, fiery edge in Drago's eyes vanished. His expression went blank, emotionless, hollow... like a puppet severed from its own will.
"...Understood."
His voice came out low, hoarse, and cold.
The soldier slowly reached up and removed the dust mask, revealing Sophie's true face beneath it, her lips curling into a victorious smile. She had taken a reckless gamble, slipping into close range to use her mind control at the exact moment Drago let his guard down. And now, she held an immortal weapon in her hands... ready to turn it against his own allies.
…..
Inside the command vehicle positioned away from the combat zone, the air was thick with tension. The glow from the monitors cast shifting light across Gareth's face as he carefully tracked the movements of every unit. His fingers moved rapidly, processing data with precision, leaving no room for error.
In the middle of his focus, Colonel Pierce, who had been sitting calmly beside him, finally spoke. His voice was steady, controlled, yet carried undeniable authority.
"Gareth, head to this location. Take ten men with you. Bring Lloyd along."
Pierce said, marking a classified coordinate on the digital map.
"The rest will be handled by 23 and Sophie. I'll take command here."
The abruptness of the order made Gareth pause for a brief moment, but he quickly understood that this was a strategic redeployment of forces.
"And what exactly am I supposed to do when I get there? What's at that location?"
Gareth asked, his confusion evident as he stared at the strange coordinate on the screen, a point that lay increasingly far from the main battlefield.
"Don't worry about it. You'll understand when you get there... and that's the true objective of this war."
Colonel Pierce replied in a cold, measured tone. His gaze seemed fixed far beyond the board, as if he were already looking at an ending no one else could see.
"Move. We're running out of time... if my guess is right."
He added, his voice laced with quiet, unsettling certainty.
Gareth stood still for a brief moment before deciding to follow the order without hesitation. He quickly stepped out of the command vehicle, calling for ten elite soldiers to move with him. A light armored vehicle roared through the toxic dust, heading to Lloyd's previous sniper position to pick him up, before accelerating straight toward the designated coordinates. Behind them, the chaos in the subway station faded into distant noise.
The coordinates on the display pointed to an old palace, once a symbol of immense wealth and excess. Now, nothing of value remained. Time and war had devoured everything that once thrived there, leaving behind only an empty expanse of ruins.
Though it stood as nothing more than lifeless remnants of architecture, the so-called "true objective" that Pierce had emphasized was waiting there for Gareth and Lloyd... within the silence of the abandoned palace halls.