"Hah! Is he kidding me?!" I whispered, my hands trembling as I stared at the documents. "How could he keep this from me?"
The folder contained a detailed map of the Nilton Forest and a high-resolution satellite image of a hidden entrance. Kail had already found their secondary base—the heart of Dragon K5.
Creak.
The door swung open. I didn't even flinch as Kail walked in. He froze, his eyes dropping to the papers in my hand.
"Silvia? What are you doing here?" He looked at the desk, then back at me. "Eh... I can explain."
"I was wondering why the news had gone silent," I said, my voice cold as ice. "But it seems you've had the location for days. You were planning to go without me, weren't you?"
Kail started to walk toward me. "Well, I—"
"Stay right where you are!" I barked, my hand instinctively twitching toward where my holster usually sat.
Kail stopped and slowly put his hands up. "Okay. Take it easy."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was going to tell you eventually," he said, his professional mask slipping. "But look at you! You haven't fully recovered. I couldn't risk you collapsing in the middle of a raid."
"So you expected me to just sit here and play the damsel while you finished my mission?" I stepped toward him, the anger boiling over. "You didn't think I'd find this, did you?"
"I expected you might," he mumbled under his breath. "That's why I was so careful until today."
"Whatever! I'm going," I snapped, grabbing my tactical jacket from the chair.
"Where?!"
"To Nilton Forest. To that cave. If you won't take me, I'll find my own way. But one way or another, I'm ending this today."
Kail looked at my determined face and sighed, a long, defeated sound. "Fine. If I don't take you, you'll probably steal one of my jeeps and crash it. Let's go."
Nilton Forest
The forest was dense, the air thick with the smell of damp earth and pine. We left the vehicle a mile back and moved on foot.
"Here we are," Kail whispered, checking his GPS.
"Let's split up," I suggested, my eyes scanning the treeline. "We can cover more ground."
"No," Kail said firmly. "It's too dangerous. We stay together."
"As you wish," I muttered. We moved deeper into the shadows of the ancient trees. Suddenly, something caught my eye—a break in the jagged limestone of a cliff face. "Kail, look. A cave."
"That's it," Kail said, but he didn't move forward. Instead, he pulled me back. "Silvia, let's go back for reinforcements. It's just the two of us. If we walk into an ambush, we're dead."
"I'm not going back," I said, my pride flaring up. "This is the perfect opportunity to catch that bastard Gilbert while he's not expecting us."
"Silvia, don't be a fool! This is tactical suicide!"
"You go!" I shouted, turning my back on him. "I'm staying. I don't need a babysitter to do my job!"
Kail's face turned red with fury. "Fine! As you wish! But remember this, Silvia—if you die today, there isn't a second 'Erina' to jump into. You won't come back to life again!"
He turned and stormed off through the brush. I stood there for a second, my heart heavy, but I pushed the feeling down. I can do this myself. This is my mission. My pride.
I moved into the cave, my gun raised, my senses dialed to the maximum. The air was cool and smelled of ozone—electronic equipment was nearby. I moved deeper, my boots silent on the stone.
"I need to be careful... Huh?!"
A shadow moved faster than I could react. A hand shot out, grabbing me by the chin and slamming my head back against the cold cave wall.
"Long time no see, Silvia!"
"Eh?! You!" I gasped, staring into the scarred face of Gilbert.
"You actually came here alone," he chuckled, his grip tightening. "I thought you'd realize this was a trap. I guess you're not as smart as the General says."
"You...!" I twisted, using my momentum to push him back. I delivered a sharp kick to his gut and scrambled back, drawing my pistol. I had him in my sights. My finger was on the trigger.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, good girl," Gilbert said, not looking worried at all.
I felt the cold chill of reality as red laser dots appeared on my chest and forehead. Six men stepped out from the crevices of the cave, their rifles aimed directly at me.
"Put it down," Gilbert commanded, his voice cold. "Now."
— BANG! —
Outside, the sound of the gunshot echoed through the trees.
Kail, who was only a few hundred yards away, stopped dead. "Damn it! I knew it!"
He turned and sprinted back toward the cave, his heart hammering against his ribs. He burst into the entrance, his gun drawn, ready to fire.
"Silvia!" he roared.
But the cave was silent. The equipment was gone. The men were gone. And Silvia... Silvia was nowhere to be found. Only her gun lay abandoned on the dusty floor.
"Damn it!" Kail screamed, his voice echoing into the darkness.
~ to be continued