Chapter 8: Code and Blood
658 Words
(Arianna’s POV)
The man they brought in was named Silas.
Early 30s. Sharp glasses. Too many rings. Nervous eyes.
"I used to work freelance for the Syndicate," he said. "Until they put a bullet in my shoulder and told me to disappear."
Leo raised an eyebrow.
"You didn’t listen."
Silas grinned.
"I always had a problem with authority."
He pulled out a thin tablet, old and cracked, and connected it to a drive Leo handed him.
"This is the data from the boy’s tracker chip," Leo said. "Pull what you can."
Silas got to work.
I stood by the wall, watching him move fast — fingers like a pianist, eyes scanning lines of red and green code.
My heart beat harder the longer I looked at that screen.
Something inside me felt… tight.
Like the truth was just behind a door.
And I was about to open it.
---
"Found something," Silas muttered.
Leo stepped closer.
I did, too.
"File’s encrypted. Deep Syndicate black code. But the ID name matches a mission from six months ago."
He looked up at me.
"Codename: WRAITH-17."
My stomach dropped.
That was me.
"Last movement shows you were brought to a medical facility two weeks before your arrival here," Silas continued. "Chemical wipe logs confirm memory suppression."
He tapped the screen.
"Here. This line. 'Objective: Proximity Infiltration. Termination via Biolock Trigger.'
"They embedded something in you."
My legs nearly gave out.
Leo caught my arm.
Held me steady.
Silas spoke again — slower now.
"Whatever they put in you… it’s not just mental. It's physical. A kind of neural bomb. Set to activate when a signal is sent."
Leo's voice was low.
"Can you stop it?"
Silas swallowed.
"Maybe. But I need more time."
Leo nodded.
Then looked at me.
His voice was steel.
"We’ll find a way, Arianna. No matter what they did."
I looked at him — really looked.
And I wanted to believe him.
God, I did.
But a part of me was already breaking.
Because some things can’t be undone.
Only survived.
---
That night, the first flashback hit.
Hard.
I was in the bathroom. Brushing blood from my knuckles.
Then—
Dark room. Metal table. My body strapped down.
Mercer’s voice: “This is your final form, Wraith.”
A needle sliding into my spine. Cold fire.
A command: “When he trusts you, you die.”
I dropped the towel.
Hit the floor.
My vision blurred.
I couldn’t move.
Couldn’t scream.
Just remembered.
Too much. Too fast.
---
Leo found me minutes later.
He didn’t ask questions.
Just wrapped me in a blanket.
Pulled me to the bed. Sat beside me.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t touch me, except to steady my hands.
He waited.
Until I could breathe again.
Until I could write.
I remember now. What they did.
His jaw clenched.
He looked like he wanted to destroy the world.
Instead, he took my hand.
"You are not dying," he said, voice shaking. "Not for them. Not for anyone."
"I swear it."
And something in the way he said it…
Made me believe it.
For the first time, I truly wanted to live.
---
The next day, Silas worked in the tech room while Leo doubled security.
I walked the halls like a ghost.
But not empty.
Full of things I couldn’t explain.
Full of desire. Rage. Fear. Hope.
Arianna, the weapon, was starting to crack.
And beneath her… was someone I didn’t recognize.
---
That night, Leo came to my room.
He didn’t knock.
Just stood in the doorway.
"Can I stay?" he asked.
Not for protection.
Not for orders.
But for closeness.
I nodded.
He sat at the edge of the bed.
Quiet.
I reached for his hand.
He took it.
No words passed between us.
But something happened.
His forehead touched mine.
Eyes closed.
And in that silence, something bloomed.
Something real.
Something dangerous.
I wasn’t falling in love.
I was already there.
- Writer
