All Chapters of Scars of the Heart: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The wind howled through the snow-capped peaks of Blackridge as the team made their final preparations. Rosa secured the last of the gear into the duffel bag while Elena adjusted the comms unit in her ear, fingers trembling not from fear, but from the weight of what was to come. Lucian Monroe, pale and feverish but standing, leaned heavily on a cane. Every movement looked like agony, but his eyes burned with purpose. “We go through the lower tunnels,” he instructed, pointing to a schematic projected on the terminal. “There’s a vent access behind the east quadrant labs. No guards. No cameras.” Grayson nodded, gripping the flash drive Lucian had given them. “And Rose?” “She’s not in the main cells,” Lucian said, voice tight. “She’s in the Observation Wing–one floor below the cloning labs.” “She’s still alive?” Elena asked. Lucian nodded slowly. “Last intel says she’s under heavy sedation. They were preparing to transfer her.” “To where?” Grayson snapped. Lucian looked down

The air in the strategy room was razor-thin, and crackling with tension as red lights pulsed across the ceiling. Elena stepped in, Grayson close behind, and was immediately met by a wall of urgency. Rosa was hunched over the main console, fingers flying over the keys as a rotating three-dimensional map of Havenreach displayed a blinking red dot closing in fast from the northwest quadrant. "Unknown vessel is small, low-altitude, but fast. It's not broadcasting any identification code," Rosa said. Her voice was composed, but her eyes betrayed unease. "It broke through the outer radar web five minutes ago." "Do we know who it belongs to?" Grayson asked. Lucian spoke up from a chair near the back, his bandaged hand resting on the edge of the table. "It's Sovereign. That flight signature, I've seen it before. They used those for extraction and covert ops. It's either reconnaissance... or a message." Elena leaned over the map, her eyes narrowing. "How soon until it reaches us?" "Three

As the world burned around them, Elena ducked behind a shattered console as Helix's sonic burst cracked overhead, sending panels and steel flying like shrapnel. The rifle in Grayson’s hands let out a high-pitched whine as he unleashed round after round, each one glancing off the hybrid’s impenetrable hide in a shower of sparks. "Cover left!" Elena shouted, vaulting to a new position. Lucian, limping but still fighting, lobbed an explosive device that detonated at Helix’s feet. The monster screamed an unholy, static-laced cry and stumbled back. The flames clung to his synthetic flesh, writhing like serpents. "That slowed him down," Grayson panted, reloading. "Barely." "His core—it's behind the left rib," Lucian called. "Spliced in from Sovereign’s third-gen synths. That’s the only way to kill him." Elena nodded grimly. "Then we go for the heart." Helix recovered fast. Way too fast. With a growl that warped the air, he charged, faster than any of them could react. He sla

The hum of the VTOL jet faded behind them as Elena stared through the reinforced window at Istanbul’s predawn skyline. The city’s lights shimmered through the morning mist, fading like ghosts and with them, a sense of growing uncertainty took hold. Grayson sat across from her, clad in transfer armor, his gaze vacant—recovering, calculating, yet unreachable. The mission ahead demanded precision, but her heart wrestled with the fog of uncertainty. In Flight – Mid-air Elena checked her datapad again, reading encrypted coordinates: a warehouse tucked beneath fading cloisters near the Bosporus. The intel from Creed’s contact was fragile but plausible. She looked up at Grayson. “Ready?” He nodded. But his silence felt heavy, as if something weighed behind his eyes. She pressed, “Grayson?” He closed his eyes. When they opened again, something dark had shifted behind the blue. “I need to tell you something,” he said quietly. Her heart clenched. “You saved me…” he continued

Thunder cracked over the mountain ridge, echoing through the steep canyons as the storm rolled in. Rain lashed against the safehouse windows like claws trying to rip through the glass. Inside, Elena paced, eyes flickering between the sleeping Rose and the silent figure seated near the fireplace, Enoch. He hadn’t spoken since their escape. Since watching Damien bleed out on the lab floor. Since the flames engulfed the fortress behind them. She could still feel the heat on her skin, the smell of burning metal, and the boy’s shaking hand clutched in hers as they ran through hell. Grayson emerged from the back room, there are bruises under his eyes and gauze wrapped tight around his ribs. "We can’t stay here much longer. That drone? It wasn’t just surveillance. I think it was a tracker." Elena nodded, rubbing her temples. "I know." "Monroe’s alive," Rosa said, walking in from the wet porch and shaking off her coat. Her eyes met Elena’s. "And he’s hunting. Not just us. He wants Enoch