CHAPTER 25: CHAPTER 25: AGENCY

Jace paused and looked around. The night had fallen quiet, but the sound of the helicopter was getting louder.

It circled somewhere nearby, cutting through the air above the buildings. A spotlight flickered in the distance.

"We need to leave," he muttered, eyes still scanning the street. "But we haven’t found Eva."

His voice was low, tired. The adrenaline from the fight had worn off. His body ached with every movement.

He stepped back from the monster’s corpse and looked toward the area he’d arrived from.

Glass. Cracked pavement. A broken phone on the ground not far from where Eva’s car had been. But no sign of her.

As much as he fought the monster, that wasn’t what he came here to do.

He came for Eva.

And she was still gone.

[You did what you had to,] Zin said. [But you’re right. This wasn’t the mission.]

Jace didn’t speak. His fists clenched at his sides.

[Listen to me,] Zin continued. [If she’s among the injured or the people who got away, we’ll track her. But right now, you need to move.]

The helicopter passed overhead. The light flashed across the rooftops. It hadn’t locked on him yet, but it was close.

[If that’s the press, you don’t want to be seen. If it’s law enforcement, even worse. Last thing we need is people chasing you down with questions.]

Jace hesitated. He looked at the cracked helmet in his hand, then back at the monster’s body.

Everything in him wanted to keep searching. But Zin was right.

He stepped back, forcing his legs to move despite the soreness. His pace picked up as he turned down the side of the street, away from the noise, away from the lights.

They hadn’t found Eva.

But staying would only get him caught.

He disappeared into the alley, breathing hard, but quiet now.

He would come back. That was a promise.

Jace moved quickly, keeping to the shadows as he circled back toward the underground tunnel he’d come from.

His steps were heavy, not from hesitation but from pain. His limbs still ached, and his back throbbed with every movement, but he kept going.

The sound of the helicopter was getting closer seems they would be landing

He turned a corner and found the alley entrance that led down to the tunnel hatch. The door was still slightly open, just as he left it.

Jace crouched, then stepped down into the darkness. The cool air of the underground met him instantly. It smelled of metal and dirt, but it was quiet.

He made his way back down the ladder slowly, each step sending a reminder through his spine that his body was close to its limit.

When he reached the bottom, he rested his back against the wall and closed his eyes for a second.

Zin’s voice came through again, not harsh now, just steady.

[We’ll find her. But right now, you need to rest.]

Jace didn’t answer. He just nodded once, then pushed himself forward, deeper into the tunnels. He still had a long walk ahead, and too many questions waiting on the other side.

As soon as Jace disappeared down the tunnel, the sound of the helicopter grew louder. A dark military-grade aircraft came into view, cutting low across the city blocks.

It wasn’t a civilian chopper.

This one was bigger. Heavier. Armored. Its side panels had emblems, none matching any known country or police force.

It hovered for a second, then landed in the open street with precision.

The side doors opened immediately. Soldiers jumped out in formation, rifles up, scanning the area.

They didn’t wear standard gear. Their armor was layered, reinforced at the joints, and matte black with subtle circuit lines running along the plating.

Their weapons were compact, with underbarrel tech that pulsed faintly in blue. Tactical HUDs flickered on their helmets.

One of the soldiers turned to a man stepping out from the front.

"Captain. News chopper’s been redirected. They won’t see this."

The man didn’t answer immediately. He stepped out with measured pace. His armor matched the rest, but the chest plate bore a silver insignia.

"We pulled some data from their signal before we jammed it," the soldier added.

"Good," the captain replied. "We’ll sort the rest later. Fan out."

The team split quickly. Two soldiers moved toward the nearby rooftops. Others checked abandoned cars and side alleys, weapons raised.

"Clear signs of a fight here," one said.

Another called out from the far end of the block. "Captain, you’ll want to see this!"

The captain jogged over.

The soldiers parted to reveal the corpse of the creature. It lay sprawled across the pavement, motionless.

One leg twisted at an odd angle. Its back was cracked in several places, and the head showed a deep impact dent.

The captain pressed the side of his helmet. The armor shifted and pulled back, revealing the face of a hardened middle-aged man.

His jaw was rough with stubble, and a deep scar ran from the side of his nose down to his chin.

He stared at the monster’s body for a long moment.

"It’s dead," he said flatly.

Footsteps came behind him.

A second voice spoke up, female, sharp, focused.

"From the patterns around it... there was a fight," she said.

She reached up and removed her helmet. She was younger than the captain, dark hair tied tight behind her head.

Her eyes scanned the blood, impact marks, and debris with practiced efficiency.

"Smith," the captain said, "run a full scan on the corpse. Check cellular structure, trace energy if possible. I want a heat profile too, see how long it’s been dead."

"Yes, sir."

"Johnson, Carter, set a perimeter. I want eyes on the rooftops and a clean entry route for evac."

"Yes, Captain."

"Mitchell," he turned to another soldier. "Pull drone coverage of a five-block radius. Run infrared for any non-civilian heat signatures that match this thing’s trail."

Mitchell was already typing into a panel on his forearm. "Copy that. Deploying now."

The captain looked back at the creature’s body.

"This was the one from the footage, no doubt," he said. "Which means something, or someone, stopped it."

The female soldier, Smith, ran a scanner across the cracked spine of the corpse. She glanced toward a nearby crater in the ground and broken debris scattered around it.

She stood slowly. "Multiple focused strikes. Not explosives. Internal compression force. Repeating."

"Unarmed?"

"Seems that way."

The captain frowned, eyes narrowing.

"Then whoever did this... wasn’t normal."

He looked back at the streets, jaw tight.

"And I want to know exactly who they are."