---
Helena lay awake in her bed, her thoughts swirling in endless loops. The compound was eerily quiet now, the soft hum of machines and the occasional flicker of surveillance feeds the only sounds cutting through the stillness. But in her mind, everything was loud—chaotic, even. Iris' story echoed over and over, intertwining with her own doubts about the life she and Sarah had been thrust into.
Ryan saved her, Helena reminded herself. But still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Helena had always trusted Ryan—ever since they were children, she had known that he would protect her and Sarah. But now, as the weight of Iris' words bore down on her, a creeping doubt began to seep into her thoughts. Had Ryan really given Iris a choice? Or was Iris trapped in his world, just like the rest of them?
The feeling gnawed at Helena until she couldn't stand it any longer. She threw off the covers and quietly slipped out of bed. If there was one thing she needed to do, it was to talk to Iris again. They had shared a deep moment earlier, but Helena needed clarity. She needed to understand how Iris really felt—whether she was resigned to this life or simply scared of what the alternative might be.
With silent steps, Helena made her way down the hallways, her bare feet making soft sounds on the cold floor. She paused just outside Iris' room, her hand hesitating over the door for a moment. What if she was overstepping? What if Iris wasn't ready to talk more about her past?
But her curiosity—and the need to know more—overpowered her hesitation. Gently, she knocked.
"Iris?" Helena's voice was soft, careful.
For a moment, there was no answer. Then, a faint shuffle came from inside, followed by the sound of footsteps. The door cracked open, revealing Iris standing there, still in her hoodie and sweats, her glasses slightly askew from having just woken up. She blinked at Helena in surprise.
"Helena?" Iris rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"
Helena offered a sheepish smile. "Late, I think. Sorry, I couldn't sleep. I… wanted to talk."
Iris glanced over her shoulder at the darkened room behind her, then back at Helena. With a small, tired smile, she stepped aside, motioning for her to come in. "Sure. Let's talk."
---
The Truth Begins to Unfold
They sat together on the small couch in Iris' room, the dim glow from Iris' tablet illuminating the space in soft blues and greens. For a few moments, neither of them spoke. Helena fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve, while Iris yawned and settled deeper into the cushions.
"I couldn't stop thinking about what you told me earlier," Helena began, her voice quiet but firm. "About your family, the Black Phoenix Syndicate… about everything."
Iris didn't respond right away. She simply sat there, staring at the blank screen of her tablet, her fingers idly tracing patterns on its surface.
Helena continued, "I just… I don't understand. Why does it have to be this way? Why do you have to stay here, with Ryan, living in this world of shadows? You're so young, Iris. Don't you want to live a normal life?"
For a moment, Iris didn't move, didn't even blink. The silence hung between them, heavy and tense, until finally, Iris let out a small, sad laugh. It was a hollow sound—nothing like the bright, mischievous girl Helena had grown used to.
"Normal?" Iris repeated softly, shaking her head. "I haven't been normal in years, Helena. Maybe I never was."
Helena's heart clenched at the sadness in Iris' voice. "But you don't have to stay here. You don't have to keep living like this."
Iris looked at her, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "Do you really think I have a choice?"
Helena opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught in her throat. She had been so sure earlier—so sure that Ryan had saved Iris, that he had given her a life when she had nothing. But now, looking into Iris' eyes, she realized that the situation was far more complicated than she had thought.
"I thought Ryan was protecting you," Helena whispered. "Isn't that what this is? You said he saved you."
Iris nodded slowly, her gaze falling back to her lap. "He did. Ryan saved my life. I was on the run, scared out of my mind, and if he hadn't found me… I don't even want to think about what would've happened."
"Then why do you seem so… trapped?" Helena asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Iris let out a long, shaky breath, as if she had been holding it in for far too long. "Because that's what this life is, Helena. It's survival. That's all. Ryan saved me, but the Black Phoenix Syndicate… they're still out there. They'll never stop hunting me. They don't leave people like me alone."
Helena's chest tightened. She had known the syndicate was dangerous, but hearing Iris say it so plainly—it made the danger feel more real, more immediate.
"But…" Helena began, struggling to find the right words. "Ryan's powerful. He has all these people, all this… control. If he can protect you here, why can't he help you get away? Why can't you have a real life?"
Iris looked up, her expression unreadable for a long moment. "Because this is a real life. The only one I've got."
The room fell into silence again, the weight of Iris' words hanging heavy in the air. Helena could see the pain etched on Iris' face, the resignation that had settled into her bones. But beneath that, there was something else—something Helena couldn't quite put her finger on.
"I don't believe that," Helena said suddenly, her voice stronger now. "You shouldn't have to just survive, Iris. You deserve more than this."
Iris smiled faintly, though it was tinged with sadness. "You sound like Ryan. He says the same thing sometimes."
Helena blinked in surprise. "He does?"
Iris nodded. "Yeah. He doesn't talk about it much, but I know he feels guilty. He wants to give me more, but… he knows it's not that simple."
Helena's heart skipped a beat. Ryan? Feeling guilty? It was hard to imagine her brother—the cold, calculating Lord of Shadows—feeling anything like guilt. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Ryan had always been protective, always carrying the weight of responsibility for the people around him. And Iris was no exception.
"He thinks he's doing the right thing," Iris continued, her voice soft. "Keeping me here, keeping me safe. And I'm grateful for that, I really am. But sometimes… I wonder what it would've been like if things had been different. If I hadn't been dragged into all this."
Helena's heart ached for Iris. The girl sitting in front of her was so much more than the hacker who could outsmart any system, more than the sharp-witted teenager who seemed to fit so easily into Ryan's world. Iris was someone who had been hurt, used, and left with nothing but a survival instinct that had carried her through the worst of it.
"I wish things were different too," Helena said quietly. "I wish you could have the life you deserve."
Iris shrugged, though the gesture lacked its usual playfulness. "We don't always get what we deserve, do we?"
Helena didn't know how to respond to that. She wanted to argue, to tell Iris that she did deserve more—that she deserved happiness, freedom, a life that wasn't consumed by fear and survival. But how could she say that when she wasn't even sure how to get those things for herself?
As the silence stretched on, Helena's mind began to turn. She couldn't just leave things as they were. Iris was stuck in this world because of the syndicate—because they were still out there, still hunting her. But what if… what if there was a way to change that?
"What if we could stop them?" Helena asked suddenly, her voice filled with a quiet determination.
Iris blinked in surprise. "Stop who?"
"The Black Phoenix Syndicate," Helena clarified, her heart racing. "What if we could stop them? If they're the reason you can't leave, then maybe… maybe if they were gone, you could have the life you want."
Iris stared at her, wide-eyed. "You're talking about taking down one of the most powerful syndicates in the world, Helena. That's not exactly easy."
"I know it's not," Helena said quickly, her mind spinning with possibilities. "But Ryan has the power. He has the resources. If anyone could do it, he could. Right?"
Iris' gaze flickered with something—hope, maybe, or fear, or both. "I… I don't know. I've never even thought about that."
Helena's pulse quickened. The idea seemed wild, reckless, impossible—but at the same time, it felt like the only way forward. If they could take down the syndicate, if they could finally give I
ris the freedom she deserved, then maybe they could all find some sense of peace in this dark world.
"Helena, I appreciate what you're saying, but it's not that simple," Iris said, her voice laced with uncertainty. "The Black Phoenix Syndicate isn't just a bunch of criminals you can take down with a few soldiers and a plan. They're everywhere—embedded in governments, corporations, entire nations. And they don't forget. Even if Ryan could go after them, there would always be someone else… some new leader rising to take control. You can't just cut the head off the snake and expect it to die."
Helena frowned, her determination faltering as she listened to Iris. She hadn't fully understood the scope of the syndicate's power before now. Iris wasn't just afraid of the people hunting her—she was afraid of the entire system that propped them up. And yet, a part of Helena refused to let go of the idea that there had to be a way out for Iris, a way to break free from the cycle of fear and survival.
"But we can't just do nothing," Helena insisted, her voice stronger now. "There has to be something Ryan can do. You shouldn't have to spend the rest of your life hiding."
Iris glanced at Helena, her gaze softening. "I know you mean well, Helena. But the truth is… I don't think I know how to live outside of this anymore. Running, hiding, hacking… it's all I've known for so long."
Helena felt her heart ache at Iris' words. It was as if this bright, brilliant girl had accepted her fate, had resigned herself to a life of shadows. And while Iris might have been at peace with that, Helena wasn't. She couldn't be.
"You don't have to live like this," Helena said, her voice filled with a quiet urgency. "Ryan cares about you. I can see that. Maybe he doesn't show it in the way you'd expect, but he wants to protect you. I'm sure he'd do anything to help you find a way out if you asked."
Iris smiled softly, though there was a sadness in her eyes. "Ryan's already done enough for me. I owe him my life. But there's only so much he can do. The rest… that's up to me."
The room fell into a quiet stillness, the weight of the conversation pressing down on both of them. Helena wanted to say more, wanted to push Iris further, to make her believe that there was still hope for something better. But she also knew that Iris wasn't the kind of person who accepted help easily. She had been surviving on her own for so long that the idea of relying on someone else—of trusting someone else—was a difficult thing for her to accept.
Helena sighed softly, her fingers brushing against the fabric of the couch as she leaned back. "I don't know if I could handle that," she admitted quietly. "Being trapped like that. Feeling like there's no way out."
Iris shrugged, her expression thoughtful. "You get used to it. Besides, you're not trapped. You and Sarah… you still have a chance at something normal. You could walk away from all of this if you wanted to."
Helena frowned, the thought of leaving Ryan's world behind unsettling her. She had thought about it before—what it would be like to go back to a normal life, to live in the light instead of the shadows. But ever since reuniting with Ryan, she had felt a pull to stay, to understand the world he had built and the man he had become. And now, with everything she knew about Iris, she wasn't sure if she could ever truly leave.
"I don't think I could walk away," Helena said softly, her voice filled with uncertainty. "Not now. Not after everything I've seen. And besides… Ryan needs us. He needs people around him who still care about him."
Iris raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a small, knowing smile. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"
Helena's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't deny it. "Of course I'm worried about him. He's my brother. And after everything he's been through… I don't know if he's okay. I don't know if he'll ever be okay."
Iris nodded, her expression thoughtful. "Ryan's strong. But even the strongest people need something to hold onto. Maybe that's you and Sarah."
Helena glanced at Iris, surprised by her words. "You think so?"
Iris shrugged again, leaning back into the couch. "I think Ryan cares more than he lets on. About you, about Sarah, about all of us. But he's built this world around him, this fortress of shadows, and it's hard to get through to him sometimes. He doesn't let people in easily. Not after what happened to him."
Helena felt a pang of guilt in her chest. She had spent so much time worrying about Iris and about the dangers of Ryan's world that she hadn't really stopped to think about what it must have been like for Ryan all those years, living in the darkness, carrying the weight of everything that had happened. She had always thought of him as strong, invincible even, but now she realized that maybe, just maybe, he needed her just as much as she needed him.
"I don't know how to help him," Helena admitted, her voice small. "I feel like he's so far away, like he's someone I don't even recognize anymore."
Iris gave her a sympathetic smile. "You'll find a way. Ryan's not as lost as he seems. And you… you're one of the few people who can still reach him."
Helena's heart warmed slightly at Iris' words, though the doubt still lingered in the back of her mind. She wanted to believe that she could help Ryan, that she could bring him back from the darkness that had consumed him. But as she looked at Iris, she wondered if the shadows were too deep, too strong, for any of them to escape.
---
A Plan Takes Root
Helena stayed with Iris for a while longer, their conversation drifting into lighter topics as they tried to shake off the heaviness of the earlier discussion. They talked about small things—music, food, old stories from before everything had changed—and for a brief moment, it felt like they were just two normal girls, laughing and joking like any other teenagers.
But even as they laughed, the weight of Iris' story still lingered in the back of Helena's mind. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something she needed to do—something she needed to fix. Iris was strong, yes, but she shouldn't have to be. She shouldn't have to live every day in fear, constantly looking over her shoulder for the ghosts of her past.
As the hours passed and the night grew deeper, Helena finally made her way back to her room. But sleep didn't come easily. Her mind was too full, too restless. Thoughts of Iris and the Black Phoenix Syndicate swirled in her head, mixing with her growing concerns about Ryan and the dangerous world he had built around them.
Lying in the dark, Helena's mind began to turn. What if there was a way to help Iris? What if there was a way to finally break the chains that tied her to the syndicate? Ryan was powerful—more powerful than most people even realized. He had resources, connections, and control over a vast network of allies and operatives.
If anyone could take down the Black Phoenix Syndicate, it was Ryan.
The thought sparked something inside Helena—a flicker of hope, of determination. Maybe it was reckless, maybe it was impossible, but it was the only thing she could think of. Iris deserved a life free from the shadows, and Ryan… Ryan needed a way to make things right.
The more Helena thought about it, the more the idea took root in her mind. She didn't have all the answers, and she didn't know how Ryan would react, but she had to try. She had to find a way to convince him to take action, to give Iris the chance at freedom that she so desperately deserved.
With a newfound sense of purpose, Helena resolved to speak to Ryan the next day. She didn't know what would come of it, but she couldn't stay silent any longer. Iris needed her,
and maybe, just maybe, Ryan did too.
---
End of Chapter 27