The night air was thick with tension.
Tokyo's neon lights flickered in the distance, a stark contrast to the wreckage they had just left behind. Smoke curled from the derailed maintenance train, the scent of burning metal and ozone lingering in the alley.
Miura wiped blood from her lip and motioned forward. "We don't have much time. Follow me."
Aiko clutched the flash drive in her hand, her heart still racing. The Agency wouldn't stop. The Shinkage Clan was still hunting. And Division Zero's shadow loomed over everything.
Ryoji didn't argue. He took point, scanning their surroundings. His instincts screamed that they were still being watched.
They slipped into the maze of backstreets, moving fast but controlled. The further they went, the quieter the city became. This wasn't the neon-lit part of Tokyo—the streets here were older, forgotten, where people knew better than to ask questions.
After several turns, Miura led them down a narrow stairwell, stopping at a rusted steel door. She knocked twice, then again in a specific rhythm.
A pause. Then the sound of locks disengaging.
The door creaked open.
A man with a scarred face and tired eyes studied them before stepping aside. "You're late."
Miura smirked. "Traffic."
They entered.
The Safehouse
The room was dimly lit, walls lined with old weapons, scattered documents, and surveillance monitors showing security feeds of Tokyo's streets. A war room.
Aiko swallowed. "What is this place?"
Miura cracked her neck. "One of the last safehouses built by Division Zero. Before it all fell apart."
Ryoji remained silent, scanning the room. "Who else knows about this?"
The scarred man—Kaito—crossed his arms. "Just a few ghosts from the past." His gaze flicked to Aiko. "And now her."
Aiko tensed. "I don't even know what I'm part of."
Miura walked over to a metal table and grabbed a laptop. "Then it's time you find out."
She plugged in the flash drive. The screen flickered—hundreds of classified files appeared.
The Mirrorflower Project
Ryoji leaned in, his expression darkening. He recognized some of the names. Black ops funding. Genetic research. Asset recovery.
Aiko's fingers trembled as she scrolled. Then—she saw it.
Subject: Aiko Takahashi
Status: Classified
Project: Mirrorflower
She clicked it.
A grainy video file loaded.
The screen showed a laboratory. Sterile white walls. Scientists in biohazard suits. A glass containment unit—with a child inside.
Her.
Aiko's breath hitched.
The child on the screen was barely three years old, hooked to monitors, her heartbeat echoing through the speakers.
Then—the door behind the child opened.
A man in a white suit entered.
The same man from the tunnel.
The Head of Division Zero.
He approached the glass and placed a hand against it.
And then—the video cut out.
Aiko's pulse thundered in her ears.
"I don't—I don't understand."
Miura exhaled. "They weren't just hunting you. They created you."
Silence.
Then—gunfire erupted outside.
Ryoji moved first. "They found us."
Kaito pulled a shotgun from the wall. "They always do."
Aiko stood frozen, the weight of the truth crushing down on her.
But there was no time for shock.
The Agency was here.
And this safehouse?
It was about to become a battleground.
To be continued…chapter 19.....