Rain slicked the pavement, washing blood into the drains.
Ryoji and Aiko moved fast through Tokyo's back alleys, staying in the blind spots. He kept her close, scanning rooftops, parked cars, and shadows deep enough to hide a threat.
Aiko's breath was ragged. Her name wasn't real. Her life had been scripted. And now, a government agency wanted her dead.
They stopped at an old shrine wedged between high-rises. Ryoji knelt, fingers running along the stone foundation. A sharp click echoed.
The ground shifted. A section of the shrine's base slid open, revealing a stairwell.
"Go," Ryoji ordered.
Aiko hesitated, then stepped down. He followed, sealing the entrance behind them. The city noise vanished, replaced by the steady hum of generators.
They had entered a hidden safehouse—abandoned but still alive. Surveillance monitors flickered. City blueprints lined the walls. A weapons rack stood against a pillar, dust settling on rifles and gear.
Aiko turned. "This place… it belonged to the Agency?"
"Division Zero," Ryoji corrected. "Before it was shut down."
He tossed his coat aside and activated a terminal. Lines of encrypted data scrolled across the screen. Aiko watched as he accessed restricted files—her file.
A grainy photo appeared. A newborn in a hospital. The date—sixteen years ago.
Aiko's throat tightened. "That's me."
Ryoji studied the screen. "You weren't supposed to survive."
She turned sharply. "What?"
He gestured to the files. "Classified op. Project Mirrorflower. You were born in a restricted facility, then moved under false records. Someone erased your real identity."
"Why?"
"Because you're the key to something the Agency wanted buried."
Aiko gripped the desk. "What do they want from me?"
Before he could answer, a high-pitched tone cut through the air. The terminal flashed red.
Proximity alert.
Ryoji grabbed a pistol. "We've been traced."
Aiko's pulse spiked. "How?"
"The second I accessed the file."
Above them—boots on wet pavement. Vehicles stopping. Doors slamming. The Agency had found them.
Ryoji moved fast, yanking open a hidden passage. "We have to go."
Aiko stood firm. "I don't want to keep running."
"You don't have a choice."
She looked at him, eyes burning. "Then teach me."
Ryoji exhaled. The fear was there, but something else—determination.
A deep explosion shook the ceiling. Dust rained down.
He handed her a knife. "Lesson one."
She took it.
"Follow me."
They disappeared into the tunnel just as the safehouse exploded.
Flashback – Sixteen Years Ago
A cold facility. Blinding lights. A baby crying.
Doctors in unmarked suits stood around an observation window. A newborn girl lay in an incubator, hooked up to silent machines.
A high-ranking official watched the monitors, arms folded. The serpent insignia on his sleeve marked him as Agency.
"She survived the procedure," a doctor reported.
The official didn't react. "She's the only one who ever did."
"What now?"
A long silence.
Then: "We bury her in the system. Change her name. Let her live… until we need her again."
Back to Present
The tunnel was narrow, damp, and silent except for their footsteps. Ryoji moved ahead, his grip firm on the knife at his side. Aiko followed, still clutching the blade he had given her.
The explosion above had been deafening. Dust still clung to her clothes, the scent of burning metal in her lungs. She wanted to ask where they were going, but she knew better. Questions could wait. Survival came first.
Ryoji stopped at a junction where the tunnel split into two paths. He pressed his fingers against the wall—feeling for vibrations. Then he looked back at Aiko. "They're searching the wreckage. We have two minutes before they realize we're not in it."
Aiko swallowed hard. "And when they do?"
"They'll seal the city. Set up checkpoints. Sweep every block until they find us."
She gripped the knife tighter. "Then we need to move."
Ryoji smirked, just slightly. "Good. You're thinking like someone who wants to live."
They took the left tunnel, moving fast. The air was thick, the walls slick with moisture. Aiko's mind raced. Sixteen years. Her whole life, she had lived under a false name, a false history. And now, everything had shattered.
She looked at Ryoji's back as he led the way. "How do you know so much about them?"
"I used to be one of them."
Aiko's breath hitched. "Division Zero?"
Ryoji didn't look back. "Not just Division Zero. I was an operative. Trained to eliminate threats before they could become threats."
A chill ran through her. "And now they're after you too?"
"Not just me." He stopped suddenly, looking her dead in the eye. "They're after you. I'm just in the way."
Aiko clenched her fists. "Then I need to stop being in the way."
Ryoji studied her, then nodded. "Lesson two," he said. "A weapon is only as strong as the person holding it."
He grabbed a rusted pipe from the ground and tossed it to her. "Block."
She barely had time to react before his knife was coming at her, fast. She swung wildly—too slow. Ryoji twisted past her defense and stopped the blade an inch from her ribs.
"You're dead."
To be continued in Chapter 5 ...