CHAPTER 3 - ASHBOURNE, EARTH 3065
The day the leading government, known as The Sovereign Hand, appointed Kaden along with his fellow squad of soldiers to rescue survivors still played like yesterday in Kaden's mind.
Its been five years since the virus spread, leaving Earth in shambles.
Tracking coordinates and finding survivors was no longer a new game.
Right after receiving a new set of coordinates, his holographic watch lit up as usual, tracing through the map until an image feed popped up. Another survivor was running through the ruins of a crumbled building.
One of the towering skyscrapers in the area had bowed with time, its framework of steel beams twisted with rust and moss. The wind cut through the shattered concrete corridors like a serrated knife, carrying the distant howls of Shades and the metallic clatter of loose steel.
Yet, on close observation, Kaden saw no Shades nearby. He set his drones to search deeper, but they found nothing.
For a moment, he wondered what the survivor was really running from.
Kaden snuck through the broken city, appearing and disappearing at each angle like a ghost.
His movements were extremely low and silent as he quietly approached the area where the survivor had been seen. One of the best ways to evade a Shade was to remain absolutely quiet, Kaden knew this well. He had mastered solitude as survival.
Clad in a digital bulletproof armor, He moved with the confidence of someone who had faced death too many times. As he neared the crumbled building, he saw smoke rising in the distance and wondered if it came from one of these rogue groups nearby.
Nearly an hour passed. His pulse remained steady, his breath measured. Every footstep was calculated, every movement precise, he didnt want to be seen by the beasts. And especially not by whoever had left that smoke trail.
Suddenly, a short scream pierced the air.
Kaden cursed under his breath. He hated being so close, only to be too late. Still, he advanced, needing a better point of view.
He followed the sound through a collapsed entrance, down a hallway filled with damaged solar panels and entangled rebar. There, he found a woman being attacked by a group of five people, armored in scrap metal, faces painted with crude red streaks like war paint. Kaden couldnt identify their faces, but their appearance made it clear:
"The Raiders" he whispered, his voice sharp with anger.
One of them had the woman pinned down, while another raised a piercing rod to strike her.
Kaden moved instantly, no time to think.
The raiders didnt even see him coming.
He grabbed one man by the neck from behind and twisted hard.
The second man shouted in alarm, but Kaden struck him quickly with brutal punches, his blows swift and efficient.
The third man approached, but the second raider recovered just enough to join the attack.
They came at Kaden together, but he exploded into motion, fast and lethal. Their eyes widened at the way he moved so fast.
The initial third man fired a shot, but it barely clipped Kadens armor and fell off harmlessly.
Kaden closed the distance, twisted one man's arm until it broke with a sickening crunch, and slammed him against a support beam.
Holding both the second and third men against the pole, he unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, each strike landing with a meaty thud.
The attackers flew and crumpled to the ground.
The remaining two raiders fled in terror, stumbling over each other in their desperation.
Kaden stood, chest heaving, feeling victorious.
The woman, still shaken, looked up at him cautiously, trying to understand if he was a threat too.
"Cowards" Kaden muttered.
He didnt chase them despite the rage boiling in his chest.
"You alright?" Kaden asked.
She flinched, blinking, her face smeared with dust.
A shallow cut marked her cheek, and her sharp eyes studied him, calculating.
Kaden knelt beside her, and it finally occurred to her, he had come to save her.
She exhaled in relief.
"One minute I am almost swallowed by road trash, the next I am attacked by a group of hooligans,she said, rising without his help"
"They re called the Raiders and You are welcome" Kaden replied, standing.
"Raid... what? What did they want from me?"
The Raiders are survivors like us, but they attack and steal from other survivors.
"Well, good thing I barely had anything to offer."
"Thanks for stepping in" she said
Kaden grunted saying"Cool."
"You need to get to safety. Where are you headed?"
"I am going to the Sentinels Outpost. I am on a mission to find someone."
"Thats where I keep the survivors that I have rescued. I will take you there" Kaden said
"I am Dr. Eliya Ward, she offered, extending a hand"
He ignored it, turned around and started walking.
She smirked and withdrew her hand and followed him.
I didnt rescue you for a conversation" Kaden said coldly.
"Hmmm" Eliya murmured.
They walked across scorched, cracked roads. Toxic waste seeped from broken pipes of an industrial facility, staining the earth in hues of green and blue.
Eliya noticed the chemical emission.
"That should be a copper compound, I guess"
she said, gesturing toward the leak, trying to get Kadens attention.
"I don't care" ,he replied coldly
Dr. Eliya glanced at the decrepit facility nearby, it read VIRANO PAINT. Those chemicals were probably used in paint production, she thought to herself
Suddenly, a Shades shriek echoed across the landscape. Not close, but not far enough to ignore.
"What was that?"Eliya fidgeted.
"They re called Shades. And you are slowing me down with too much talk," Kaden scowled.
"Get your legs moving now"
"Where are we running to?" She asked
"Out of the mess. Shades are carnivorous, they feed on humans. If you dont want to become dead meat, move."
She hesitated. "I am heading to the Sentinels Outpost. If you ve got a shortcut, please take it."
"You ve said that for the hundredth time."
They sprinted through a crumbling arena. Doors hung crookedly, creaking in the wind. Debris littered the streets, alongside skeletal remains of vehicles.
The howls of Shades slowly faded as they neared the Sentinels Outpost.
"I need to speak to whoevers in charge"Eliya said immediately they arrived at the sentinels outpost and entered the bunker.
Kaden sighed. He was already getting tired of her constant urgency.
"Fine. I will show you our leader"
"Jaxon!" Kaden called out.
A group of armored men nearby were laughing and cracking jokes and sipping gin, Jaxon who was in their midst stirred in surprise.
"Thats him our leader. Tell him I said he should answer all your questions" Kaden said, then vanished into the bunker, heading to the infirmary.
He met with a male medic named Ryder,
"Today have been a rollercoaster of stress" he Said immediately he entered the infirmary
"Tell me about it" Ryder said, drying his hands.
OUTSIDE THE INFIRMARY
Eliya approached Jaxon. "I am told youre the leader" she said eagerly
"Wait, what.. who, me?"Jaxon asked, puzzled.
"Yes, the other guy said I should ask you everything"
Jaxon realized it was Kaden who dumped her on him and sighed.
"Alright, ask me"
"I am on a mission to find someone who can help me retrieve the Black Archive."
"Whats that?"Jaxon looked genuinely confused.
"Its a supposed cure for the virus" Eliya said confidently.
"Jaxon laughed. I can't believe Those rumors are still going around? There no cure available, maam."
"I m serious. There is a cure. We need to retrieve it. I need Kaden Mercer, I have heard he is reliable and strong. Do you know him? Or... are you Kaden Mercer?"
Jaxon raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "You literally heard him call me Jaxon, how could my name be Kaden"
"Oh sorry about that, but I am desperately in need of Kaden Mercer" Eliya said
"You have got to be kidding me. So he dumped you on me just to avoid your so-called mission?"
Jaxon walked toward the infirmary where he saw Kaden walk into earlier after calling to him.
Eliya followed, trying to make sense of what he meant.
"Kaden" Jaxon called as he entered the lobby of the infirmary
"Yes?" Kaden replied, sipping coffee with Ryder. Eliya stared, shocked.
"Here he is, this is Kaden Mercer" Jaxon said
"Kaden Mercer. What a coincidence," she said.
"What do you mean?" Kaden asked
"You are the one I need in order to retrieve the Black Archive."
The words Black Archive pierced deep into Kadens mind, unlocking long-buried memories.
His face stiffened. Jaw clenched. Eyes narrowed.
His muscles tensed, lips pressed into a tight line. He stood still, body calm, but his intense gaze revealed the storm beneath.
A silent fury simmered under the surface.
The Black Archive.
The words echoed painfully through his mind.