The afternoon sunlight filtered gently through the hospital room's wide windows, casting long streaks of warmth across the bed. Ellee sat upright, propped up with pillows, her expression unreadable as her fingers flew across the holographic keyboard on her lap. Even as the bandages wrapped around her arm and shoulder reminded her of the recent danger, her eyes stayed focused. She had spent a week in recovery, and though her body still ached, her determination had only sharpened.
"You're doing paperwork again," Zion said, standing beside her bed with his arms crossed. His brow was furrowed, the protective worry in his expression unmistakable.
"You should be resting," Maya added, moving over to gently press the tablet screen down. "Seriously, Ellee. You're pushing yourself too hard."
"I'm fine," Ellee replied softly, her voice calm but firm. "There's work that needs to be done."
Viola and Xion exchanged glances behind them, each sharing the same emotion: frustration tempered by deep concern. Ellee had always been the one to bear the weight of responsibility on her shoulders. But ever since the attack by the mysterious assassins, they'd seen her more vulnerable than ever.
"We're not saying you shouldn't care," Xion spoke finally, stepping forward. "But don't you think we should be part of this too? You're not alone anymore."
Ellee looked at him for a long moment, then back at her screen. She hesitated, her fingers stilling.
It was true—this time felt different. The warmth in the room wasn't just from the sunlight. It was from them. The way they stood around her. The way they spoke. The concern. The familiarity. It pulled at something deep inside her, something she had long locked away.
Kayla and Kate, the twins, entered the room next with a soft knock. Both wore matching expressions of relief when they saw her sitting up.
"You're awake," Kayla said brightly, setting down a tray of food. "Finally. We were ready to break the door down."
Kate nodded. "And we're not letting you go back to work just yet. So give us that tablet."
Ellee chuckled—just a little. It was quiet and fleeting, but the sound made everyone pause.
It had been a long time since they'd heard her laugh.
"I'll take a break…" she murmured.
"Good," Zion said. "Because we need to talk about what happened."
A tension settled in the room then, subtle but undeniable.
"That poison wasn't normal," Viola said. "It had a precise chemical signature. One I recognize."
"From the labs?" Ellee asked quietly.
Viola nodded.
"Then it's them," she whispered. Her hand curled into a fist in the blanket. "The scientists… one of them is still active."
"More than one," Xion added grimly. "We found traces of a signature that matches Project A0015 and A0016."
Ellee looked up sharply.
"Assassins," Kate clarified. "Elite. Trained in stealth, enhanced speed, and toxicity. They don't operate alone unless directed."
"Which means someone's pulling the strings," Kayla said. "Someone from your past."
Ellee was silent for a while. Her mind swirled. The blurred faces from her dreams. The fragments of laughter, of voices that seemed familiar. The pain of betrayal. The haunting scent of sterile laboratories and the cries of frightened children.
She closed her eyes.
"I want to know who sent them," she said quietly. "I want to find them."
"We will," Maya promised.
"And when we do?" Viola asked.
Ellee opened her eyes. There was fire in them now, though her body remained still.
"Then I'll make sure they never hurt anyone again."
A chill passed through the room at the quiet fury in her voice.
Zion sat down beside her, placing a hand gently over hers.
"We'll be with you every step of the way. But this time… you don't carry it alone."
She glanced at him, her expression softening just a little.
"I'm starting to believe that."
It was a small step. A crack in the walls she had built. But it was there. Her heart, once guarded by grief and mistrust, had started to open again.
And in that hospital room filled with sunlight and loyalty, the first thread of something powerful began to take shape.
Not just revenge.
But revival.
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