The Prototype

Chapter 7

The sound of rushing water grew louder as Ethan neared the hidden waterfall just outside the city, its mist cooling his face even in his breathless hurry. This was the place Maia had marked on the map—the location of the first prototype fragment. Behind the cascade, barely visible through the relentless rush, was an entrance to an underground tunnel. Waiting by the water's edge was Rowan, already geared up and ready, his eyes flickering with both worry and determination.

"Good to see you still remember the way," Rowan called, strapping a tactical mask to his side.

Ethan managed a strained smile. "Good to see you still trust my judgment."

Rowan gave him a grim nod, and together, they moved into the waterfall's shadow, slipping behind the curtain of water into the dark, hidden mouth of the tunnel. The path stretched out before them, shadowy and littered with obstacles. Ethan flicked on a flashlight, illuminating the cold stone walls crawling with spiderwebs and half-buried rocks. A thin, winding river ran beside them, snaking its way deeper into the dark tunnel as they pressed forward.

"Does it feel to you like... everything's getting heavier?" Rowan muttered, glancing warily at the tunnel walls. The air itself felt weighted, pressing down with an unnatural intensity that prickled Ethan's nerves.

"It's the denial phase," Ethan replied, voice low. "It's affecting everything. We're running out of time."

They trudged through the narrow, treacherous passage, sidestepping sharp rocks and ducking under webs until, finally, the narrow path opened up into a cavern. At the center of the chamber, nestled among scattered rocks, was the first fragment—a small, pulsating piece of the prototype, its faint purple glow casting eerie shadows across the walls.

Ethan reached out carefully, fingers brushing the fragment, when a jolt shot through him, a lingering residue of Maia's grief echoing in his mind. He clutched the piece tightly, slipping it into his bag as he and Rowan turned and retraced their steps toward the tunnel's exit.

Back in New York, the city had descended into chaos. A dense, toxic fog had settled over the streets, blanketing everything in a thick, purple haze that moved like smoke, winding its way through alleyways and streets, seeping into buildings. The air was thick with confusion; people were stumbling, disoriented, eyes wide with fear as the denial-inducing fog clouded their senses.

Ethan and Rowan rushed back to the car, pulling their protective masks from the backseat before stepping out into the oppressive fog. They adjusted the filters, feeling the weight of the air as they moved toward the heart of the city.

And there she was—floating above them, high in the sky, an ominous silhouette cloaked in pulsing violet light. Maia looked almost ethereal, her hair drifting as if caught in an invisible breeze, her eyes distant yet filled with a chilling kind of satisfaction as she watched the chaos below. The fog curled around her, a manifestation of her anguish and denial spreading throughout the city.

Rowan muttered under his breath, but Ethan's focus stayed fixed on Maia. He could still sense traces of her there, a sliver of the woman he loved, hidden beneath layers of pain and twisted power.

As if sensing him, Maia's gaze snapped down, locking onto Ethan and Rowan below. A slow, unsettling smile crept across her face as she tilted her head, her voice carrying through the fog, both icy and taunting.

"I'm just getting started," she said, her tone laced with a hint of dark amusement.

Before either of them could respond, she vanished, dissolving into the violet mist as if she'd been a mere apparition.

Ethan swallowed, exchanging a tense look with Rowan. "We need to keep moving," he said, his voice steady despite the storm roiling within him. "Oregon's next. We have to find the second fragment before she reaches the next stage."

They climbed back into the car, checking their maps and setting the teleportation watches. The clock was ticking, each hour pulling them closer to the next stage—and to whatever Maia was becoming. As the car's engine hummed to life, Ethan cast one last glance at the lingering fog, steeling himself for the mission ahead. He couldn't fail her. Not now, not ever.

And with a flash, they teleported away, leaving the fog-choked city behind as they set their sights on Oregon and the race to capture the next fragment.