Episode 26: The Siege Begins
Location: Luna Estate – Underground War Room
The hologram of the orphanage flickered over the table. Emrys traced a path with his gloved finger, outlining the old tunnels beneath the structure.
"Three main entry points," he said. "Two are rigged with explosives. The third… leads directly to the children's ward. That's where she's keeping Kai."
Evan stood across from him, arms folded, face unreadable.
"She's turning my childhood into a battlefield," she muttered. "She's using my pain as a blueprint."
"She always has," Abel added, stepping beside her. "But this time, you're not walking into it alone."
---
Location: Elio's Room – Medical Wing
Zane crouched by Elio's side, feeding him stories of dragons and sky-knights, pretending nothing was wrong.
But Elio wasn't asleep.
His eyes fluttered open—gold-flecked and glowing faintly.
"Mom…" he rasped.
Zane froze. "Elio?"
"He's scared," Elio whispered. "Kai's scared."
Zane stood immediately and called Evan through the earpiece. "You need to move. Now."
---
Back in the War Room
Evan pulled on her combat gear—sleek, matte black. Not a soldier's armor, but a mother's.
Abel locked his gun in place, glancing over. "You sure about this?"
Evan didn't look at him. "I'm going to get my son. Both of them."
Zane arrived seconds later, eyes wide. "He's awake. Elio spoke."
Everyone froze.
"What did he say?" Evan demanded.
Zane replied: "That Kai is scared."
Evan's voice was a whisper. "Then we don't wait."
---
Location: Underground Orphanage – Outer Wall
Rain poured down as the black van rolled to a stop beneath the dead tree where Evan used to sit as a child.
A twisted monument now.
Emrys turned to her in the dark. "When we breach the entrance, you'll have six minutes before the facility locks down. After that, I can't promise we'll get out."
"Then we won't waste a second."
Zane grinned. "Old team, new mission."
They moved.
---
Inside the Orphanage
The hallway smelled of chemicals and forgotten nightmares.
Evan moved first, gun drawn, eyes sharp. The walls whispered memories—echoes of her screams, her loneliness.
They reached a locked door. Abel pressed a hand to the biometric panel.
To their surprise, it turned green.
Unlocked.
"Why would she leave this open?" Emrys asked.
"Because she wants me here," Evan whispered.
---
Meanwhile – Kai's Cell
Cassandra stood before Kai, her face devoid of emotion.
"You feel her, don't you?" she murmured. "She's here."
Kai said nothing. His eyes remained calm. Unshaken.
But inside, his heart pounded.
Elio was awake. He could feel him.
Cassandra stepped closer.
"I gave you a mother," she said coldly. "I gave you purpose. If you walk away from that now, everything you are—everything you were bred to be—dies with you."
Kai finally looked up.
"I'd rather die with them than live for you."
---
Back in the Facility
The lights flickered.
Zane hacked the surveillance feed, pulling up camera 12.
Evan gasped.
On the screen: Kai, strapped down, his eyes locked on the ceiling. Cassandra beside him, holding a needle.
"She's going to inject him," Evan breathed. "Something permanent."
Emrys zoomed in on the serum label.
It read:
PHASE V – NEURAL WIPING SOLUTION // SUBJECT K ONLY
"She's going to erase him," Abel growled.
"Not if I stop her," Evan snapped.
She ran.
---
Hallway Chase Scene
Security guards swarmed the east corridor.
Zane and Emrys held them back, gunfire echoing.
"You go!" Zane shouted. "We'll hold the line!"
Abel chased after Evan, barely keeping up.
She kicked open the double doors at the end of the hallway—and stopped cold.
Cassandra stood at the far end of the room.
Kai lay behind her, limp, eyes open but fading.
A single syringe hovered over his arm.
"You're late," Cassandra said softly.
---
Face-Off: Evan vs Cassandra
Evan stepped forward, slow, deliberate. "Step away from my son."
Cassandra's smile didn't reach her eyes.
"You mean my creation? My legacy? Don't forget—without me, none of this would exist."
Evan kept walking.
"You're not a creator. You're a parasite. You leech off pain and call it science."
She raised her gun.
Cassandra didn't flinch.
"Shoot me," she whispered. "But the moment you do, the serum releases into his blood. He forgets everything. You. Elio. Himself."
Abel burst in through the other door.
But Evan didn't hesitate.
Instead of aiming at Cassandra—
She shot the serum line.
Glass shattered. The vial exploded.
Cassandra screamed, lunging.
But Abel tackled her to the ground, cuffing her with one clean twist.
Kai blinked.
"Mom?" he croaked.
Evan fell beside him, cradling his head. "Yes, baby. I'm here."
He blinked once.
Then again.
"Elio…"
"He's waiting for you."
---
Final Scene – Back at the Estate
Elio sat on the couch in a blanket cocoon.
The front door opened.
Evan entered.
And beside her—Kai.
Elio stood shakily.
The boys looked at each other.
No words.
Just a shared heartbeat.
They ran into each other's arms.
And Evan—Evan finally let herself cry.
---
❤️ End of Episode 26
> Coming in Episode 27:
Cassandra is imprisoned—but has one final contingency plan.
Kai begins struggling with violent flashbacks.
And Evan must confront Nathaniel—her brother—when he returns to finish what he started… only to learn the truth may kill him.