Snow drifted softly through the ruined exit above them.
White against fire.
Cold against smoke.
For a moment, Bianca just stared at it.
The sight felt unreal after endless steel corridors and underground darkness.
Open sky.
Actual open sky.
She should’ve felt relieved.
Instead, every instinct in her body screamed danger.
The armed agents spread carefully through the damaged corridor ahead, rifles lowered but ready.
Professional movements.
Controlled breathing.
Clear communication.
Not Red Room.
But definitely trained.
The lead operative removed part of his mask slowly as he approached.
Older man.
Dark beard touched with gray.
Sharp eyes that missed absolutely nothing.
His gaze swept once across the children before settling back on Bianca.
Specifically— her hands.
The faint blue fractures glowing weakly beneath her fingertips hadn’t fully disappeared yet.
Bianca immediately shoved her hands into her jacket pockets.
The operative noticed.
Of course he did.
“We need to start extraction now,” he said calmly into his comms.
Another explosion shook the underground facility violently.
Concrete cracked overhead.
Several children screamed and ducked instinctively.
The operative immediately raised his voice slightly.
“All units move. Structural collapse is accelerating.”
The agents reacted instantly.
Some moved toward the children carrying emergency blankets and medical kits.
Others secured the burning corridor behind them.
Efficient.
Too efficient.
Bianca hated how familiar it felt.
Authority.
Control.
Organization.
Her chest tightened automatically.
The system flickered softly.
[ Elevated Stress Response Detected ]
“Yeah,” Bianca muttered quietly.
“No kidding.”
The operative’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You keep talking to yourself kid.”
Oops.
Bianca forced a tired shrug.
“Near-death experience. Side effects may include mental instability.”
One of the younger agents snorted before quickly pretending he hadn’t.
The older operative ignored him.
Instead, he crouched carefully near one of the smaller children without making sudden movements.
“You’re safe now,” he said gently.
The little girl flinched hard anyway.
Not because of him.
Because kindness itself felt unfamiliar.
That hit Bianca harder than she expected.
The operative noticed it too.
A flicker of something crossed his face.
Anger maybe.
Not at the children.
At whoever did this to them.
Interesting.
Still didn’t mean Bianca trusted him.
Maya moved closer beside Bianca, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Who are they?”
Bianca stared at the agents moving through the smoke-filled corridor.
“…people with too many guns.”
“Helpful.”
“I try.”
The mountain trembled violently again.
A deep metallic groan echoed through the underground structure around them.
The reactor alarms overhead became distorted now.
Emergency systems failing.
The operative touched two fingers against his earpiece.
“We found approximately thirty surviving minors,” he reported calmly.
“Minimal hostile resistance remaining.”
Pause.
Then his expression shifted slightly as someone answered through comms.
“…understood.”
His eyes returned toward Bianca afterward.
Direct.
Focused.
Assessing.
Bianca immediately disliked it.
The operative slowly stood upright again.
“My name is Elias Ward.”
Not agent.
Not commander.
Just a name.
That felt intentional.
Bianca crossed her arms slightly despite the pain shooting through her shoulder.
“Cool.”
Ward looked faintly exhausted already.
“You don’t trust us.”
Bianca stared at him flatly.
“Wow. Incredible detective work.”
“Fair.”
Okay.
That response annoyed her more than defensiveness would’ve.
Because he wasn’t pushing.
He was observing.
Volkov had observed people too.
The thought made Bianca tense immediately.
Ward noticed that.
Of course he did.
“You were held here long?”
Bianca laughed softly.
The sound came out sharper than intended.
“I honestly lost track somewhere between child torture dungeon and reality-breaking nightmare monster.”
Several nearby agents went still.
Ward’s expression hardened slightly.
“Reality-breaking what?”
Oops.
Bianca blinked once.
“…you know what? I’m actually too tired to unpack that sentence.”
The system flickered across her vision.
[ Subject Elias Ward ]
[ Threat Assessment Incomplete ]
[ Caution Recommended ]
“Helpful as always,” Bianca whispered.
Ward heard her again.
He studied her silently for several long seconds before speaking carefully.
“You were exposed to something inside this facility.”
Not a question.
Bianca’s stomach tightened instantly.
The glowing fractures beneath her sleeves pulsed faintly again.
Ward noticed immediately.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
That terrified her.
Before he could continue— a violent shockwave erupted from deeper underground.
The corridor behind them partially collapsed.
Flames burst through shattered walls.
The children panicked instantly.
Bianca reacted without thinking.
She grabbed the nearest two kids and shoved them toward safer ground just before burning debris crashed where they’d been standing seconds earlier.
Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs afterward.
Too close.
Way too close.
One little boy clung tightly to her sleeve afterward.
Terrified.
Trusting her completely.
Bianca froze slightly.
Because she still didn’t understand why they trusted her at all.
She was scared too.
Ward watched quietly.
“They follow you,” he observed.
Bianca looked around.
He wasn’t wrong.
Not the armed agents.
Her.
“…that seems like poor judgment on their part,” Bianca muttered.
“Maybe,” Ward answered calmly.
Then after a pause—
“Or maybe you stayed when others wouldn’t.”
Silence.
The words landed uncomfortably hard.
Bianca looked away first.
Outside the shattered exit, snow continued falling across the mountain in soft white sheets.
Beyond the storm— a black aircraft descended silently from the clouds above.
No military markings.
Angular design.
Advanced.
Expensive-looking.
Its engines barely made noise.
The aircraft settled near the mountainside entrance as snow blasted outward beneath it.
Side doors opened slowly.
Medical teams rushed out immediately carrying supplies.
Not soldiers first.
Medics.
Bianca noticed that.
Still didn’t trust them.
But she noticed.
Maya stared toward the open aircraft nervously.
“…are they taking us somewhere else?”
Fear filled her voice instantly.
Another cage.
Another facility.
Another owner.
Bianca understood exactly what she meant.
Ward answered carefully.
“Temporary medical processing site.”
Bianca immediately groaned.
“There it is again.”
Ward blinked.
“The suspicious phrasing?”
“Yes.”
One younger agent muttered quietly:
“She’s kinda right.”
Ward ignored him completely.
Smart man.
The mountain shook harder.
A massive explosion thundered somewhere far below.
The reactor was finally going critical.
Ward’s calm expression sharpened instantly.
“We’re out of time.”
The agents immediately began escorting children toward the aircraft.
Some went willingly.
Others looked terrified.
One girl started hyperventilating the moment an agent touched her shoulder.
The medic immediately backed away and apologized softly.
Bianca noticed that too.
Not Red Room then.
Definitely not Red Room.
Still— fear crawled beneath her skin anyway.
Ward stepped closer toward Bianca carefully.
“You should come with them.”
Bianca stared directly at him.
“And if I say no?”
Snow drifted softly between them.
Ward held her gaze calmly.
“…then I can’t guarantee what happens after this mountain collapses.”
Not a threat.
A fact.
Somehow that made it more believable.
Bianca looked toward the open sky again.
Freedom sat right there beyond the storm.
So close.
But for the first time since escaping— she realized something horrifying.
She had absolutely nowhere to go.
I’M AS CONFUSED AS YOU, JUST TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS BECAUSE THINGS ARE ABOUT TO BECOME CONFUSING AND DANGEROUS.