For a long, breathless moment, no one moved.
Victor Hale's gun was pointed straight at Lena's chest, gleaming in the faint orange light that bled through the broken roof. Dr. Alvarez stood slightly behind him, her face pale but resolute.
"Victor," Adrian said evenly, gun still raised, "you don't want to do this."
Victor's smirk deepened. "Don't I? I've spent twenty years cleaning up your father's mess. I think I've earned the right to finish his masterpiece."
Lena's pulse raced. "You mean Project Phoenix."
Victor's eyes lit with amusement. "Ah, so you've heard of it. Then you already know how important you are to me."
"I'm not a project," she hissed.
"On the contrary," he said, his tone almost gentle. "You're the only one that worked."
Adrian took a step forward, his voice dark. "If you touch her—"
Victor's finger twitched near the trigger. "You'll what? Kill me? Then you'll never know the truth about what Marcus really did to her."
---
Lena's breath caught. "What are you talking about?"
Victor tilted his head. "You still don't remember, do you? The fire wasn't meant to kill your father. It was meant to erase you."
"That's a lie," Adrian growled.
Victor smiled coldly. "Then tell her the truth, Blackwood. Tell her why your father needed her memories gone."
Adrian froze.
That single second of hesitation was all Victor needed.
The gunshot echoed.
Lena screamed as Adrian lunged forward, knocking her to the ground. The bullet hit the metal beam behind them, sparks exploding in the air.
He fired back, the shot clipping Victor's shoulder. The older man stumbled but didn't fall.
"Run!" Adrian shouted.
Lena scrambled to her feet as another shot rang out, hitting the ground near her. She sprinted toward the exit, Adrian right behind her. The sound of boots echoed through the corridor as Victor's men poured in from the shadows.
---
They burst into the open air, rain slashing against their faces. Adrian pulled her behind a concrete wall, checking his gun. Only one bullet left.
"We can't outrun them," Lena gasped.
"I know."
"So what do we do?"
He looked at her, rain running down his face, his eyes burning with something raw. "We fight."
Before she could respond, he leaned forward suddenly — and kissed her.
---
It wasn't soft.
It wasn't gentle.
It was desperate — the kind of kiss born from fear, love, and the realization that this might be their last moment alive.
For a second, the world disappeared.
No gunfire, no rain, no past — just the warmth of his lips and the tremor in his hands.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested against hers. "If we die tonight," he whispered, "I want it to be as the man who loves you, not the man who lied to you."
She looked at him, breathless, eyes wide with emotion. "Then don't die."
He smiled faintly. "No promises."
---
Gunfire erupted again. Adrian turned and fired his last shot, hitting one of Victor's men. Then he grabbed Lena's hand, pulling her toward the old maintenance tunnel at the edge of the site.
They ran through darkness, splashing through puddles, until they reached a heavy steel door. Adrian forced it open, and they stumbled inside.
The tunnel was silent — except for their ragged breathing.
Lena leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. "You shouldn't have done that."
"What? Saved you?"
"No." She met his eyes. "Kissed me."
He blinked, surprised. "You think I regret it?"
"I think it makes everything harder."
"Everything was already hard."
She gave a shaky laugh. "You're impossible."
He smiled faintly. "And you're alive."
---
Then the tunnel lights flickered — once, twice — before dying completely.
Adrian pulled out his flashlight. The beam caught something scratched into the wall:
> "THE PHOENIX SLEEPS BELOW."
Lena's breath caught. "What does that mean?"
Adrian studied it, realization dawning in his eyes. "This isn't just an escape tunnel."
"Then what is it?"
He turned toward her slowly, voice low.
> "It's where they built the first lab."
---
Above them, distant thunder rumbled — but somewhere deeper in the tunnel, a metallic door creaked open.
And faintly, through the dark, a soft mechanical voice spoke:
> "Welcome back, Subject 01."
Lena froze.
Adrian's light flickered over her face — pale, terrified, and trembling.
Her whisper was barely audible. "They were expecting me."