Chapter 8: Echoes of the Past
768 Words
The safe house was quiet, but no one could sleep.
After the ambush, they had barely escaped Echelon’s grasp. The enforcers had been stronger than expected, more trained, more ruthless. If not for Nova’s quick thinking and Aria’s unexpected time manipulation, they might not have made it out at all.
But now, Echelon knew their location.
They had to move.
Riven stood near the window, his sharp eyes watching the cityscape. “They’ll be recalibrating. The beacon only gave them a general location, but it won’t take long before they pinpoint us.”
Nova was already at work, fingers flying across her portable terminal. “I’m running interference, disrupting their surveillance grids, but it won’t hold forever.”
Kai groaned, stretching his arms. “So, what’s the plan? Keep running?”
“No,” Aria said firmly. “We find a way to fight back.”
Zane smirked. “Now you’re talking.”
Luna, however, looked troubled. “Aria… about what happened back there. When you moved faster than time itself. That wasn’t just instinct, was it?”
Aria hesitated. She had felt something in that moment—like time itself had stretched around her, slowing down everything except her own movements.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I think… I think I’m starting to understand it.”
Riven turned to her. “Then it’s time you master it.”
Aria frowned. “What do you mean?”
He folded his arms. “You’re powerful, but raw. If you don’t learn control, your abilities will control you.”
Nova tapped at her screen. “If we’re going to train, we need a safe place. And I might know just the spot.”
---
The Forgotten Sector
Deep in Neo-Eden’s underbelly, beyond the reach of corporate patrols, was an abandoned part of the city: The Forgotten Sector.
A ruin of old skyscrapers and crumbling structures, it had been sealed off years ago after a failed redevelopment project.
It was the perfect place to hide.
Riven led them through the wreckage, his steps sure, his senses alert. “I lived here for months when I first escaped Echelon. They don’t patrol these streets. Too much instability, too many collapsed zones.”
Zane kicked a piece of debris aside. “A little rough, but I’ve seen worse.”
Nova checked her map. “There’s an underground complex nearby. If the power still works, we might be able to use it.”
They pushed forward, eventually reaching a hidden entrance—an old service tunnel buried under rubble. It took Zane’s strength to clear the way, and when they stepped inside, a cold, musty air greeted them.
The tunnel led into a large underground chamber. Flickering lights lined the walls, powered by an emergency generator still clinging to life.
Luna shivered. “Creepy, but it’ll do.”
Riven nodded approvingly. “Welcome to your new base.”
---
Training Begins
For the next several days, they worked.
Riven pushed them harder than ever before, drilling them in combat, agility, and control.
Kai honed his speed, moving faster than the eye could track.
Zane trained his seismic abilities, learning to channel his strength with more precision.
Luna practiced her barriers, refining their durability and flexibility.
Nova expanded her hacking skills, delving deeper into Echelon’s encrypted files.
But Aria’s training was the hardest.
Riven guided her through intense sessions, forcing her to tap into her time abilities.
“Close your eyes,” he instructed. “Feel the flow around you.”
Aria focused. She could sense it—the way time pulsed, the way moments stretched and collapsed.
Then, she tried to control it.
At first, it was just flashes—brief moments where everything slowed. Then longer. Then faster.
Until, finally, she stopped time altogether.
The world froze around her. Dust particles hung in the air. The flickering lights stood still. Even Riven was locked in place.
She gasped, and time snapped back into motion.
Riven blinked. “You stopped time?”
Aria, breathless, nodded. “I think I did.”
Riven grinned. “Then Echelon is in trouble.”
---
Echelon Strikes First
But just as their confidence grew, so did the danger.
Nova’s warning came too late.
Echelon had found them.
Explosions rocked the underground base, sending debris flying. A shockwave knocked Aria off her feet as Kai pulled her away from the collapsing wall.
“They’re here!” Nova shouted.
Through the dust and chaos, armored figures descended through the breach.
Echelon’s elite.
Aria’s heart pounded.
They weren’t ready.
But ready or not, the battle had begun.
- Writer
