The first blow came so fast it split the air like tearing steel. Luce barely twisted aside before Valken’s claw-like hand punched through the wall where his chest had been. Concrete dust rained down as Alpha Team scattered.
Sayaka’s voice cut through the comms. “ARGUS, live feed now!”
ARGUS: “Visual acquired. Biometric readings confirm: Valken.”
Damien fired a volley of smart rounds — they struck home, sparking against Valken’s bio-alloy frame — but the creature didn’t even flinch. Its golden eyes locked back on Luce.
Valken: “You’re not the one I want… yet.”
Veer lunged forward with his blade, catching Valken’s shoulder in a shallow slash. The bioweapon’s head snapped toward him, expression twisting into something almost amused.
“Bad move,” Veer muttered, realizing just how fast Valken was as it closed the gap in a blur.
Beta Team – The Ghost Lab
While Alpha fought for their lives, Beta was elbow-deep in the forgotten wing of a derelict biotech lab. Raiden ran his hand along the dust-caked console.
Saira keyed a sequence into ARGUS’s remote uplink. “This system’s been dormant for years… but there’s fresh activity logs. Someone’s been here.”
Erik crouched near the center of the room. “Guys. You’ll want to see this.”
Suspended in a cracked cryotube was a man — or the remains of one. Golden hair floated weightlessly in the preservation fluid, eyes dull and lifeless. His face… nearly identical to Luce’s.
Ishaan’s breath caught. “That’s…?”
Saira shook her head. “Not Luce. That’s Seraph Falk Draganov. Or what’s left of him.”
Raiden frowned. “If he’s dead, then who’s been making all these moves?”
Intel Hub – Connecting the Web
Meanwhile, in COMA HQ’s intel room, Avni, Lev, Isolde, and Dev sat around the glowing projection ARGUS had constructed.
Avni traced her finger along a web of red lines connecting crime scenes, victim profiles, and sightings. “It’s all converging here… the abandoned Valken storage facility.”
Isolde’s jaw tightened. “That place was supposed to have been destroyed after the failed trials.”
ARGUS: “Correction: facility records were falsified. Surviving assets remained in containment.”
Lev zoomed in on the newest coordinates. “And that’s exactly where Alpha is right now.”
Dev tapped the comms urgently. “Alpha, Beta — you’ve got company incoming. A lot of it.”
Alpha – The Unkillable
Valken moved like water and lightning combined, forcing the four of them into pure defense. Sayaka’s sword flashed, deflecting a claw aimed for Luce’s throat. Veer’s blade scraped against its armored ribs, drawing a hiss.
Damien launched a micro-drone swarm. They swarmed Valken’s face, buying seconds — just seconds — for Luce to land a solid blow to the creature’s sternum.
It barely staggered.
Valken: “Better. But not enough.”
The monster’s other hand darted forward, piercing Veer’s shoulder. Veer cried out, blood blooming under his armor.
“Move!” Luce shouted, dragging Veer back as Sayaka slammed a stun charge against Valken’s arm, electricity snapping through the rain-soaked alley.
For the first time… Valken stepped back.
Beta – The Second Truth
Back in the lab, Raiden’s voice was low. “If Seraph’s dead, then someone’s using his identity.”
Ishaan frowned. “Or worse — there’s more than one Seraph.”
Saira brought up hidden subfolders. “These logs mention ‘Gate Sequence’. The same term Elda used when briefing us about Sleeping Gate.”
Erik’s face darkened. “If Seraph wasn’t the heart eater and Valken’s active, then whoever’s controlling Seraph’s name is still pushing Yuriko’s last project forward.”
Intel Hub – The Decision
Isolde slammed her hand on the table. “We need to get Alpha out before Valken takes one of them.”
Avni shook her head. “If we pull them out now, we lose the chance to track Valken back to whoever’s running him.”
Lev looked between them. “If we’re going to do this… we need to do it smart. ARGUS, lock Alpha’s biometrics. Feed them a predictive path Valken might take.”
ARGUS: “Path projection uploaded.”
Dev keyed in the relay to Alpha. “Follow the yellow markers. They’ll lead Valken somewhere we control.”
Closing Beat – The Lure
Alpha’s HUDs lit with glowing yellow waypoints. Sayaka caught Luce’s glance and gave a curt nod.
They moved as one, retreating while keeping Valken in sight. The bioweapon followed — curious, predatory, unhurried.
Luce’s grip tightened on his weapon. “Let’s see where the monster runs when we hold the leash.”
Lightning split the sky, and Valken’s grin widened.
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.