As the rumbling sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway, Alex and Sam quickly grabbed the bulletproof vests and strapped them around Gwen and Athian.
Then they suited up themselves, pulling on the vests and drawing their guns. Alex grabbed the ammo, loaded the mags with sharp, practiced hands, and cocked the weapon. He held the gun firmly, heart racing, and peeked outside.
A group of enemies were kicking doors open, checking inside the rooms. Some had already started shooting at the locks.
At that moment, Alex's brain was flooding with panic. "They're going to see us if we start running—run? No, too loud!" He ducked back into the room, whispering sharply, "Damn it. How the hell do we confront them now? Gunfire will expose us faster. We need a way out—quiet, fast."
Just then, Ben rifled through a supply box and shouted, "Alex—we've got a lifeline!"
It was a stun grenade—and smoke grenades too. A spark of hope lit up in Alex's mind. He gave Ben a nod, and Ben instantly got the idea. Gwen and Athian backed away, fear etched into their faces.
*"Every time they look like that," Alex thought, "they become unpredictable."
Alex pulled the pin on the stun grenade. Ben gripped it tight, wound up, and hurled it with all his strength toward the hallway. Alex ducked back into the room just in time.
Outside, the enemies continued their sweep, checking door after door...
Then—
Clink... tink... tink...
They heard the sound. A small, familiar clatter.
Recognition dawned—too late.
Eyes widened.
Then the world went white.
White-hot and instantaneous, the blast swallowed the hallway in a flash of light, bleaching out shape, shadow, and sanity.
A silent echo followed, then a scream.
Ears rang. Eyes burned.
Balance slipped away like sand in a storm.
As they staggered, blinded and stunned, Alex pulled out a smoke grenade and hurled it into the chaos. The thick gray gas swallowed everything, cloaking vision.
"Go!" he shouted.
They burst out of the room, charging into the smoke-filled corridor. The moment they cleared the corner, Alex shouted, "Guys! Remember—if you spot even one of them, take cover!"
Ben saw movement. A figure. No hesitation.
He fired.
The man was flung backward, crashing to the ground with a brutal thud.
Alex and Will froze in shock.
Gwen snapped them out of it, yelling, "Alex! They're coming!"
Alex blinked, shook the fog from his head, and jolted into action. He grabbed his headphones, the walkie-talkie, and his gun, fingers trembling but focused. He quickly checked his pulse — steady. His breathing eased.
Ben shoved him forward. "Go, go, go!"
Alex hesitated. "He was alive! But he's injured — body's messed up bad."
Will shouted, "That was a force bullet, Alex! It creates a pressure wave on impact!"
Betty cut in, eyes on the fallen man. "It hasn't fully released yet."
Alex scanned the hall, brain ticking. Ben added, "Those bullets are already on the black market. They're used in assassinations. Not common, but dangerous as hell."
Gwen and Athina's faces darkened with fear.
"Guys, come on! Save your breath," Alex snapped. "Stay sharp."
Even while running, Ben smirked, "Hey, by the way, I don't feel like we're being followed… as long as we keep moving."
Alex nodded. "Good. But I've got a feeling someone's close."
A man suddenly rounded the corner. Alex didn't hesitate — one clean shot to the head. The body hit the wall and collapsed outside the corridor.
Alex slipped on the headphones he'd picked up earlier.
"In the corridor near the armory — chase them!" a distorted voice echoed in his ear.
Alex froze and scanned the area. He spotted CCTV cameras planted at every corner of the palace.
Ben cursed under his breath. "Cameras, Alex. We need to find a blind spot."
Alex nodded. "On it." He started running again.
"Guys, we're being tracked!" Athina called out, ducking into a doorway corner and sitting low. "The cameras are locked on us!"
"We need to move fast," Gwen said.
Ben sang under his breath, "Let's catch a PK…"
Alex shot him a look, eyes gleaming with confidence. He nodded.
They stood tall and said together, "Wait here. We've got this."
Alex and Will slipped out quietly, scanning for movement. They spotted a man stepping out of a nearby room.
Without a word, Alex shot him. As the body began to fall, Ben lunged and caught him mid-drop, struggling to hold the weight.
Together, Alex and Ben dragged the man back into the room. Gwen and Athina were wide-eyed.
They propped him up against the wall and grinned, exchanging a confident fist bump.
From behind, THWACK! Gwen smacked both of them on the back of their heads.
"OW! Why are you hitting us?!" they said in unison.
She glared. "What are you two idiots planning?"
"Relax!" Alex replied. "We brought him in for interrogation."
Gwen narrowed her eyes. "And what if there's a tracker on him?"
Instantly, Alex and Ben scrambled to check the man's body. Ben found a blinking light in the man's pocket.
"Found something!" he shouted.
Alex's eyes widened. "Let's get out of here!"
They bolted. Will ran ahead and, at the edge of the garden corridor, hurled the device into the plants.
"Damn it. Why didn't we check earlier?!"
Just then, Alex's earpiece crackled to life:
"Two unidentified targets spotted near the garden."
Alex glanced at his watch. "Four minutes. After that, they can't trace this channel.".
" ben look at alex and say " hey 1 st lets go to room !" .
alex and will start running, they shooot every on that comes in the way .
when they reach the , " they were drained in sweat !" .
they sit on at door and taking breath , gwen ask " what happem !".
ben turn at alex , alex walk at man and say " ben need help !". ben turn him down and hold his hands .
Alex took a water packet from his pocket and stepped forward.
"Hey, stop that," Gwen said, reaching out.
She raised her palm toward the man's face. Water formed, swirling at her fingertips, and she poured it over his face.
The man jolted awake, gasping and blinking. He looked up, surrounded by kids. For a second, confusion — then panic. He tried to wriggle free.
Ben was already on him, gripping his wrists tight and yanking him upright.
The man growled, struggling. Ben leaned in close, holding him firm.
Alex stepped forward, voice cold and calm.
"Hello, sir. I don't know who you are, but… care to explain why you're hunting us?"
The man chuckled. "What, a bunch of kids trying to threaten me?"
He scoffed and looked away, lips curled in amusement.
But Alex wasn't smiling.
He pressed the muzzle of his gun against the man's eye. The metal was cold. So was his voice.
"We both know how force bullets work — they create a spherical shockwave. Pure power."
A bead of sweat rolled down the man's temple.
Alex leaned closer, his voice barely a whisper.
"But if I shoot you in the eye? That force wave will shatter your skull like glass."
The room went dead still.
Gwen and Athina stood frozen, not in fear of the man — but of Alex. He wasn't bluffing. Not anymore.
The prisoner clenched his jaw, trying to look brave. "My friends won't let you live. They'll come for me. And when they do…"
Alex chuckled, cold and cruel.
"Oh? And what do you think my family will do? My father? My uncles?"
He locked eyes with him. "They won't just come after your friends. They'll wipe out your whole bloodline."
Silence slammed into the room like a falling wall.
Alex lowered the gun just slightly.
"One dead. Or even close to dying… that's all it takes to send a message."
The prisoner swallowed hard.
"Sorry," he croaked. "I think… they already warned all of you."
His thoughts were spiraling.
"What the hell are these kids? They're strong… They talk like gangsters."
Alex caught the look in his eye and smirked.
"It's working," he thought. "The fear's setting in."
He stepped back and barked, "Now talk. What the hell is going on here?"
The man hesitated, then blurted out, "We—we were called. Told this was a test. Some high-level experiment. We were just supposed to—test something."
Alex narrowed his eyes. "I'm not asking about the damn 'test.' I'm asking why you were chasing us. Why you aimed to shoot us — head-on."
The man's face twisted with fear. He gripped his tongue, trying to hold back, but fear won.
"They gave us strict orders… We had to catch you by tomorrow. By 7 AM. That was the deadline."
Betty's eyes widened. She turned sharply to Alex.
"Alex… what's the only way we can end this test?"
Alex looked at the man, then slowly raised his head. His voice was low, grim, and certain.
"There are things they must stop us from doing. "
"So you're telling me... these are the things they ordered you to stop — no matter the cost?"
with tension in his mind he though
"What kind of kids are these? That boy staring at me… why does it feel like I'm facing a beast , a hunter gazing at it's prey "