Chapter 12
Kaelyn spent the next two days buried in intel reports, piecing together the shattered trail of M-2’s existence. What little data she had was vague—mission logs with redacted locations, random timestamps, and cryptic phrases like “Asset successfully embedded” and “Phase progression stable.” It was like chasing a ghost.
But then, a breakthrough came from the last place she expected.
Sebastian barged into the room, face lit with excitement. “Got something. One of the files Ilsa encrypted—it wasn’t locked with a code. It was locked with a sequence. A rhythm.”
Kaelyn looked up. “A rhythm?”
He tapped a tablet and a low, pulsing beat echoed from it—three soft thumps, followed by a sharp one. “It’s a biosignature, not a code. I recognized it—it matches the old signal Tamar used to track their deep cover assets.”
Kaelyn’s pulse quickened. “So you’ve found her?”
“Not exactly, but I found where her last transmission came from. A remote city on the border of the Northern Zone. Name’s Halveth. Supposed to be abandoned after the war, but satellite scans show heat signatures. Someone’s living there.”
Kaelyn was already gathering her gear. “Get the transport ready. We leave tonight.”
Zayn caught her before she could board the aircraft. “Kaelyn. If she’s really your sister… you know there’s a chance she’s not the girl you’re hoping to find.”
Kaelyn’s jaw tightened. “That doesn’t matter. I just need to see her. Understand what they did to us.”
He nodded and stepped aside. “Then take the best. And come back.”
The journey to Halveth was long and tense. The icy winds of the north cut through the sky like blades. As they descended into the ruins of the city, Kaelyn could already feel the tension clawing at her spine. The streets below were cracked and empty, half-buried in snow. But the heat scans were right—life was here.
They moved in cautiously, Sebastian and a squad of elite scouts at her side. They swept through buildings, scanning for signals. The entire place was eerily quiet—until Kaelyn stepped into an old power station and froze.
A voice behind her spoke.
“You’re late.”
She spun around, gun raised—and there she was.
M-2.
She looked identical to Kaelyn, except for her eyes. They were colder, sharper. Her hair was shorter, her movements more calculated.
Kaelyn lowered her weapon slowly. “You know who I am?”
M-2 smirked. “Of course. I watched you grow up on the monitors. They called you the failure. Funny how things turn out.”
Kaelyn took a breath. “I came to bring you home.”
“This is home,” M-2 said, her voice calm. “These ruins. This mission. I never left it.”
Kaelyn stepped forward. “You were used. Just like me. But we can burn it all down together now.”
M-2’s face darkened. “I don’t want to burn it. I want to take it over.”
That hit Kaelyn like a punch.
“They made me strong,” M-2 continued. “They made me necessary. Why would I throw that away just because you want to play hero?”
Kaelyn’s voice dropped, steady and unwavering. “Because they stole everything from us. Don’t let them keep it.”
For a moment, silence stretched between them like a tightrope.
Then M-2 smiled faintly. “You’ve changed. I remember you used to cry in your sleep when they punished you.”
Kaelyn’s gaze was like steel. “And I remember how you used to protect me, even when they told you not to.”
That flicker—just for a second—passed through M-2’s eyes. A memory, perhaps. A crack in the mask.
Before Kaelyn could say more, a sharp sound echoed in the distance.
Gunfire.
Sebastian’s voice barked through the comms. “We’ve got company—Tamar forces just landed outside the perimeter!”
Kaelyn turned to M-2. “Help me stop them.”
M-2 hesitated.
Then, slowly, she reached behind her and pulled out a blade.
“Fine,” she said. “But after this, we talk. No lies.”
“Deal.”
The two of them moved as one, slipping out into the icy streets. Sisters—born of war, shaped by cruelty, now standing side by side for the first time.
Whatever came next, Kaelyn knew one thing for sure.
She was no longer alone.