The Safe Zone - Reckoning (Book 2)

Chapter 11: The Directive Unveiled

Lena:

The cold air in the underground chamber felt stifling as I crouched behind the rusted machinery, my heart pounding so hard I was sure the sound of it would give us away. My fingers tightened around the grip of my rifle, sweat beading on my forehead as the metallic clang of footsteps echoed through the room.

The figure—no, the thing—in front of us wasn't human. At least, not anymore. The dim light flickering from the consoles barely illuminated his face, but it was enough for me to see the unnatural gleam in his eyes, the cold, metallic sheen that sent a shiver down my spine. I had never seen anything like it before—someone who moved like a human but had the mechanical precision of a machine.

The Directive had been experimenting on people. She was altering them and enhancing them. And now, we were face-to-face with one of their creations.

My stomach churned with disgust. This wasn't just about survival anymore. The Directive was playing god, creating soldiers—monsters—out of the people they were supposed to protect.

"They're not just controlling who survives," I whispered, barely able to keep the tremble out of my voice. "They're controlling what humanity becomes."

Beside me, Ethan's expression was grim, his jaw set as he watched the figure move closer. He didn't respond to what I said, but I could see the same disgust in his eyes. Whatever this soldier was, whatever he had once been, he was now a weapon—an extension of the Directive's plan to reshape the world into their vision of perfection.

The figure moved silently through the room, his gaze scanning the consoles and the walls with that same cold, mechanical precision. He wasn't searching for us—he was *assessing* the environment, calculating, analyzing. And I knew, in that moment, that if we didn't take him out first, we wouldn't stand a chance.

"We need to take him down," Ethan whispered his voice low and deadly calm.

I nodded, swallowing hard as I adjusted my grip on my rifle. My pulse quickened as I prepared to move, but some small, hidden part of me hesitated. What if this man had once been like us? What if he had been a victim of the Directive, twisted into this... thing against his will?

But then I pushed the thought aside. We didn't have time for doubts. This wasn't a person anymore. It was a weapon, and if we didn't act, it would kill us without a second thought.

Ethan glanced at me, his eyes meeting mine briefly before he nodded. That was all the signal I needed.

I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves as I rose from my crouch and lined up my shot. The figure's back was to us, his attention still focused on the consoles before him. I exhaled slowly, my finger tightening on the trigger.

But just as I was about to pull the trigger, the figure turned faster than I could react, his eyes locking onto mine with a chilling, unnatural focus.

"Move!" Ethan shouted, shoving me aside just as a blast of energy erupted from the soldier's arm, slamming into where I had been standing a moment before.

I hit the ground hard, my breath knocked out of me as the world spun around me. The sound of gunfire echoed through the room, and I struggled to get back on my feet, my vision swimming. I could hear Ethan firing, his rifle's sharp crack mingling with the soldier's weapons' strange, mechanical hum.

I scrambled behind a nearby console, my heart racing as I tried to get my bearings. The soldier was fast—too fast. He moved with a speed and precision impossible for any average human, dodging Ethan's shots with an almost fluid grace. But what scared me the most was his cold, emotionless expression. There was no anger, fear, or humanity left in his eyes—just the relentless drive of a machine.