The Training Facility Omega was silent except for the faint hum of distant machinery. The dim blue lights along the steel walls cast eerie shadows across the recruits gathered in formation. Ethan stood with his shoulders squared, his knife sheathed at his side, sweat already dampening his collar despite the chill in the air.
Kiera Lane stood before them, a figure of shadows and precision. Her black tactical suit clung to her wiry frame, and her piercing eyes seemed to see everything at once. She didn't move, didn't blink, and yet her presence filled the cavernous space like smoke filling a glass.
"Welcome to Phase Two of your training," she said softly, her voice sharp as glass. "Today, we leave behind the safety of simulations. Today, you'll learn the most important skill of all: how to take a life."
The recruits shifted uneasily. Ethan could feel the tension rippling through the group like an electric current. Even Marcus, who stood two recruits away, seemed unusually still.
Kiera took a step forward, her boots clicking softly against the steel floor.
"A knife is an intimate weapon. You must be close, precise, and decisive. Hesitation will get you killed. Doubt will get others killed."
She gestured behind her, and the lights flickered to reveal a maze of dimly lit hallways stretching into darkness. Shadows danced on the walls, and faint red lights blinked in the distance.
"Inside this maze are your targets dummies, mannequins, and… something else."
Ethan frowned. Something else?
Kiera continued. "Your task is to eliminate your targets, extract an encrypted keycard, and return here without being seen. If you fail…" She let the silence hang for a moment. "…you'll wish you hadn't."
Without another word, she turned and disappeared into the shadows.
The buzzer blared, and the recruits moved forward, swallowed one by one by the maze.
Ethan moved through the narrow steel corridor, his knife clutched tightly in his gloved hand. His breathing was steady, controlled, just like he'd been taught. Every step was measured, every shadow examined before he slipped past.
Somewhere ahead, he heard faint footsteps soft, deliberate. Another recruit? Or something else?
He rounded a corner and froze. A mannequin dressed in combat gear stood at the end of the hallway, illuminated faintly by a flickering light overhead.
Ethan crept forward, knife raised. His footsteps made no sound on the grated metal floor.
When he was within striking distance, he lunged. The blade sunk into the mannequin's neck, and Ethan exhaled slowly.
One down.
A faint beep sounded from the chest of the dummy, and a small metallic keycard ejected from a slot in the chest. Ethan snatched it and slid it into his pocket.
Two more targets to go.
The second target was easier, another mannequin positioned awkwardly behind a stack of crates. Ethan dispatched it quickly, retrieved the second keycard, and kept moving.
But the air was different now. Colder. He could feel something shifting around him, like the maze itself was breathing.
A muffled gasp stopped him in his tracks.
It wasn't a recruit. It wasn't a mannequin.
Ethan edged forward until he reached a small alcove. His breath caught in his throat.
A real guard sat slumped against the wall, hands tied behind his back, a strip of duct tape across his mouth. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and his wide eyes were filled with terror.
Ethan's fingers went numb around his knife.
"Kiera didn't say anything about… this," he whispered to himself.
Through his earpiece, Kiera's voice crackled softly. "You have your orders, Cross."
Ethan's stomach twisted. "But he's not....he's not a mannequin."
"He's your target now," Kiera said calmly. "You know what to do."
The man stared at Ethan, tears welling in his eyes as he shook his head frantically.
Ethan froze. His grip on the knife tightened.
"Do it, Cross. Or walk away and fail."
Ethan's breathing became shallow, his heart pounding in his ears.
"No." His voice was barely a whisper. "I won't do it."
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then, a faint hiss.
A dart struck the man's neck, and his body went limp.
Ethan stumbled back, his eyes wide, his breath coming in sharp gasps.
From the shadows, Marcus Wren emerged, his knife still clean, his smirk colder than usual.
"Pathetic," Marcus said softly, his voice dripping with disdain.
Ethan's fists clenched at his sides. "Shut up, Wren."
Marcus took a step closer, his smirk fading into something crueler. "You're weak, Cross. You had one job, and you couldn't even do it."
Without thinking, Ethan lunged. He shoved Marcus against the wall, his forearm pressed against Marcus's throat.
"You don't know anything about me," Ethan growled through clenched teeth.
Marcus didn't flinch. Instead, he smirked again. "You'll never make it out there, Cross. Not if you keep hesitating."
Ethan released him with a shove, breathing heavily.
Marcus straightened his jacket and walked away, his voice echoing in the narrow corridor.
"See you at the finish line, hero."
The recruits gathered back at the debriefing hall later that night. Kiera Lane stood at the front, her cold eyes sweeping across them.
"Tonight was a lesson in loyalty to your orders, to your mission, and to yourselves. Some of you succeeded." Her gaze settled briefly on Marcus.
"And some of you failed." Her eyes locked onto Ethan.
Ethan held her gaze, refusing to look away.
"You'll face this choice again," Kiera said softly. "And next time, hesitation will cost more than just a failure mark."
She turned on her heel and disappeared into the shadows.
The recruits sat in silence for a moment.
Elise walked over and sat beside Ethan. "You did the right thing."
Ethan stared at his gloved hands, the faint scent of sweat and metal still clinging to his skin.
"Then why does it feel like I didn't?"
That night, Ethan lay in his bunk, staring at the knife resting on his bedside table. His reflection shimmered faintly in the blade's cold steel.
This is the life you chose, he reminded himself.
But in the pit of his stomach, a question gnawed at him: What kind of person would he become if he followed every order without question?
The shadows outside the window seemed deeper tonight.
Lex's words echoed in his mind:
"Once you're in… there's no turning back."
End of Chapter 11.