Chapter 13
Snow whipped through the air as Kaelyn and M-2 raced toward the perimeter of the ruined city. Gunshots cracked in the distance, flashes of light tearing through the dim gray haze. Tamar’s strike force had arrived faster than expected—too fast. They’d been tracked.
Sebastian’s voice came over the comms again, tight with urgency. “We’ve got multiple hostiles—north entrance and rooftops. They’re not here for recon—they’re here for extraction.”
Kaelyn ducked behind a collapsed wall, pulling M-2 down beside her. “Extraction of who? You?”
M-2 shook her head. “No. Of anyone who knows too much. I’m expendable now. And so are you.”
A grenade exploded nearby, spraying snow and debris. Kaelyn cursed under her breath. “They’re trying to bury the entire mission.”
The team regrouped in an alleyway. Zayn’s voice broke through the static on Kaelyn’s earpiece. “Reinforcements en route. ETA twenty minutes. Hold them off.”
Kaelyn turned to M-2. “Can you still fight?”
M-2’s eyes flashed with a cold fire. “I never stopped.”
Together, they leapt into the chaos. Kaelyn moved like lightning—precise and silent—while M-2 was raw force and instinct, like a storm in human form. They were mirrors of one another, and yet, completely different. One fought for redemption. The other for survival.
Sebastian joined them from the north side, his rifle blazing. “You weren’t kidding,” he shouted over the roar of gunfire. “You really do have a twin!”
“Long story!” Kaelyn shouted back, covering him as he reloaded.
Through the smoke, Kaelyn spotted a man directing the Tamar squad—a tall figure in a dark coat, calmly issuing orders while chaos exploded around him. She recognized him immediately.
Dr. Korrin Vayle. One of the top scientists behind the clone program. Her creator.
She felt something twist in her gut. This wasn’t just a cleanup. This was personal.
“I see him,” she said, locking eyes with M-2. “Vayle’s here.”
M-2 froze. “He’s the one who gave me my first mission.”
“Then let’s make it his last.”
They moved toward him with brutal determination, cutting down Tamar operatives as they advanced. Vayle noticed them too late. His calm demeanor cracked as he realized who was coming for him.
He turned to flee, but M-2 was faster. She cut him off, pinning him against the wreckage of an armored vehicle.
“You made me believe I was a weapon,” she hissed. “But I’m not yours anymore.”
Before Vayle could answer, Kaelyn stepped beside her. “Give me one reason not to end this.”
Vayle’s hands trembled. “I can tell you where the others are. The rest of your batch. There are more of you—hidden, scattered.”
Kaelyn narrowed her eyes. “You expect me to believe you?”
“Check the vault,” he said. “At Tamar Site 0. Everything’s there—names, locations, data. It’s the last facility still untouched.”
Sirens wailed in the distance—Zayn’s reinforcements had arrived. Tamar’s operatives began retreating. Vayle, however, wasn’t going anywhere.
Kaelyn stared at him, then looked at M-2. “He’s not worth a bullet. But he is worth the information.”
They bound his hands and dragged him back through the snow, the fire of battle cooling around them.
Back at the aircraft, Kaelyn sat across from M-2, both of them bloodied and quiet. The wind roared outside, but inside there was stillness.
“You think he was telling the truth?” M-2 asked.
“I don’t know,” Kaelyn said. “But if there are others like us… they deserve a choice.”
M-2 tilted her head. “You still think we can be more than what they made us?”
Kaelyn looked out the window, at the sky bleeding light over the ruined world. “I have to.”
M-2 gave a faint nod. “Then I guess I’ll help you. For now.”
Kaelyn smiled, just a little. “That’s all I need.”
Because the fight wasn’t over.
In fact, it was just beginning.