Chapter 13: Shadows in Motion
As they made their way through the busy west side of the city, the sky overhead turned gray-dark and moonless, as if it had been restless with departed time. Lance had choosen this time deliberately— one of those sprawling luxury complexes with nightclubs and bars built around it, where indulgence and chaos disguised all kinds of power plays happening in the shadows. This was where the new headquarters of the Syndicate was located— in plain sight.
He walked slowly, hands tucked in the pockets of his overcoat, scanning the environment, eyes taking in each detail-the security cameras planted behind buildings' sleek architecture, guards stationed at inconspicuous angles, and the faint gleam of energy signature from the second artifact he sought.
"You sure about this?" Evelyn asked, lowering her voice as they stopped at a street vendor selling roasted chestnuts.
"Sure enough," replied Lance, the corner of his mouth curling up in a faint smirk.
Vex snorted, munching on an illegally acquired chestnut from the vendor's cart. "It's that look again."
"What look?" Lance questioned, innocently.
"The one that says, 'We're about to do something insane, and I'm going to love every single moment of it'."
Lance laughed, "Then you know me well, Vex."
"Hold Back." Lance said with a hand gesture, He pulled out a sleek apparatus from his pocket, an EMP generator he'd "acquired" from an old contact
"Five minutes," he was murmuring. "That is all the window we'll get once this goes off. Stick to the plan."
Evelyn shot him that look. "And if the plan falls apart?"
"We improvise," Lance answered, an instant.
The EMP created a low buzz and then dished a pulse that rippled through the air, causing the city lights to stutter a moment's flicker.
"Showtime," Lance calmly said, but there was something about his voice that was brimming with adrenaline.
Through the service entrance, they slipped inside, bypassing initial layers of security without any dramatic fuss. Lance was leading such that every movement seemed to be pre-calculated and soundless, almost as though, he had simulated it in his head thousands of times previously.
They walked in dimly lit corridors, with the sound of the building's backup systems hiding the accidental noise from their movements. His senses were on high alert, every decision weighed upon a razor's edge.
At the entrance of the artifact chamber, Lance remained fixated as the heavy steel door loomed in front of them.
"This is it," he murmured.
While Lance was busy working on the door's lock mechanism, Evelyn and Vex were on lookout. The tension felt solid and terrible, as each second stretched into eternity.
Suddenly, Vex's hand flew out to grab hold of Evelyn's arm.
"'Over here,' he said, tilting his head towards the end of the passage.
There came the Syndicate goons around the bend. They looked like they were made out of hardened steel- guns drawn.
"We've got no more time," said Evelyn urgently.
"Then stall them," Lance said as if it were nothing and drew his attention back to the lock.
Evelyn and Vex glanced at each other before advancing toward the guards.
"Hey there," Vex called out in a lighthearted tone, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Lost tourists. Can you point us to the exit?"
The head honcho wasn't amused. "You're trespassing on Syndicate turf. Hands behind your heads, now."
A heavy sigh from Evelyn. "I guess it's to be done the hard way."
Disarming the closest guard with a swift motion, her movements fluid and precise, Vex added his weight to the fight, relying on his wiry frame and sharp reflexes to avoid and counter their attackers.
Inside the chamber, Lance finally disengaged the lock. The door slid open and hissed, revealing the artifact- an obsidian sphere suspended in a column of luminous activity. Unlike the first artifact, this one radiated an ominous energy, as if it were alive and soaking him in.
Lance advanced cautiously as the whispers of the first artifact echoed in his mind.
"Two pieces of the puzzle," the voice murmured. "Yet beware: the path of power is strewn with countless perils."
He reached forward, fingers barely brushing the surface of the sphere. The energy pulsed through him, more electric and volatile than he had ever felt it before. Images flashed across his mind's eye- a town ablaze, a throne of light, and a dark shadow watching him from the void.
Gritting his teeth, Lance forced himself to focus. The power of the artifact intoxicated him, but he could not afford to allow it to take him. Outside, the heat of battle was mounting- the last time he looked, Evelyn and Vex were holding off but reinforcements were closing in.
"We can't keep this up!" shouted Evelyn as she ducked beneath a swinging baton.
"Lance!" yelled Vex as he kicked an enforcer into the wall. "Whatever you're doing, do it fast!"
Lance marched out of the chamber with the obsidian sphere tucked under his arm. "Let's go!"
The three darted out of the hallway, dodging guards and gunfire while sirens wailed around them. The EMP was fading and the building was waking up once more.
As they neared the exit, a blast of energy from the artifact ripped open a shield and deflected one last round of bullets.
And out they went to be swallowed in the din and chaos of the city's streets, completely out of sight before the Syndicate could regroup again.
When Lance came back to the hideout, he placed the globe alongside the very first artifact. When kept together, these two objects began to hum with their energies weaving a beautiful show of light and shadow.
Evelyn flopped down into a chair. "That was crazy. That was even over-the-top for you," she gasped for air.
He took some time. His mind raced through the possibilities.
"This is only the beginning," he finally said quietly yet with conviction.
Evelyn scowled. 'Beginning of what?'
"Of the unlocking of the artifacts," Lance said. "That will surely change everything."
As the trio sat and caught their breaths, there was a knock at the hideout. The sound caused Evelyn and Vex to exchange wary glances as Lance made his way to the door, readying himself with his concealed dagger.
He opened the door cautiously, revealing a hooded figure.
"Who the hell are you?" demanded Lance.
"Who?" came the voice as it pulled back the hood to reveal a familiar face that made Lance's blood turned cold. "
We need to talk," said the stranger, "before it is too late."