Chapter-83 Captured Evelyn

In the stillness of the hospital night, Evelyn, who was preparing for a bath after a day of restless movement, found herself in an unusually quiet corridor. The soft glow of lights illuminated her path, accompanied by the distant hum of machines in neighboring patient rooms. An undercurrent of weariness weighed heavy on her shoulders, mingling with a faint sense of apprehension.

As she entered the changing room, she noticed the damp ground, imprinted with mysterious footprints. Instantly, suspicion clouded her mind. She couldn't recall ever encountering someone in the shower area before, and her Nexus scanning hadn't detected any human presence moments earlier. So, the question lingered: where did these footprints come from? A surge of adrenaline spiked through her veins, sharpening her senses as she prepared for potential danger.

With a hand resting on her firearm, Evelyn cautiously proceeded, scanning her surroundings. The sound of a locker closing drew her attention, and as she peered around, she spotted a woman in a towel slipping into her robe. Suddenly, a faint footstep splashed behind her, prompting Evelyn to swiftly turn around, her firearm at the ready. But before she could react, something struck her hand, knocking her weapon away, and she recognized her attacker.

'Alice' Everly thought with her heart pounding in her chest.

Concern flashed through Evelyn's mind as she readied herself for a confrontation. Both women stood poised, hands near their respective weapons, silently acknowledging the need to avoid drawing attention.

Stepping forward, Everly launched a forward jab at Alice's face. Alice managed to slip away, though both lacked significant combat experience. Evelyn's hand, shaped by her time in the academy fighting on her own against others, betrayed exhaustion. It was evident that Alice had less fighting experience. Seizing the opportunity, with her hand missing and Alice off-balance, Everly bashed her shoulder into Alice's, knocking her back and off balance thanks to her speed of being a fourth rank Nexarc.

After Alice caught her balance, Everly noticed something was off as Alice moved her left hand lower down to her side of her body, close to her ribs. 'She's hurt,' she thought.

Alice and Evelyn's eyes glinted to each other as they locked eyes. Everly went forward again, more fast-paced than before, planning to use Alice's hurt to her advantage. Alice managed to block Evelyn's hand by knocking it down, but Everly continued with another attack before she could retaliate. Alice lunged forward, aiming a powerful punch at Evelyn's midsection. However Everly sidestepped, using the locker door as a shield. With a swift movement, she swung around and delivered a sharp kick to Alice right side, sending him slamming into the locker, then bouncing off as the sound of metal reverberated loudly. Thankfully, the woman before had already left and closed the door or she would have heard the fight.

Hurting her ribs, but Alice quickly regained herself and charged at Everly once again. This time, she vaulted over a chair, kicking at Everly and punching her back as she used her hand to block. She landed an quickly grabbed Everly by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall, causing her to grunt in pain.

Everly, regaining her balance, retaliated by grabbing a nearby towel rack and swinging it at Alice with all her might. The metal bar connected with a resounding clang, leaving Alice momentarily stunned.

Seizing the opportunity, Everly pressed her advantage to attack, but suddenly she felt herself weakening as she couldn't move properly anymore, her vision blurring as she struggled to maintain consciousness, That's when she saw her fist was filled with black veins and a small needle embedded in her skin as she did know when and how she Alice did it, Panic surged within her as she realized the gravity of her situation.

"You" Evelyn uttered before collapsing to the ground, paralyzed, her mind raced with a whirlwind of emotions, each more tumultuous than the last. The realization of her paralysis sent a cold shiver down her spine, freezing her in place even as Alice loomed over her. Panic surged within her as she tried to move, to flee, but her body refused to obey.

Fear gripped Evelyn's chest like a vice, squeezing the air from her lungs as she struggled to make sense of the situation. How had Alice gotten the upper hand? Why had she targeted her? Questions bombarded her mind, but there were no answers, only the suffocating weight of uncertainty pressing down on her.

She watched Alice, grabbing her legs and dragging her away, She refused to succumb to despair, refused to let Alice win. With every ounce of strength she could muster, she fought against the paralysis, willing her body to move, to resist. And as Alice dragged her away into the darkness, Evelyn's thoughts, to Lennox, Kira, and Alexia. She knew they would come for her, that she even left something floating in the air where she had been moments before.

...

The following day, Lennox attempted to contact Detective Evelyn but couldn't reach her. Initially finding it odd, he rationalized that perhaps she had urgent officer work to attend to. Anxiety gnawed at him as he considered the possibilities. He decided to inform Kira about it on their way to the hospital.

During their journey, Alexia questioned, "Why is she running? Doesn't she know that we want to help her?"

Kira regarded Alexia thoughtfully. "Revenge is a dark road, paved with pain and regret. She's running because she believes it's the only path left to her. She doesn't know you want to help because trust is a luxury she can't afford. But perhaps, with patience and understanding, we can show her there's another way forward, one where she doesn't have to walk alone in the shadows," she said.

Arriving at the hospital, Lennox and the others noticed an increased police presence compared to the previous day, stirring anxiety. Had someone been attacked again? Was it Nightshade? These thoughts raced through their minds as they hurried to Detective Evelyn's room, where multiple officers were stationed, searching the area.

The officers quickly briefed them on the events of the previous night, causing instant concern. How had Alice managed to gain access? Was the entire hospital on lockdown? An officer explained that a nurse had let her in, admitting she didn't suspect Alice of any wrongdoing, as Alice had helped her in the past by paying for her mother's medical bills. Lennox understood the complexities of owing someone and the obligation to repay them, but he also knew that the public was searching for Alice, which complicated matters.

Kira questioned the officers if they had uncovered any leads. They hadn't found anything concrete, but they mentioned discovering signs of a fight in the locker room. Inside, they found evidence of a struggle, with multiple items knocked over. While the others continued searching, Kira noticed something of interest on the ground.

"I think I found something," she announced.

Lennox hurried over to her but saw nothing out of the ordinary. "What did you find?" he inquired.

"I believe Everly left us a trail to find her. Through the door, I can see a trail of floating Nexus energy," Kira explained.

Lennox glanced toward the door but couldn't perceive it. "Are you sure? Because I can't see it," he asked.

"I'm very sensitive to Nexus energy, so I can sense it better than most higher-ranking Nexarcs," Kira affirmed on the ground had a trial of green Nexus Energy.

Lennox nodded, his expression grave, as he instructed, "Let's quickly follow this trail."

Kira nodded in agreement, leading the way as they followed the floating green Nexus energy. Suddenly, Lennox stopped in his tracks, his ears perking up as he turned around, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. A faint ticking sound reached his ears, causing anxiety to surge through him.

"What's wrong, Lennox?" Alexia queried, her voice tinged with concern.

Lennox silenced her with a gesture, his attention drawn to a partially opened ceiling tile. With a swift movement, he leaped up, effortlessly pushing the tile aside to reveal a small bomb connected inside. Fear clenched at his heart as he realized the danger they were facing.

As Lennox carefully examined the bomb, laying it back down on the ground, Kira gasped in shock. "Oh my god, is that a bomb?" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with fear.

Lennox nodded grimly. "Unfortunately, yes, and I heard it ticking," he confirmed, pointing to a note attached to the side of the bomb. He picked up the note, also noticing a vial containing green liquid nearby. His hands shook slightly as he read the ominous message, a sense of dread settling over him.

Kira and Alexia joined Lennox to read the note, which ominously declared, "I've set five bombs across the city. Find them if you ever want to see Detective Evelyn again." Dread washed over them as they realized the gravity of the situation and the urgent need to locate and disarm the bombs before it was too late.