The Azure-eyed assassin

The alarm screamed, a red siren glowing on the metallic walls of the laboratory.

They were trapped.

Akira ripped the USB drive from the terminal and slipped it into his pocket.

— Let's move!

Security grilles began to close over the exits.

Mayu reacted without thinking.

She lunged forward, rolling under a descending metal door.

Akira barely followed, slipping through just before the passage sealed completely.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway.

Reinforcements were coming.

---

An Unfair Fight

The armored doors burst open to reveal a squad in tactical gear.

Five men.

Armed with assault rifles.

Their equipment was more sophisticated than that of the previous guards.

Elite soldiers.

A shiver ran through Mayu.

They couldn't afford a prolonged fight.

Akira drew his knife and shot her a look.

— Plan?

She flashed a cold smile.

— We take them out quickly and move on.

She charged straight at them.

A shout rang out:

— FIRE!

Deafening explosions filled the air.

But Mayu was already in motion.

She no longer thought.

Her body acted on its own.

She dodged at the last second, feeling the heat of a bullet graze her cheek.

She threw herself against the wall, pushed off, and leaped over them.

A missed shot.

A second guard tried to adjust his rifle, but she was too close.

Her knee crashed down on his helmet with brutal force.

A dull crack.

He fell.

Akira seized the chaos to emerge like a shadow.

He grabbed a soldier from behind and slit his throat in one fluid motion.

Mayu rolled on the ground, retrieving a handgun from a corpse.

She instinctively aimed and fired three shots.

Two impacts to the head.

The last guard staggered back.

But he didn't fall.

Reinforced armor.

He raised his submachine gun.

Mayu couldn't dodge this time.

But Akira was faster.

A dagger flew through the air, embedding itself just below the visor of the helmet.

The soldier collapsed in a bloody gurgle.

Silence.

The fight had lasted only seconds.

Mayu gasped, glancing at Akira.

His expression was impassive, but his rapid breathing betrayed the tension.

He retrieved his dagger and wiped it on his pants.

— We continue.

---

The Forbidden Laboratory

They traversed a series of corridors, the alarm still blaring.

Then, they reached a reinforced door marked with a strange symbol.

A single word was inscribed on it:

PROJECT AZUR

The same name as in the file.

Mayu hesitated.

Her body shivered.

As if something inside her already knew what they were about to find.

Akira placed a hand on her shoulder.

— Do you want to open it?

She nodded.

Then she pressed the terminal.

The locks opened with a dull thud.

The door slid slowly to the side, revealing…

Horror.

Glass tanks filled with a murky liquid.

And inside…

Clones of her.

Dozens of versions of herself.

Some were children.

Others seemed long dead.

Some even had physical alterations.

Metal arms.

Red eyes.

Half-formed faces.

Mayu felt as if she had been frozen to the bone.

She brought a hand to her mouth, a violent wave of nausea washing over her.

This was it, the Project Azur.

She was just a prototype among many.

She was not unique.

She wasn't even meant to exist.

Akira remained silent, his gaze hardening.

Then he turned to her.

— Mayu… what do we do?

Her hands trembled.

But her gaze…

Her gaze had turned cold as death.

She took a deep breath.

— We burn it all.

She ripped a grenade from the belt of a dead soldier and pulled the pin.

Hell was about to begin.