Episode 18
Darkness wrapped around Iris like a second skin.
She lay still on the cold hospital bed, her breath shallow, her body unmoving—faking the effects of sedation just as Toby had instructed. The walls were silent, but she knew there were eyes everywhere. The illusion of unconsciousness was her only weapon right now.
In her clenched fist, she still held the key card Toby had slipped her. It felt foreign and powerful—like the key to her freedom… or a trap waiting to snap shut.
Hours passed. The only sounds were the soft ticking of the wall clock and the distant echo of heels clicking down the corridor. She could sense shifts in the shadows—the nurse's rotations, the orderly's shuffling feet. Alec hadn't returned. Maybe he thought she was broken again. Compliant.
Good.
Let him think that.
But inside, she was more awake than she'd ever been. The flash drive had shown her a glimpse of the truth, and even if it had been manipulated, it had opened a door she could no longer close.
She would escape. She had to. For Elara. For herself.
A tiny beep sounded near the door. The panel blinked green, and the door hissed open.
Toby slipped inside like a ghost.
"I took the hallway cams offline for five minutes," he whispered, barely audible. "We won't get another chance like this."
Iris sat up slowly, her muscles stiff but functional. The drug they'd meant to sedate her had been replaced with saline, thanks to Toby.
"You sure about this?" she asked, eyes locked on his.
Toby hesitated, then nodded. "You want the truth? It's buried so deep in this place, you'll never find it without leaving. The world you remember… it's out there. But this place—it'll eat you alive."
She stood, gripping the tablet under her hospital gown. "Then let's go."
They slipped into the hallway, silent as shadows. Iris's bare feet padded across the cold tile floor as they weaved through the dimly lit corridors.
"Where are we headed?" she whispered.
"Laundry chute," Toby replied. "Takes you down three levels to Sub-B. From there, a back utility passage leads to the old staff exit. It's not on the maps. Was shut down years ago."
"And security?"
"Rotating guards, but I bribed one. He owes me for covering a scandal a year ago. He'll give you ten seconds."
"Ten seconds?" she asked incredulously.
Toby gave her a grim smile. "That's all the time you'll need—if you run like hell."
They reached a maintenance closet. Toby opened it, revealing a narrow chute with metal rungs leading downward into darkness.
"I'll create a diversion," he said. "But after this... I can't follow."
Iris paused. "Why?"
"Because I've already been marked. Alec knows I'm not loyal. But you—he still believes he can reset you. That gives you a head start."
A beat passed between them. Then Iris stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you."
Toby stiffened, then nodded. "Don't waste it."
She climbed into the chute.
Toby whispered after her, "Find the Red Widow."
She blinked. "What?"
But he was already gone.
---
Sub-Level B
Iris landed hard on the grated floor below. Pain shot up her legs, but she gritted her teeth and moved forward, ducking into the narrow passage. Pipes hissed with steam above her, and the air smelled of mildew and copper. The tunnel stretched out like a serpent's throat—tight, dark, suffocating.
She moved fast, adrenaline pushing her forward.
Minutes passed.
Then—light.
She saw the rusted metal door at the end of the tunnel. She rushed to it, swiped the key card.
Red light.
Denied.
"No," she whispered, heart sinking.
She swiped again.
Still red.
Suddenly—footsteps.
Heavy boots.
Voices.
"Sub-B's triggered," someone shouted. "Movement detected."
They'd found her.
Iris pounded the door in frustration. Her heart pounded in her ears.
Then—click.
The door hissed open.
She didn't wait.
She ran into the night.
---
Outside
The cold hit her like a slap. Her hospital gown billowed as wind whipped across the empty landscape. She stood on a cliffside road. The forest stretched below, and in the far distance, city lights blinked like faint stars.
Freedom.
But not yet.
Alarms blared behind her.
A black SUV screeched onto the road ahead.
A man stepped out.
Tall. Broad shoulders. A scar across his jaw.
He looked at her—then nodded once.
"Get in."
She hesitated.
"I don't know you."
"You will," the man said. "Elara sent me. Name's Dorian."
Her breath caught.
"Elara's dead."
"She was. But she planned for this. You think she didn't prepare backups? Contingencies?" He pointed to the backseat. "Now get in, or they'll drag you back in chains."
She jumped in.
The SUV sped off just as a black drone swooped overhead.
Bullets peppered the pavement behind them.
But they were gone.
---
Thirty minutes later
They reached an abandoned warehouse tucked in the edge of the forest. Dorian parked and motioned her inside. Iris followed, heart pounding.
Inside was a makeshift hideout—computers, generators, food supplies, weapons. Maps covered the walls, all of them marked with red lines and coded labels.
"Welcome to the Ash House," Dorian said. "We're ghosts. Off the grid. Everyone here once belonged to Black Rose and got out."
She looked around, stunned.
People in lab coats. Former nurses. A man with mechanical implants for arms.
And a woman.
Red hair. Dark skin. Eyes like knives.
She stepped forward.
"Iris Vale," she said, her voice sharp. "You're more trouble than your sister."
"Who are you?"
"The Red Widow," she said. "I was Elara's handler before she went rogue. Now I'm yours."
Iris stiffened. "I don't need a handler."
The woman smirked. "You will. Because Alec's not just chasing you. He's preparing for war. And you're the key."
"To what?" Iris asked.
The Red Widow turned and pointed to a large sealed case.
Inside was a folder stamped: "Project Black Rose: Final Phase – Operation Obsidian."
"We're going to burn him down," she said.
"But first, you need to remember everything."