The poison continued to gnaw at Mayu from the inside. Each step felt heavier, her breath shorter. Haru supported her with a firm hand, while Akira kept watch, scanning for any suspicious movement in the tunnel.
— We can't keep going like this, Akira growled. She won't last long.
Mayu gritted her teeth. She refused to be a burden.
— I can… walk, she murmured.
But her body screamed otherwise.
Haru stopped and quickly glanced around.
— There's a hideout not far from here. We can treat her there.
Akira raised an eyebrow.
— How do you know that?
Haru didn't respond immediately. Then he fixed his gaze on Mayu.
— Because everything that's happened to you… I've lived it too.
---
The hideout was an old underground bunker, abandoned for years. The walls were covered in broken screens, tangled cables, and dried bloodstains.
Mayu shivered at the sight. The place felt strangely familiar.
Haru helped her sit on a makeshift bed while he retrieved a syringe filled with a blue liquid.
— This is a partial antidote, he explained. It will slow the progression of the Venom and give you some strength back.
He plunged the needle into her arm. A cold shock coursed through her body. But quickly, the pain faded. Her vision cleared. She exhaled slowly, regaining a semblance of control over her muscles.
— It's temporary, Haru warned. The poison is designed to adapt.
Akira crossed his arms.
— Then we need to be quick. Explain everything.
Haru leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
— Project Azur was never canceled.
Mayu tensed.
— What?!
— The Professor just changed his objective.
He fixed her with a piercing gaze.
— You think you're a survivor. An anomaly. But in reality…
He paused.
— You are their successful prototype.
The shock hit Mayu like a freight train. Her heart raced.
— You mean… they continued?
Haru nodded.
— And they created others.
Akira let out an incredulous sigh.
— Clones?
— Not exactly, Haru replied. Enhancements. They took your data and sought to perfect their subjects.
He clenched his fist.
— And they're ready to unleash them.
A shiver ran down Mayu's spine. She could already envision the impending carnage. Assassins stronger, faster… and completely under control.
She clenched her fists.
— We have to stop them.
Haru smiled slightly.
— That's exactly why I came to find you.
---
The plan was risky. The Professor was hiding in an underground complex, protected by a private army and his new "creations." Infiltrating would be suicidal. But waiting was even worse.
Haru deployed a holographic map of the complex.
— We'll enter through the maintenance tunnel. It's supposed to be abandoned… but I bet there will be surveillance.
Akira nodded.
— We eliminate them quietly?
Haru shrugged.
— If possible. But if things go south, we force our way through.
Then he turned to Mayu.
— You'll need to reach the Professor.
Mayu took a deep breath. She knew what that meant. A final fight. Perhaps her death. But she was no longer afraid.
She locked her gaze with Haru's.
— Then let's go.