Cipher and Luna arrived at an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The air was thick with the scent of rust and oil, the remnants of a time when this place had purpose. Now, it was just another forgotten ruin—perfect for staying off the grid.
Luna slumped against a crate, pressing her fingers against her temple. "So, let me get this straight. Your plan is to break into an Echelon data vault, steal classified files, and somehow not die?"
Cipher checked his ammunition, his movements precise and mechanical. "Correct."
She exhaled. "And what if this 'Project Requiem' file doesn’t have what we need?"
Cipher didn’t look up. "Then we burn it down and extract the information from the survivors."
Luna let out a dry chuckle. "You’re scary, you know that?"
Cipher finally met her gaze. "Fear is irrelevant. What matters is execution."
She shook her head, muttering something under her breath, but Cipher was already focused on the mission. His mind was running thousands of calculations per second, analyzing security measures, potential escape routes, enemy patrol rotations.
Failure was not an option.
Because Cipher did not fail.
The Echelon data vault was a monolithic structure, buried deep beneath the surface. The facility was built like a fortress—armed guards, automated defenses, and state-of-the-art AI surveillance.
None of it mattered.
Cipher moved through the outer perimeter like a ghost, eliminating two guards with silent efficiency. Luna followed closely, sticking to the shadows.
As they reached the entrance, Cipher accessed the security panel. His cybernetic enhancements allowed him to bypass the firewall in seconds. The door unlocked with a soft hiss.
Luna stared. "You hacked that in three seconds."
Cipher didn’t acknowledge her amazement. "Move."
Inside, the facility was cold and sterile. The hum of high-powered servers filled the air. Cipher scanned the corridors, mapping out the fastest route to the core database.
Three guards ahead. No cameras in this sector.
Perfect.
Cipher drew his knife.
The first guard fell without a sound. A precise slice to the throat.
The second turned—too slow. Cipher grabbed him, snapping his neck with mechanical precision.
The third reached for his gun—Cipher shot him in the forehead before he could pull the trigger.
Luna swallowed hard. "You make murder look effortless."
Cipher reloaded. "Because it is."
They reached the central server room. Cipher plugged in a data drive, initiating the extraction. The screen flickered, displaying the classified files under Project Requiem.
Luna’s breath caught in her throat. "This is…"
Cipher read the words on the screen, his expression as cold as ever.
[SUBJECT: CIPHER]
[STATUS: TERMINATE]
A kill order.
On him.
Cipher closed the file. "They expected this."
Luna’s voice was barely above a whisper. "What now?"
Cipher turned, loading a fresh magazine into his silencer.
"We kill them first."
Alarms blared as the facility went into lockdown. Red warning lights flashed across the walls, and automated turrets activated, scanning for intruders.
Cipher had already moved.
He fired two precise shots, disabling the first turret before it could lock onto them. The second rotated toward Luna—Cipher grabbed her, shoving her to the ground as he fired again.
The turret sparked and fell silent.
"Keep up," he ordered.
Luna coughed, pushing herself up. "You could warn me before throwing me around."
"Irrelevant. Move."
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the halls. Echelon’s elite units—fully armored, heavily armed, trained to kill high-priority threats.
Cipher didn’t hesitate.
The first soldier entered the room. Cipher shot him between the eyes before he could react.
The second fired—Cipher sidestepped, grabbed his rifle, and used it to gun down the next three operatives before snapping the weapon in half and impaling another with the jagged edge.
The last one tried to run.
Cipher put a bullet in his spine.
Luna stared at the bodies, her breathing uneven. "You're insane."
Cipher stepped over the corpses, unfazed. "Insanity is subjective. Efficiency is not."
He accessed the main terminal, overriding security protocols. The blast doors opened. The exit was clear.
Luna took a shaky breath. "We’re really doing this, aren’t we? Taking down the people who made you."
Cipher didn’t look at her.
"I was never theirs to begin with."
And with that, they disappeared into the night—leaving behind nothing but bodies and the echoes of a requiem for the dead.
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 10 Episodes
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments