"I'm in," Crow whispers into his transmitter, his voice barely a breath. The cold freezes his sweat the further he steps into the room. It had once been an aquarium, but now repurposed into a laboratory. He approaches the large glass pane, his breath misting the surface. Rows of survivors lie strapped to metal tables, their bodies slack under the influence of some drug. Aphrodisiacs, tranquillizers—it doesn't matter. Their vacant eyes, their numb limbs—they are prisoners, just like everyone else here.

Crow stares at the scene, jaws tightening. A familiar sight in a different timeline, Alias never changes.

"To your left," Teresa's voice glitches through the earpiece.

Crow slides silently past the rows of machines. The lab is a maze of chrome and glass, many stark surfaces reflecting the flicker of the bright overhead lights. Instruments gleam in neat lines on the counters. Beakers bubble with murky fluids. Screens blink with streams of data, unreadable but constant, like the final blips of a dying heart.

At the far end of the room stands a glass cell, separate from the rest. Inside, he spots them—Eli and his classmates, huddled together. Pale. Terrified—But alive. A warm simmer churns in his guts, and Crow winces. "Stop feeling chummy."

Hurry.

"I'm going," He mutters, snatching a notepad from the counter, waiting for the scientists to drift far enough away. Once the coast is clear, he slips over to the glass prison, tapping lightly on the panel beside the door. Eli's head snaps up, and their eyes lock. Crow doesn't know what he sees when he looks at him—perhaps a stranger, maybe something worse. But Eli's expression softens.

Crow leans closer to the glass, his voice barely audible. "Stay quiet. I'm getting you out of here."

Eli blinks; he can't hear. Crow had forgotten, but a flash of understanding crosses Eli's face. He nods, wordlessly.

"Get back." Crow orders, his fingers flying across the console, working to unlock the cells.

Eli scurries over to Orion, whispering. The other children listen with numbed senses like lifeless dolls, the drugs in their veins making them more compliant. Orion freezes, glancing back at the tall stranger. His blackened eyes, hollow with suffocating darkness, grip his spine, but he swallows his fear and scurries forth, his face pale. "Wait—Renji. We can't leave him."

Crow hesitates, his eyes flicking over to the other side of the room, where Renji, along with the others, are strapped to bars. Renji's skin is pallid, and there are dark marks where needles have been plunged into his veins. He isn't moving much—just a sluggish, weak tremble.

I can't risk everything for someone who's already halfway gone.

"I don't know if I can help him," Crow says, his voice flat, colder than he intended. He glances back at the console, hand moving faster. I can't get them all out—not without risking Anaki's life, my life. Orion's hand grabs his sleeve, and Crow meets the boy's gaze. There's something fierce in those wide, desperate eyes. A fire that won't let go. "If you don't help me get him out, I'll do it myself."

Crow clenches his jaw, eyes narrowing. Another burden. Another brat thinking he can save everyone.

He's stubborn.

Crow lets out a slow breath, glancing at Renji. There isn't time for this. But something about Orion's unwavering stare makes Crow hesitate.

"Fine," He curses, glaring down at Eli and Orion. "Get the other brats ready." He strides towards the other prison cell. He hides himself behind a pole, disabling the locks, but just as his finger hovers over the last button, Renji mumbles. "They are watching," His head sways to the side, grunting to look upright, vision a blur. "We can't escape—"

But Crow tugs at his restraints, freeing Renji and hoisting him over his shoulder. "Too late for that." He glances at Leilani and Lono, tossing his knife to her. "Move."

Her hands move faster than her response. All three are freed, and he escorts them behind a crate. No one notices them; it's strange.

He glances back; freezing in place. The teenagers he just saved are still strapped down. But, he looks at them, standing right next to him—doppelgangers of each captive.

Soulbound. Someone is using their link.

Renji's voice whispers from under Leilani's arm, "I can't hold for long."

Leilani's jaw tightens. She looks at Crow, worried that something bad might happen to Renji if Crow reacts poorly. But Crow doesn't flinch or show any surprise. He's seen this before. His focus is entirely on getting them out. "There." Crow gestures at a door behind a counter. "Move till you see an exit."

Surprise shakes to a firm nod, and Leilani grabs Renji in her arms. His eyes half-open, watching the mysterious man make his way to Orion and the other captives.

Eli glances back at this friends, their faces pale with anxiety. "Come on," he urges, taking a step forward. "We can't stay here. We need to move."

Renji sets up a second illusion. Orion and Eli tumble back staring at the silent versions of them, sitting huddled in the glass prison. Turning toward the control panel, Crow opens the door slightly, just enough room for the children to scurry out one by one with Eli and Orion's help, like sheep and shepherds.

A girl tightens her grip on Eli's hand, and the little boy presses against her side, seeking comfort in the proximity. But as they move, Eli's gaze shifts to the others—adults—strapped down, eyes closed, lost in a drug-induced slumber. A tight knot forms in his stomach at the sight.

The girl's quiet whimper breaks through the silence, and Eli turns, locking eyes with her. "We can't stop. We'll get through this."

With a small nod, she squeezes his hand tighter, swallowing back her tears. The younger boy mirrors her, and scurry faster behind a large counter.

"Everyone here?" Crow glances back; the personnel are still busy with the adult captives.

"Yes." Eli signs.

"The door needs a passkey," Lono whispers, flushed.

Crow presses the ear piece. No response.

"What do we do?" Orion asks, trying to keep the drug-induced children in line and quiet. A sweat trickles down his forehead; he swallows, looking at the doctors, their surgical gloves bloodied red from the dissected survivors. His head spins from the nausea. Will that be them?

"—Stop," Crow mutters, halting the group. The air feels wrong—too quiet. He glances at the lab tables, noticing something off. The prisoners—no, the doppelgangers—remain strapped in place, perfectly still, too still. The illusion flickers.

The children stiffen.

The illusion fades completely, leaving the sterile, cold reality behind. The sounds of the lab return, but it's as if everything else—every noise—stops. Silence.

"Well isn't this a surprise," A voice drips with amusement from above.

Crow doesn't bother turning around. He knows the man's there; his voice is unmistakable.

His lips purse. Damon Aemilius.

"And here I thought you'd try something a little more... dramatic." Aemilius saunters closer, his footsteps the only sound. "This feels almost lazy. Are we tired, Mr. Hero?"

Crow's jaw tightens, fingers itching toward his knife. "Get out of the way."

Aemilius chuckles, a cold sound that makes the children's skin crawl. "You know it's not that simple."

Crow glares unresponsive, his eyes narrowing slightly. Should he just kill Aemilius now? End their misery and change his unrelenting futures where they burn one another.

"We're leaving, with or without your blessing." He mutters through clenched teeth.

"Oh, please. I'm not here to stop you." Aemilius leans against one of the lab counters, nonchalant. "But you'll make it interesting, won't you? We don't get to meet heroes like you often."

Crow finally meets Aemilius's gaze. The sickening unnaturally blue iris, and that unfazed smirk, like a predator toying with its prey.

Without a word, Crow punches the panel beside the door. It cracks under his fist, sparking the door open.

 "Go," he growls, blocking the exit. "Now."

Eli lingers, eyes darting between Crow and Aemilius. Crow snaps. "Move, brat!" 

Eli stumbles backwards, pulling the others along. Glancing once at Crow's silhouette before it vanishes behind closed doors. 

Crow has done his part, the rest is up to them. The problem, he glares, stepping back slightly, feeling the weight of the rifles pointed at his chest.

"I must admit," Aemilius stands in the center, calm and unruffled, hands tucked casually in his pockets. "Your style is...unexpected. What did you hope to achieve here?" 

Crow's eyes narrow, and he clenches his knife. "Maybe more than you think." 

Aemilius smirks, unbothered. "Ah, the confidence of the doomed. But I'm afraid it's all...in vain. "I'm quite good at guessing. But...you don't seem to have an exit plan. Which makes you desperate." He steps closer, voice dropping. "And desperation, dear hero, makes mistakes." 

A guard rushes in, whispering something in Aemilius's ear. A flicker of realization crosses his face, and he sighs, almost annoyed. 

"They've broken through, haven't they?" he mutters, almost to himself. Then he looks back at Crow, a wicked gleam in his eye. "It seems our...friends from outside are joining the party." 

A loud pound slams against the metal door. Followed by many more. Aemilius waves at it, "they sure are fast"—Bam! He smiles, "and excited." 

Crow lunges forward. "Move." He growls, ducking. His punch lands squarely on Aemilius's jaw, sending him staggering. But before Crow can strike again, guards close in, rifles aimed at his chest. 

Aemilius straightens, a faint smirk on his face despite the blow. "A hit from a hero. Now we're making progress." 

He wipes his bleed lip and gestures toward the lab doors, nodding to the guard beside him. "I suppose I should be...responsible," he sighs stagily, "and take my research elsewhere." 

Crow steps forward, voice low. "You're just going to run?" 

"Run? Oh, my dear intruder," Aemilius chuckles, "I'm simply making an exit worth remembering. Besides..." He leans in, his voice almost a whisper, "this is the part where you play the hero, isn't it?" 

The guard by his side reports that the breach has worsened, and Aemilius glances back with feigned sympathy. "Well, good luck, hero," he frowns. "I'm sure you'll give them...a very entertaining distraction." 

With that, Aemilius turns on his heel, making his exit with his guards and research in tow, leaving Crow standing alone, the sound of steel doors locking shut behind them. 

"Damn it," Crow mutters, his grip tightening on his knife as he realizes what's coming. It's him against the swarm. "I told you this was a bad idea." 

We can't let them get to the children. 

"I know." Crow curses, picking up a steel pipe and sealing the door the children fled from. He stares at the silence. The walls shake as the undead draw closer, the cries of the infected echoing through the building. Hundreds pour through the entrance. Crow inhales, his body warming—Anaki is reaching his limit. 

"Don't give up on us yet, we have to survive this."

I don't think I can hold for long.

Crow charges at the swarm, knife swinging. "You better hold."