Project Eden

Chapter 12: End of a story

Weeks passed, and Hikari woke up alone in her apartment, the empty space on the corner of the room that belonged to Kaede. Hikari knew what she had to do but couldn't gather her resolve to fight once again.

As Hikari cleaned her weapons, she kept getting a glimpse, a memory of her old moments with her father, friend, and lover—the moments of laughter and support her father gave her, the stories and teachings Ryu once gave her, the way's kaede would make her feel better, would take care of her truth, be told, Hikari has been in this new life for six months, knowing everything started in that accident. Knowing this was her legacy that she never even predicted, she thought she would pursue a normal life, continue her studies, follow her dream career, and perhaps find a lover, but life had it planned in another way for her.

Once done with cleaning her weapons hikari decided it was time to continue her journey she had the leads she needed everything leading to a single point in the map where everyone should be reunited every head of the project eden who hikari wanted to defeat now moved by anger she grabs her backpack and heads to a car she stole close by she makes her way to the local, the place unlike the others didn't seem shady or was old no it was masked by a bar, Hikari knew she needed a plan but for now she would have to figure out a way in withouth being noticed rhey knew her face and she was wanted by the gardeners, she takes sometime inside the car thinking of what to do until she finally decides in a plan, she parks the car close to the bar, she get's out of the car closing the door carefully as she heads to the bar's entrance. The neon sign flickered above, casting a dim, intermittent glow over the wet pavement. The rain had begun again, a light drizzle that seemed to echo the turmoil in Hikari's heart. She pulled the hood of her jacket over her head, shadowing her face as she approached the door.

The bar was a front, a perfect disguise for the illicit activities that went on beneath its surface. Hikari knew the type—these places were designed to blend in, to be unassuming. But she also knew that behind its ordinary façade, the real enemies waited. They had taken everything from her, and now it was time to return the favor.

As she entered, the warmth and noise of the bar contrasted sharply with the cold, quiet night outside. The air was thick with the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke, and the low hum of conversation filled the room. Patrons sat at tables or leaned against the bar, most of them oblivious to the dangerous undercurrents that ran just beneath the surface of their mundane lives.

Hikari scanned the room quickly. There were a few regulars she recognized from previous surveillance, but her focus was on the back, where a door marked "Staff Only" was guarded by a large, burly man. That door led to the underground facility where Kenjiro and the remaining leaders of Project Eden would be gathered. She had to find a way past that guard.

Hikari approached the bar, sliding onto a stool and ordering a drink. The bartender, a wiry man with sharp eyes, poured her a glass without saying a word. As she sipped the bitter liquid, she watched the room through the mirror behind the bar. The guard by the door was alert, his eyes scanning the room periodically, but he seemed relaxed—unaware of the storm that was about to descend upon them.

Finishing her drink, Hikari rose and made her way to the restroom, the door just a few feet from the guarded entrance. She needed a distraction—something to draw attention away from her when she made her move. In the restroom, she took a deep breath, her mind racing. Then she remembered the small explosive device in her backpack—a last resort she had hoped not to use but now seemed necessary.

She set the timer on the device for five minutes and carefully hid it in the trash bin. The device wasn't meant to cause major damage, just enough to create chaos. Satisfied, she straightened up and exited the restroom, making her way back towards the guarded door.