Edge of the Dark

Chapter 26: Chapter 26:Going Deep Underground

The elevator shuddered as it descended into the bowels of the facility, its ancient gears grinding in protest, but it kept moving. Ethan's breath was shallow, his fingers gripping the rusted railing of the platform as he glanced over at Lila. Her face was pale, eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination, her body taut with anxiety. The seconds seemed to stretch endlessly, the tension thickening with every passing floor.

"Do you think we're going to make it out?" Lila's voice broke the silence, soft but laden with an unspoken question.

Ethan didn't answer immediately. He wasn't sure. The truth was, he had no idea what waited for them below—no clue what kind of trap they had just walked into. All he knew was that the only way out was through. If they turned back now, they'd be caught, and that would be the end.

"I don't know," Ethan said finally, his voice steady despite the uncertainty swirling in his chest. "But I know one thing. We're not giving up."

Lila nodded, but her hand trembled as she reached for her gun. There was something primal about the fear in her eyes, a fear that said she had no idea how this would end, but she wasn't willing to face it alone.

The elevator stopped with a sharp jolt, the metallic doors groaning as they slid open. A cold gust of air hit them, carrying with it the faint, acrid smell of decay and oil. The walls around them were bare concrete, stained and worn by years of neglect. No windows. Just dim, flickering lights above, casting long shadows across the hallway that stretched before them like a tunnel leading into nothingness.

Ethan stepped out first, his senses on high alert. Every footfall echoed loudly in the silence. Lila followed close behind, her eyes darting from side to side, every corner an unknown.

"Stay close," Ethan muttered, his voice barely more than a whisper, though the walls around them seemed to amplify every sound.

They moved cautiously through the corridor, the air growing colder the deeper they went. They passed through several doors, all of which were locked or sealed shut. It didn't take long for Ethan to realize they were moving deeper into the heart of whatever operation had been running here, a place far beyond any simple criminal hideout.

This was something more—something larger, far more dangerous.

They reached the end of the corridor and found a thick metal door, its surface battered but still intact. A small security panel next to the door flickered weakly, as if on the verge of giving up.

"Think you can hack it?" Lila asked, her voice a mixture of hope and urgency.

Ethan studied the panel for a moment. "I don't know," he said, reaching for the tools in his jacket. "But I'll try." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He crouched down in front of the panel, pulling out his small electronic kit, his fingers working quickly as he bypassed the basic security measures. Time was running out. Every moment they spent in this place put them closer to discovery—and potential death.

The panel beeped, a soft green light flashing to indicate the door was unlocked. Without wasting another second, Ethan pushed it open, revealing a massive underground facility.

The sight before them nearly took Ethan's breath away.

The vast room was filled with rows of high-tech equipment, computers, servers, and screens displaying streams of data in languages he didn't understand. In the center of the room, large steel containers were stacked high—some labeled with numbers, others with ominous symbols. This was no ordinary storage facility. Whatever was happening here, it wasn't just about money or power. It was about something much bigger, something that could alter the balance of the world itself.

"This is..." Lila's voice trailed off, her gaze locked on the high-tech setup. "This is what they've been hiding. It's a network—an entire infrastructure built for something... much darker."

Ethan scanned the room quickly, but his attention was immediately drawn to the far end of the facility. There, in the shadows, stood another figure.

Cole Barron.

The moment their eyes met, time seemed to slow.

Barron's cold smile never wavered, his hands clasped in front of him like a man who had been expecting them. He didn't even seem surprised to see them.

"Well, well," he said, his voice smooth and chilling. "You two are persistent, I'll give you that. But you're too late. The clock's already run out."

Ethan didn't flinch. He had been preparing for this moment, mentally steeling himself for whatever came next. Barron wasn't just some shadow figure. He was the architect of this entire nightmare—and now, he was standing in front of them, poised to finish what he started.

"Too late?" Ethan echoed, his voice sharp. "I don't think so. We're just getting started."

Barron's smile deepened, his eyes gleaming with that unsettling calm. "Is that so? Well, it's good to have a little hope. But you see, you've already walked into a trap. And there's no way out."

Behind Barron, a large screen flickered to life. The image was grainy at first, but then it cleared to reveal a familiar face.

It was Saville. But something was wrong. His face was pale, his eyes wide with terror.

"You've got to stop this," Saville said, his voice frantic. "You don't know what you're dealing with. The project—it's bigger than you can imagine. It's not just Black Angel. It's... it's—"

The video feed cut abruptly, replaced by a loud buzzing sound.

Ethan's mind raced. What had Saville been trying to say? Was it true? Was there something even more insidious behind this operation than he had realized?

Barron's laugh broke through his thoughts.

"Don't bother trying to piece it together, Detective. Saville was expendable from the start. Just another pawn in the game." He stepped forward, his every movement deliberate and controlled. "You're in my world now, Ward. You have no idea how deep this runs. What you've stumbled upon is only the beginning."

Lila's hand tightened around her gun. "What the hell is this place?"

Barron didn't answer immediately. Instead, he moved closer to one of the consoles, typing something quickly. The screen in front of him shifted, revealing a detailed map of the world, pinpointing locations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

"Global operations," Barron said, his voice smooth and calculating. "This network spans the globe—illegal trade, weapons, information warfare, and more. The Black Angel organization is just one part of a much larger web. You've uncovered the tip of the iceberg, Detective. The truth you're looking for? It's far worse than you think."

Ethan's mind spun. A global network—spanning continents. Illegal operations on a scale he had never even imagined. The Black Angel was only a fragment of something far darker.

But why had Saville been so frantic? What had he been trying to warn them about?

Barron's eyes gleamed. "I don't expect you to understand, but I'll give you one last chance, Ward. Leave now. Walk away. Forget all of this."

Ethan shook his head. "Not a chance. You're not walking away from this. You're going down."

Barron's expression hardened, his smile disappearing entirely. "You've made your choice, then."

In the next instant, the room erupted in chaos. Alarms blared louder than before, and the steel doors slammed shut, locking them in. A series of armed men emerged from the shadows, their guns trained on Ethan and Lila. Barron stepped back, watching them with cold amusement.

Ethan's mind raced. This wasn't just about taking down Barron anymore. This was a fight for survival.

The walls closed in. The air grew thick with tension.

And as the first shots rang out, Ethan knew one thing for certain: they were about to enter the most dangerous game of their lives.

The stakes were higher than ever, and failure was no longer an option.