Eternal Huntress

Chapter 27

The lab was eerily silent when Alex and I returned. The usual hum of activity was replaced by an oppressive quiet that felt like a heavy weight pressing down on my chest. Dr. Sinclair was still bent over her desk, oblivious to the storm that had just broken in our world. The gravity of Elias's betrayal hung over us like a dark cloud, and I knew we couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"Helena, Alex," Dr. Sinclair greeted us without looking up, her voice distracted. "I've been going over the latest findings, and I think we might have a way to—" She stopped mid-sentence when she finally looked up and saw our faces. "What happened?"

I exchanged a glance with Alex, and he gave a slight nod, urging me to speak. "Elias has been working with Gabriel," I said, my voice cold and steady despite the storm of emotions swirling within me. "He's been feeding him information this whole time."

Dr. Sinclair's face paled, and she dropped the notes she was holding. "What? How do you know?"

"We found evidence—an old photo of him with Gabriel, and when we confronted him, he didn't even try to deny it," Alex explained, his tone laced with anger. "He's been playing us, using everything we've discovered to help Gabriel."

The color drained from Dr. Sinclair's face as she absorbed the news. "This is... worse than I imagined," she whispered, sinking into her chair. "If Gabriel knows everything we've been working on, he'll be able to counter anything we try."

"That's why we have to act fast," I said, my voice firm. "Elias mentioned that Gabriel is close to completing the ritual. We need to stop him before he can finish it."

"But how?" Dr. Sinclair asked, her voice tinged with desperation. "If he knows all our plans, we're at a disadvantage."

"We still have the counter-ritual," Alex said, his tone resolute. "It might be our only chance to stop him. But we need to figure out how to use it in a way that Gabriel won't anticipate."

Dr. Sinclair nodded, her expression grim. "We'll have to work quickly and quietly. If Elias is still feeding Gabriel information, we can't let him know what we're planning."

"Agreed," I said, feeling the weight of the situation settle heavily on my shoulders. "We need to outmaneuver them, and that means keeping our next steps close to the chest."

The three of us dove into our work with renewed urgency, pouring over the counter-ritual and analyzing every detail. Hours passed in a blur as we pieced together a plan, driven by the knowledge that this might be our last chance to stop Gabriel and prevent whatever dark future he was trying to create.

As the hours stretched into the night, the fatigue began to wear on us, but none of us dared to rest. The lab was filled with the sounds of scribbling notes, the flipping of pages, and the occasional muttered curse as we hit roadblocks and worked to overcome them.

At some point, Alex stood up and walked over to me. His eyes were dark with exhaustion, but there was a fire burning behind them that mirrored my own determination. "Helena, we need to talk."

I glanced up from the manuscript I was studying, a flicker of concern rising in my chest. "What is it?"

"Not here," he said quietly, nodding toward the door. "Outside."

I followed him out of the lab, and we stepped into the cool night air. The city was quiet, the streets illuminated by the soft glow of streetlights. The contrast between the peaceful surroundings and the turmoil inside me was jarring.

"What's on your mind?" I asked, leaning against the wall and crossing my arms, trying to keep the worry out of my voice.

Alex leaned against the railing, his gaze fixed on the distant skyline. "I've been thinking about what Elias said—about how Gabriel is close to finishing the ritual. We're running out of time, and I'm worried we might be overlooking something."