Chapter 10: Showdown in the Abyss

The rain fell in sheets, painting the city in a silver haze. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but Cipher only focused on the fortress ahead—Echelon’s central facility. The place where they created him. The place where they erased him.

Now, it was where they would die.

Luna checked the stolen rifle in her hands, shifting uneasily. "So, just to be clear—we’re going up against a militarized black-ops division with nothing but a couple of guns and your nightmare-level combat skills?"

Cipher secured his final magazine. "Yes."

Luna sighed. "Great. I love impossible missions."

Cipher didn’t reply. He was already walking forward.

The Assault Begins

The facility’s outer perimeter was heavily guarded—drones patrolled the skies, and squads of armed operatives stood watch at every possible entry point.

Cipher approached the front gate. No attempt at stealth. No hesitation.

The first guard barely had time to react before Cipher put a bullet between his eyes.

The second and third turned—Cipher fired twice, his silencer whispering death.

Alarms blared. The facility erupted into chaos.

Cipher kept moving.

Bullets stormed the air, but Cipher weaved through them with inhuman precision. His body moved on pure instinct, faster than any soldier, deadlier than any machine.

A grenade sailed toward him—Cipher kicked a fallen rifle into the air, shooting the grenade mid-flight. The explosion took out the nearest squad.

Luna watched from behind cover, her heartbeat hammering in her ears. "You’re a demon."

Cipher didn’t even glance at her. "Stay close."

Breaking the Gate

More soldiers flooded the courtyard, each one better trained than the last. But it didn’t matter.

Cipher did not fail.

A combat knife flashed—Cipher dodged, grabbing the attacker’s wrist and snapping it in a single motion. Another came from behind—Cipher turned, driving his blade into the man’s throat before wrenching it free.

Two more approached with riot shields. Cipher sprinted forward, sliding low—before planting an explosive on one of the shields.

Boom.

The explosion shattered the formation, and Cipher finished the rest before they even hit the ground.

Luna reloaded, staring at the bodies around them. "This is insane. We’re actually winning."

Cipher reloaded his pistol. "No." He turned toward the towering facility doors. "This was the easy part."

Because inside, the real fight was waiting.

And it wouldn’t be human.

Cipher moved like a shadow through the shattered remains of Echelon’s front entrance. Smoke curled from the destroyed security gate, bodies of the first wave of guards crumpled on the floor. The facility’s alarms screamed, red emergency lights flashing across the steel corridors.

Luna stayed behind him, gripping her stolen rifle. "They're locking the place down. We’re walking into a trap."

Cipher checked his silencer, then his ammo count. "They are already dead. They just don’t know it yet."

Luna exhaled sharply. "You say the creepiest things, you know that?"

Cipher didn't respond. He was already moving.

The next hallway was lined with automated turrets. In a split second, Cipher analyzed their tracking speeds, their blind spots, their cooldown rates.

Then, he ran straight into the kill zone.

Bullets tore through the air, but Cipher was already mid-dive. He rolled, grabbed a dead guard’s ID card mid-motion, and slid behind cover just as the turrets recalibrated.

With a single flick of his wrist, he threw the ID badge across the room. The sensors locked onto the movement—firing in a split-second burst.

Before the AI could correct itself, Cipher had already vaulted over a console, planting an explosive at the base of the turret system.

Boom.

The hallway fell silent.

Luna peeked out from cover. "You are absolutely terrifying."

Cipher reloaded. "Move."

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