The emergency lights flickered dimly overhead, casting an eerie red hue across the terminal. The usual crowd was frozen in confusion — families, tourists, and businessfolk huddled together while the loudspeakers repeated one distorted message: "System override... evacuation sequence initiated... authorities have been notified..."
Seth clenched his fists. "This isn't just a glitch," he muttered, eyes scanning the ceiling. "Somebody's watching us."
Jacquel turned away from the flickering board. "No," he said coolly, "someone wants us to know they're watching."
Behind them, Halsey tapped her tablet rapidly. "All frequencies are scrambled — even secure Genitek encryptions. Whatever's broadcasting this blackout is not human tech."
Caelum lowered his hood and exhaled. "We should move."
"Agreed," Jacquel replied. "But we need to split. Whoever did this is trying to slow us down."
Seth glanced at them both, tension in his jaw. "Split up? Are you serious right now?"
"There's smoke between brothers," Caelum snapped back. "Let's not turn it into fire."
Silence fell briefly. Seth backed down.
Jacquel's tone softened. "Just keep your comms offline. We'll rendezvous at Bahnhof Tiergarten Tunnel, south exit — in one hour."
Suddenly, a woman screamed. A mechanical whirring echoed from the far corridor — followed by a sharp, clicking thud-thud-thud.
"Drones," Halsey whispered. "Modified X-29 Recon Crawlers. Genitek grade."
The four immediately dashed behind a marble column, ducking low as two slick black spider-like drones skittered along the wall, scanning faces.
Caelum's hand glowed faintly — darkened violet veins creeping up his arm. "Let me handle them."
"No powers. Not here," Jacquel hissed. "Eyes everywhere."
Instead, Caelum dashed silently between shadows and hurled a coin-sized pulse disruptor. The EMP pulse sizzled and both drones dropped lifelessly to the floor.
From a distant corner, behind a fractured support beam, a figure in a hooded trench coat watched silently. Aiden Korr's eyes glowed with faint telemetry, relaying every moment to an unknown observer. His fingers tapped once.
> Transmission Sent.
---
Underground Tunnel — 46 minutes later
Jacquel moved with calculated calm. Every footstep echoed like an accusation.
Behind him, Seth kept pace. "Why didn't you tell him about the vision?"
"Because he's not ready."
"He's your brother, Jacq."
Jacquel stopped. His eyes dimmed with a dull shimmer of violet.
"He's not me."
They turned the corner to find Halsey waiting, seated beside an exposed control panel. Sparks flickered above her.
"I decrypted part of the blackout code," she said, without looking up. "And I found something."
Jacquel leaned closer.
"It's signed. Whoever took down the entire Berlin surveillance grid left a name: 'Subject 9.'"
Seth blinked. "Subject 9? Wasn't that—"
"Shut up," Jacquel muttered. "Don't say his name."
At that moment, Caelum emerged from the opposing corridor — hood down, eyes burning with frustration. "Tell me you found something useful."
Jacquel didn't answer. Instead, he turned away.
"Are you seriously doing this again?" Caelum snapped. "You keep me out, like I'm some liability—"
"You're reckless," Jacquel said flatly. "Every time you use your powers, you change. You don't even realize it."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you were perfect," Caelum growled, stepping forward. "You bend reality like a god and preach restraint."
"Boys," Halsey warned, but neither heard her.
"I'm not your shadow anymore, Jacquel," Caelum said. "I've fought. Bled. Killed. Just like you. Stop pretending I'm weak."
Jacquel finally turned, face unreadable.
"You're not weak," he said. "You're dangerous."
The silence between them was cold. It was Seth who finally stepped between them.
"Enough. We've got shadows watching and drones crawling. If we break apart now — we don't survive the night."
---
Elsewhere...
In a quiet facility beneath Vienna, Dr. Nikola Kimmich stared at the intercepted footage of the Ravyns' confrontation.
The image froze on Jacquel's glowing eyes.
"Interesting," he whispered. "They're already fracturing."
Behind him, a man in black adjusted his gloves. "Should we deploy the extraction team?"
"Not yet," Kimmich smirked. "Let them burn a little longer."
---
END OF CHAPTER 2