Contract Marriage with My Secret Partner in Crime-Chapter 170: The Storm

Kendrick stepped out of the shadows. His expression was unreadable. "You’re predictable."

"So are you," Brent replied, finally turning to face him. "Still chasing ghosts?"

"You’re holding something that doesn’t belong to you."

Brent raised an eyebrow. "I created it. It belongs to no one."

Kendrick’s jaw tightened. "You experimented on people. You ruined lives."

"And you think I enjoyed it?" Brent’s voice spiked. "You think this was some grand plan? We were all part of the same machine. The difference is—I never stopped fighting to fix what went wrong."

"Fix it by starting again? By pushing it even further?"

"You don’t understand, Eclipse. You never did. But Elias did. He understood what Helix could be if it had time."

Kendrick’s hand hovered near his side, close to the stun device. "You’re not walking out of here with that canister."

Brent stared at him for a long beat. Then smiled, bitter and worn. "You don’t have the full picture yet. And when you do... you’ll regret stopping me."

A sharp blast of smoke detonated between them—Brent’s emergency exit device. Kendrick cursed and shielded his face, but by the time the air cleared, Brent was gone.

---

Back above ground, Zephany met with Reynold in secret.

"He left without telling you anything?" Reynold asked.

She nodded. "He never does. But today felt different. Like he was... preparing for something."

Reynold handed her a file. "You should see this. We found more traces of Helix activity. Not just in the hospital—but other facilities too. Abandoned clinics, shut-down research labs. All with recent footprints."

Zephany opened the folder slowly. Each photograph made her chest tighten. Equipment. Sample logs. Dates matching Kendrick’s recent absences.

"You think he’s working with them?"

"I think he’s chasing someone who is," Reynold said carefully. "And he doesn’t want you involved."

"Too late for that," she whispered.

---

That night, Kendrick returned home. Zephany was waiting.

He didn’t expect the confrontation. But maybe he should have.

"Where were you?" she asked quietly.

He didn’t lie. Not entirely. "Following a lead."

"On what?"

He paused. Then sat beside her. The silence between them stretched.

"There’s something I need to tell you," he said at last.

Her heart skipped.

"But not yet. Not until I’m sure."

Her eyes glistened. "Then let me help you be sure."

He reached for her hand. Held it.

And for now, that was enough.

But the storm was no longer on the horizon. It was already here.

The wind had picked up outside the hospital ruins, rattling loose panels and whispering through the broken corridors like the breath of ghosts. Inside the hidden lab, Reynold and Jeric huddled silently behind a stacked shelving unit, listening.

Footsteps. Deliberate. Light. Unhurried.

Someone had entered the hospital.

Jeric gestured sharply—three fingers up, then curled into a fist. One person. Armed. He couldn’t see them, but he could feel it. A sixth sense honed from years of field work. Reynold nodded back, his grip tightening on the compact camera hidden in his vest. They weren’t ready to confront Brent or whoever was back. Not yet. Not until they had solid evidence.

They waited. The footsteps echoed closer... then receded. Whoever it was had passed by. For now.

Only then did Reynold let out a quiet breath. "We need a better vantage point. If he comes back... I want to know what he’s accessing."

They retreated down a side corridor that had once been a nurse’s break room, now gutted with peeled linoleum and dust-covered mugs still sitting in place. Jeric pulled out a small handheld drone—silent, sleek, and equipped with night vision. He launched it, guiding it remotely through the old ventilation shaft toward the supply room.

The drone’s camera fed directly to Jeric’s tablet. The screen lit up in grainy green: the lab. The laptop was open. The fridge door, still ajar. Someone was going through the files.

Reynold leaned in. "Zoom in."

Jeric did. The figure was hooded, wearing gloves. They were flipping through folders, pulling out vials one by one, placing them into a padded case.

"Do you recognize him?"

Jeric frowned. "Not Brent. Too small. Might be a courier."

The drone inched closer. Suddenly, the figure turned, eyes scanning the room like they sensed something.

"Pull back," Reynold hissed.

Jeric reversed the drone—but too late. The intruder spotted it and drew a stunner gun, firing. The feed went dead.

Jeric swore under his breath.

"We have to move. Now," Reynold said, already standing. "If those vials leave this building, we lose everything."

They bolted through the corridor, steps muffled by the dust. The intruder was fast. By the time they returned to the lab, the figure was gone—but the door to the rear stairwell was swinging shut.

Jeric sprinted to it, flung it open. "Stairs. Down."

They gave chase.

Floor after floor blurred past. Finally, the trail led them to the hospital basement—flooded and half-collapsed. The figure had vanished.

Jeric scanned for footprints, signs of passage. Nothing. Then he heard the low rumble of an engine.

"Garage," Reynold barked.

They raced through a half-submerged hallway toward the rear loading dock. A black van tore out into the darkness, tires screeching. Reynold snapped a photo with his phone just in time to capture the plate number. Jeric raised his pistol but didn’t fire—it was too far, too risky.

"Damn it!"

Reynold, panting, looked down at the photo. "Let’s trace that plate. Someone just risked a lot to grab those samples."

"And Brent might’ve sent them," Jeric added.

Back upstairs, they secured what was left. The laptop—still locked. The cabinet—emptied. But Reynold noticed something on the floor. A single folder the courier had dropped in their rush.

He picked it up. Inside were photocopies. Diagrams. Test subjects. Trial logs.

And at the bottom: a name.

Subject 01: Elias Denevar.

Reynold froze.

Jeric leaned over his shoulder. "That name means something to you."

"It’s Cassius’s mentor," Reynold whispered. "The original Helix architect. We thought he was dead."

Jeric swore. "If he’s alive..."

"That changes everything."

They left the hospital under cover of night, slipping out before the wind could reveal their presence. Back in the car, Reynold sent the photo and plate number to Cassius, attaching a voice message.

"Cassius. We found traces of Helix at the old hospital. Someone retrieved samples and files. One folder mentions Elias Denevar. If this is real... he may still be alive."

He ended the message and stared at the passing city lights in silence.

---

Across the city – Helix HQ (Undisclosed location)

Brent stood in front of a wide monitor wall displaying several live feeds—traffic cams, thermal imaging, and hospital schematics.

The courier entered behind him and placed the padded case on the table.

"Any problems?" Brent asked, not turning around.

"Drone spotted us. Had to neutralize. They chased, but we got out clean."

Brent finally turned. "They’ll know we’re active now."

The courier nodded. "They found one file. The Elias copy."

Brent smiled faintly. "Let them. It’s time Cassius knew what we’re playing for."

He opened the case, revealing the vials. "We’re close to stability. With this next batch... the serum will finally be complete."

He looked at a photo pinned to the wall. Cassius. Elias. And a younger Reynold.

"Soon, they’ll all understand why Helix had to evolve."

---

Elsewhere – Cassius’s office

Cassius stared at Reynold’s message, the voice still echoing in his ears. Sophia sat across from him, arms folded.

"You okay?" she asked.

Cassius’s expression was unreadable. "If Elias is alive... then he’s behind the second wave of Helix."

Sophia frowned. "Are you sure it’s not Brent acting alone?"

"Brent wouldn’t replicate the serum without Elias’s data. And those samples—they mean he’s succeeded."

Sophia tapped her pen. "Do we tell Kendrick?"

Cassius stood and walked to the window. "Not yet. He’s already under pressure. I’ll handle this. If Elias is involved... I need to speak to him myself." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Sophia nodded. "Then I’ll prepare the plane."

Cassius turned. "We’re going dark. No traces. I want Elias before Helix reaches him."

Outside, thunder rolled over the city.

The storm had begun.

---

The following morning arrived with a heavy haze lingering over the city, thick clouds casting a muted gray over the skyline. Rain tapped gently on the windows of the Safehouse, masking the tension that had begun to creep into every corner of the operation.

In the briefing room, the walls were lined with whiteboards covered in maps, notes, and photographs. Strings connected points like a spider’s web—Elias Mern, Brent, the old hospital, the missing files. At the center was Project Helix.

Cassius stood at the far end, arms crossed, his gaze focused on a grainy image Jeric had recovered from the old hospital’s surveillance: a blurry figure entering the basement lab just hours before Reynold and Jeric arrived.

Sophia approached from behind, silent as ever, her tablet in hand. "Jeric ran facial recognition on the figure. No match yet, but we suspect it’s someone from Elias’s old team. Possibly a courier."

Cassius took the tablet and scrolled through the analysis. "He left with nothing visible. If he had a sample, it was concealed. He knew the layout, avoided the main halls. Professional."