The Azure-eyed assassin

The night air was cold, charged with an almost electric tension.

Mayu and Akira stood on the roof of an abandoned building, overlooking the eastern district.

Before them lay a landscape of dilapidated structures, warehouses with broken windows, and cracked roads overrun with vegetation. The area appeared deserted, a forgotten remnant of the city… but Mayu knew it was just an illusion.

— Is this the place? she whispered.

Akira nodded, his eyes fixed on their target.

— Yes. But getting in is one thing. Getting out alive is another.

Mayu took a deep breath.

Adrenaline was already pulsing through her veins.

— I'm not planning on dying tonight.

She knelt down and observed the building through a pair of binoculars.

The warehouse looked ordinary, with its cracked concrete walls and faded graffiti. But something was off.

There were no signs of life.

— It's too quiet, she murmured.

She adjusted the zoom and spotted something strange: surveillance cameras cleverly hidden in the corners of the building.

They were active.

— They're already watching us, she breathed.

Akira flashed a smile.

— Good catch. We'll have to enter quietly.

He pulled out a tablet and typed on it.

— I hacked their network. We have a ten-minute window before they notice the anomaly.

Mayu nodded.

Ten minutes.

They couldn't afford a mistake.

## The Infiltration

They descended from the roof with agility, their shadows blending into the night.

The ground was littered with a mix of rubble and shards of broken glass. Each step had to be precise, calculated.

Mayu felt her heart race.

Despite her determination, a part of her couldn't shake off the fear.

Not the fear of being discovered…

But the fear of what they would find inside.

They reached an air vent, hidden behind rusty metal crates.

Akira knelt down and took out a small knife. With precise movements, he unscrewed the bolts silently.

— I'll go first, he whispered.

He slipped into the duct with ease, followed by Mayu.

The interior was narrow, oppressive. The air was heavy, filled with the scent of metal and dust.

Mayu felt a drop of sweat trickle down her temple.

The silence was absolute.

Only their measured breaths and the rustling of their clothes against the metal broke the stillness.

A few meters ahead, Akira stopped dead.

— Look.

Through a grille, they had a bird's-eye view of a vast underground chamber.

Mayu held her breath.

The place resembled a high-tech laboratory, a stark contrast to the dilapidated exterior.

Bright screens flashed on control panels. Thick cables snaked across the floor, powering enormous machines.

But the worst…

Were the tanks.

Arranged in a circle at the center of the room, dozens of glass tanks contained a greenish, luminescent liquid.

And inside… silhouettes floated.

Mayu felt her stomach churn.

— What the hell is this? she whispered.

Akira clenched his jaw.

— Other prototypes.

A chill ran down her spine.

These "prototypes"… were like her?

Her fingers tightened on the metal edge of the duct.

Fleeting memories rushed back to her.

Gloved hands grabbing her.

Voices murmuring numbers.

The sensation of being submerged in a thick liquid, unable to move.

She felt her breath quicken.

— No…

She pulled back slightly in the duct, her back hitting the metal wall.

She was one of them.

The only survivor of a monstrous project.

Akira turned his head toward her.

— Mayu?

She took a deep breath, forcing her body to calm down.

Now was not the time to lose control.

She was alive.

And she intended to stay that way.

A noise echoed behind them.

Akira froze.

Someone was coming.

He exchanged a quick glance with Mayu.

— We've been spotted.

She felt her adrenaline surge.

Her muscles tensed instinctively.

They had no choice now.

They would have to fight.