Elena leaned back against the cold wall, her breathing still uneven after the intense chase. Her mind raced, trying to piece together everything that had just happened. Ethan stood a few feet away, scanning their surroundings as though expecting another attack at any moment. The pulse of the city outside their hideout continued as if nothing had happened, yet everything felt different now.

“We're safe here,” Ethan finally said, though his tone was laced with doubt. His eyes flicked over to Elena, who was still struggling to process the night's events. “For now, at least.”

They had retreated to a safe location—a nondescript, windowless building somewhere on the city's outskirts. Ethan hadn't told her much, only that they'd be“safe for now.”That did little to settle the uneasy churn in her stomach.

Elena's voice was unsteady as she pushed herself off the wall. “What... what just happened? Who—what were those things? You can't just expect me to move on without knowing the truth. I deserve answers.”

Ethan's jaw tightened, his eyes betraying a flicker of hesitation. “You shouldn't have to be involved in this, Elena. I tried to keep you out of it.”

Elena took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. She could see the reluctance in Ethan's eyes, but she knew she had to push through.

"I know you don't want me involved," she said, her voice clear but insistent. "But pretending this didn't happen will only put me in more danger. If I don't understand what I'm facing, how can I protect myself? How can I make the right decisions?"

Ethan's expression flickered, his guarded eyes betraying his internal conflict. Elena pressed forward.

“Look,” she said, her voice soft but unwavering, “I'm not asking for the whole picture. I just need to know enough to make sense of this. You said those... things didn't recognize us. But that doesn't mean I'm safe. What happens if they come back?”

Ethan glanced at her, his face tightening. For a long moment, he was silent, clearly grappling with the weight of the truth he held back. Finally, he let out a long, resigned sigh.

“You should go,” he said quietly. “Go back to your life. You've already seen too much, and if you stay... it only gets worse.”

Elena frowned, stepping closer. “Go where? You expect me to pretend I didn’t just see... whatever that was? I'm already in this, Ethan. You don't get to decide that for me.”

“You have no idea how dangerous this is,” Ethan's voice hardened, though there was a hint of something softer beneath it. “Once you're in, there's no getting out. They don't forget, and they don't forgive.”

“I don't care,” Elena pressed. “You said it yourself—they didn't recognize us. You're telling me I can just walk away now? I don't buy it. What if they come back, or someone else does? You expect me to sit in the dark, waiting for something worse?”

His lips pressed into a thin line, the internal battle was visible on his face—protect her, or tell her the truth. Finally, he relented, rubbing his forehead with frustration. “Fine,” he said, his voice thick with resignation. “But you're not going to like it.”

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“I don't care,” Elena said, stepping closer. “Tell me.”

Ethan took a slow, measured breath. “What you saw back there... those things, they're not from here. They're not human.”

Elena's breath hitched, but she didn't interrupt him.

“They've been coming to Earth for decades, maybe even longer. Manipulating things—governments, corporations, military forces. They operate in the shadows, using people like pawns in their games.” His voice was grim as if the words themselves carried a heavy weight. “But it's not just them. There are others—other species.”

Elena swallowed, the reality of it hitting her like a wave. “Other species?” Her voice wavered slightly as she tried to wrap her mind around it.

Ethan nodded, his eyes dark and distant. “Some of them experiment on humans. Some see us as little more than resources. There are different types, and not all of them operate the same way. Some, like the ones we saw tonight, they... abduct people. Sometimes they experiment on them. Sometimes they... dissect them.”

Elena shivered at his words. “Dissect...?”

Ethan's gaze softened just slightly. He looked down. “They're looking for something—something in human genetics. You've heard about the cattle mutilations, right? It's not just cattle. People go missing. Hikers, travelers, those who are alone at night. They disappear, and when they're found... it's not the same. Some have their organs missing, their bodies drained.”

Her stomach twisted. “And... and you've been dealing with this?”

Ethan nodded, his expression hardening again. “For a long time. My team... we try to stop them, to keep people safe. But we can't always be there.” A bitter smile tugged at his lips. “We're fighting a losing battle, Elena. Every day, they get stronger, and more people get caught up in this. And the more you know, the more dangerous it becomes.”

Elena shook her head, her resolve only growing stronger. “You can't expect me to walk away after hearing this. That's all the more reason for me to help. I'm not going to sit by and pretend none of this is happening. If I can do something—even if it's small—I want to.”

Ethan studied her for a long moment, conflicted. He finally sighed, shoulders sagging. “You really think you can handle this?”

“I don't know,” Elena admitted, her voice firm. “But I'm not going to sit around and do nothing. If I can help, if I can protect myself, I want to.”

Ethan's gaze softened slightly, a flicker of something—admiration?—crossing his face. “This isn't a game, Elena. Once you're in, you're in for good. The Greys, or worse, will come after you. You can't unsee this. You can't unknow it.”

“I know,” she replied, voice steady. “But I've made my choice.”

"You handled tonight better than some of my own people did when they started. You've shown you can handle more than I expected.” He paused, eyeing her carefully. “This isn't how we usually bring people in. If I had a choice, I wouldn't do this. But finding capable people... it's getting harder every day. We're running out of options."

He stepped back, crossing his arms. "But don't take this lightly. If you're going to be involved, you'll need to keep proving you can handle it. This isn't me offering you a choice, Elena. This is me making sure you survive. You're going to need training. Real training."

Her heart skipped a beat. This was it—there was no turning back now. “What kind of training?”

“Everything,” he said, almost grimly. “Combat, tech, survival... and how to stay off their biological detection systems. But you’re staying on the sidelines for now. Understand?"

Elena nodded, feeling a mix of relief and trepidation. “That's all I'm asking.”

Ethan paused, his expression clouding over. “And remember, if anything goes wrong... you're on your own.”

Just as those words hung heavy in the air, a faint, unnatural hum began to reverberate through the walls—a sound so low, so subtle, that it might have been easy to miss. But it wasn't a sound of the city. It was something else.

Ethan's eyes darted up, sharp and alert. “We need to move. Now.”