Cassius’s voice broke through the chaos, raw and hoarse as he stepped forward despite the guns trained on him.

"Stop." His eyes were fixed on Zephany and Kendrick, on the way their skin had lost its color, on the sluggish rise and fall of their chests. "Please... just stop."

His knees almost gave way as he spoke again, desperation stripping away every trace of authority he once carried.

"Tell me what you want," Cassius said pleadingly. "I will give you anything. No... everything. My position. The Archive. My life. I will give you everything. Just let Kendrick and Zephany go."

The room fell into an uneasy silence, broken only by the soft mechanical hum of the equipment drawing blood from the two restrained figures.

Dr. Farah did not even look at him.

She kept her focus on the blood bags hanging beside her, her fingers adjusting the clamps with practiced precision. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm, almost bored.

"I no longer need anything from you, Cassius," she said. "Their blood is all I need."

The words struck harder than any blow.

From the side, the Chief let out a slow laugh. He clapped his hands once, amused, as if he were watching a play unfold exactly as expected.

"I never thought I would witness this day," he said mockingly. "Cassius, the great Watcher, begging for mercy."

He laughed again, louder this time, savoring the sight of Cassius standing helplessly in front of him.

Reynold’s fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. His chest burned with guilt as he watched Zephany sway weakly where she was restrained. This was his fault. He had trusted the Chief. He had believed the lies. And now, once again, he was watching someone he loved suffer because of his mistake.

"I failed you," he whispered under his breath, eyes burning. "I failed you again."

Cassius stepped forward once more, his voice cracking.

"Please," he said, lowering himself completely. "Take my blood instead. All of it, if you want. Do whatever you want with me. Just let them go."

Dr. Farah did not respond.

She gently lifted one of the blood bags, watching the dark red liquid sway inside. With a small hum of satisfaction, she drew a measured amount into a syringe, then transferred it carefully into a glass test tube. She added a second sample, swirling it gently as her eyes lit up with excitement.

She smiled to herself, utterly absorbed.

Cassius and the others could only watch.

Sophia’s jaw tightened. Brent looked away, unable to bear the sight. Jeric’s breath came in shallow bursts as despair settled heavily over the group. Hope felt like something slipping through their fingers.

Then, without warning, a loud bang tore through the air.

The ground trembled beneath their feet as an explosion echoed from somewhere nearby. Dust rained from the ceiling. Footsteps followed, fast and coordinated, drawing closer by the second.

Sophia’s head snapped up, her eyes widening.

"Those footsteps..." she said softly. "Are they the Nulls?"

Her voice trembled with cautious hope. "We still have hope."

For a brief moment, something shifted. Cassius felt it too. A fragile spark ignited in his chest as he looked toward the corridor.

Then figures emerged from the smoke.

Armed. Masked. Familiar.

The Nulls.

Relief surged through Cassius’s group, but it died instantly.

Instead of attacking, the Nulls came to a halt before the Chief. In perfect unison, they raised their hands in salute.

"Chief," one of them reported. "All areas are now cleared. The soldiers from the first batch earlier are all gone."

The words echoed like a death sentence.

Cassius’s eyes widened, disbelief freezing him in place. Sophia’s breath caught. Brent stared at the Nulls as if his vision had betrayed him. Jeric shook his head slowly, unable to process what he was seeing. Reynold felt his stomach drop.

The Nulls... were on his side?

The Chief chuckled softly as he observed their expressions.

"Surprised?" he asked. "Everything that happened tonight was according to my plan."

He took a step forward, his gaze locking onto Cassius.

"The Nulls have been working for me for quite some time now," he continued. "Earlier was just an act."

He laughed lightly. "And I must say, Cassius, thank you for that wonderful performance."

Cassius stared at him, the weight of realization crashing down all at once.

"What?" he asked hoarsely. "What do you mean by that?"

The Chief’s smile widened as he took in Cassius’s defeated expression.

"Those soldiers earlier," he said calmly, "were all injected with the Helix serum. None of them knew it. They were already dying. Unstable. Dangerous."

He shrugged. "I was struggling to think of a clean way to dispose of them." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He gestured vaguely around them.

"And then you came along. Fighting corruption. Producing antidotes. Playing the hero while secretly spreading panic about a deadly pathogen."

His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "You did not surrender. You chose a fight. So a war broke out. And all those soldiers were wiped out."

He smiled. "Isn’t that the perfect reason?"

Cassius’s fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. Rage burned through him, but beneath it was a crushing sense of defeat. No matter how furious he felt, it changed nothing.

The Chief had outplayed him.

Completely.

Cassius’s gaze drifted back to Zephany and Kendrick. Their faces were pale, their breathing shallow, but at least the machines had stopped drawing blood. Dr. Farah stood nearby, entirely focused on her test tubes, oblivious to everything else.

That was the only mercy left.

Cassius’s mind raced desperately.

How could he save them?

They were surrounded. The Nulls had turned. Every escape route was sealed. For the first time in years, he could not see a way forward.

Is this really the end?

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to keep standing as he looked at his son and Zephany.

No matter what it took, he would not stop trying.

Even if this was the moment everything fell apart.