With the crucial documents in hand of Roselle and Risebelle, Sadie nodded to Runebelle and prepared to leave the room.

"Rosebelle is here. I need to find her," Sadie declared. "Whether she knows who she really is or if Shadowcroft plans to use her, we need to get to her before they do."

Runebelle noted, "Those documents belong to Shadowcroft, right?"

Sadie flashed a confident grin. "Not anymore. Criminals like to live by 'finders keepers,' but they forget the last part of it: 'loser’s weepers.'"

Sadie and Runebelle were led back to the other officers. Mother Rune still lying on the ground, unattended. Sadie immediately got mad and shouted, "Why hasn't anyone helped my Mom? What's going on?"

The officer offered smile and explained, "All the other officers have pulled off. They said they've got it from here."

Sadie was taken aback. "But why would they do that?"

The officer's face beamed with pride as he answered, "They've taken care of Shadowcroft. The mission was a huge success. They won't be causing harm to anyone anymore."

Sadie's concern for her mother remained. "I'm grateful that they've dealt with Shadowcroft, but why is my mom still on the floor? Shouldn't we make sure she's okay?"

The officer, looking a bit perplexed, stammered, "W-well, we assumed she'd be fine after Shadowcroft's downfall. We didn't realize she needed immediate medical attention. Let me call for a medic!"

Sadie’s frustration boiled over. She clenched her fists and shouted in anger. "Are you kidding me?! You’re telling me that despite everything, no one bothered to check on my mother’s condition?!”

The officer’s face flushed with embarrassment. He struggled to find the right words. “I-I’m really sorry, Sadie. We should have acted sooner. It was a chaotic situation, and we got caught up with other priorities.”

Sadie shook her head with her hands now placed at her side and movement right into the officer’s face. “Chaotic or not, it doesn’t excuse ignoring someone who’s clearly in need. You’re making me look like a fool for trusting that you’d handle it!”

The officer quickly fumbled with his comms device, urgently calling for medical assistance. Sadie knelt beside her mother. “I’m so sorry, Mom,” Sadie murmured. “We’re going to get you the help you need. Just hang in there.”

Sadie’s eyes narrowed as she pondered the situation. Why were the officers acting this way? It was supposed to be a well-coordinated, high-stakes operation. She glanced at the officers milling around. Their actions were increasingly suspect. “This doesn’t add up,” she thought to herself. ‘How did things go so wrong despite the victory over Shadowcroft? We should be in control,’ Sadie thought to herself, trying to retrace their steps and identify any potential flaws.

Then, it hit her. According to police info, Kazeburo had a habit of sending out a particular individual, 'Bossman.' He was conspicuously absent from the entire operation, which was unusual. That's when she realized that something was amiss.

The police officers drew their weapons and the pieces fell into place. Panic surged through her, but she quickly grabbed Runebelle’s arm and shouted, “Get down!"

Runebelle and Sadie attempted to move, but it was too late. In an instant, darkness enveloped them, and the world faded away after the ominous sound of a gunshot.

When they regained consciousness, they found themselves confined within translucent tubes, facing each other with their mother Rune in another tube nearby.

Standing before their tubes was Bossman, a tall and imposing figure with spiky blue hair. He clapped slowly with a form of cold amusement and said, “That was very impressive, I must say. I give you a 9/10. Sadie, you almost got away with killing off Shadowcroft."

Runebelle and Sadie turned their heads to the side, and there they saw Kazeburo, rubbing his head, clearly disoriented by the recent turn of events.

Bossman wasted no time in blaming Kazeburo for what had transpired. "You were sleeping on the job, Kazeburo," he accused with irritation.

Kazeburo glared at Bossman with frustration, "Hey! I’m your boss here! I won't... let my workers... talk down to me...?"

But Bossman's intimidating glare silenced Kazeburo's protests, "Y-You're the boss, Bossman, not me. I... I apologize for my incompetence. We lost a lot of manpower because of me."

Bossman nodded with a satisfied grin. "Exactly," he affirmed. "I'm glad you're taking accountability for your failure, Kazeburo."

He then turned his attention to Runebelle and Sadie, who were trapped in their respective tubes.

"Now, can you two tell me why it was only a 9/10 and not a perfect 10?"

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Sadie and Runebelle exchanged nervous glances. Sadie spoke first. “Maybe… maybe it’s because you weren’t distracted enough. If we had gotten you to answer repeated phone calls from his wife, he would’ve been too busy to notice us sneaking around.”

Sadie then raised one finger. “Or perhaps it was because we didn’t keep him occupied with more distractions. If Bossman had been flooded with phone calls, he wouldn’t have been able to focus on us.”

Bossman’s face hardened, and his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Kazeburo, who had been quietly fuming in the background, shrugged and muttered, “Well, they’ve got a point.”

Bossman turned his gaze sharply toward Kazeburo. “Is that so?”Kazeburo shrank back under Bossman’s piercing stare.

Bossman shifted his focus back to Sadie and Runebelle. “Now is not the time for jokes,” he said with disdain. "You see, it's quite simple. The police relied on camouflage tactics, and it was effective against Shadowcroft. They used our own tactics against us and defeated our forces. I'll concede that point. But the police left on their own accord, not giving it a second thought thanks to my quacking thinking of incorporating doppelgangers within their ranks. They must have been tired since they didn’t even realize their forces were two times bigger. it's actually 3 AM right now. You see, it's all about timing."

Bossman raised one hand into the air.” Time, you see, can be an ally or an enemy, depending on how one uses it. In our case, timing was our greatest weapon. We anticipated their movements, waited for the opportune moment, and then struck."

He paused for a moment before concluding, "You must understand that the police may have defeated us tonight, but they didn't outwit us. They were bound by time, while we controlled it. Now, I think it's time we discussed your fate."

Bossman, with a wicked grin, gestured to the timer that had been reset. “We’ve restarted the process, and in just a few hours, the three of you will become one. The perfect fusion of Rune, Runebelle, and Sadie. A new, powerful being."

Sadie protested, "The police will stop you! They'll come back, and you'll never get away with this!"

However, Bossman's smile only widened. "Oh, Sadie, you’re naïve. The police won't be returning. They left in the belief that they had dealt with us. They think Shadowcroft has been defeated and eliminated for good. They won't be coming to your rescue."

With those words, Bossman made it clear that Runebelle, Sadie, and their mother were trapped in a nightmarish countdown with no one to save them.

----------------------------------------

When the timer reached 50% and the purple substance enveloped their tubes, Runebelle's face displayed a deep sadness. She whispered, "It feels like things like this always end up happening to me....why… why was I even…"

Sadie, in a similarly compromised state, replied, “I’ve felt that way too sometimes. But I need to tell you something about my ability. It's not just about hacking. It's also about insight. I've seen glimpses of your experiences, your emotions. I understand what you've been through."

Runebelle looked at Sadie curiosity, despite her weakening condition. "Insight? What do you mean?"

Sadie took a deep breath. She was weakened as well. "I mean I've seen the moments when you were hurt, betrayed, and alone. I've felt your sadness, your longing for something more. We share that connection, Runebelle, and even if we can't change the past, we can face the future together."

The timer reached 75%. Runebelle and Sadie knew that the moment of fusion was rapidly approaching, and with it, the uncertain fate that Shadowcroft had planned for them.

Runebelle quivered with anxiety while speaking, "I don't want this, Sadie. I want to talk to you, to know what you've been through, for us to be there for each other, like you said. I'm…. so scared."

Sadie managed a weak smile despite the encroaching dread. “Hey, Runebelle, you’re the older sister here,” she said softly. “You should be brave.”

Runebelle’s face remained etched with fear. The smile on Sadie's lips faltered, and she took a deep breath. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared to, but we’ve done everything we could. There’s no escape from this.”

Sadie’s eyes darted around. “The odds of breaking out are zero this time,” she said. “All we can do is face whatever comes next with whatever courage we have left.”

Sadie and Runebelle both turned their gazes toward the nearby tube, where their mother, Rune, was beginning to stir. Rune’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked around disoriented momentarily. When she saw Sadie’s face, her eyes widened in shock.

“Sadie?” Rune whispered.

“Mom! It’s me, Sadie. I’m here,” Sadie said. “Just hold on a little longer.”

Rune’s eyes filled with tears. “Sadie… but how? Why are you here? Th-This wasn’t supposed to happen!”

Sadie responded, “It’s a long story, Mom. We don’t have much time. But I need you to stay strong.

The climax of the fusion process had arrived, and with it, an explosion of power came which rocked the room. Bossman acted swiftly to shield himself and protect Kazeburo from the surging energy.

The explosion was like a tempest of magical and technological forces clashing. The energy would be contained withinthe massive tank in the room.

Kazeburo, thrown to safety just in time, watched in awe and terror. This was something beyond anything he could have imagined.

When the smoke and energy began to settle, the room bore the marks of the fusion's immense release of power. Bossman lay unconscious on the floor. Kazeburo, on the other hand, dangled upside down against a wall.

Then, from the remnants of the massive tank, emerged a figure unlike anything that had been seen before. It was the culmination of Runebelle, Rune, and Sadie. This being bore Sadie's likeness in being a tall teenage girl with puffball hair, but there was a profound sadness etched across their face.

They wore only a torn up long shirt and nothing else. Kazeburo, still dangling from the wall, watched in stunned disbelief. The being began to make its way towards the exit.

Kazeburo, mustering his remaining strength, called out with strain, “Wait! What are you doing? Where are you going?”

The fused being turned their gaze toward him with a chilling intensity. Without a word, the being’s gaze seemed to exert a force of its own. Kazeburo was thrown violently against the wall. His body slumped in unconsciousness from the sheer force.

Unperturbed, the being turned their attention back to the exit. When they reached the doorway, the being paused, looking back once more at the chaos left behind before leaving the scene.

Within the complex, interconnected realm of their fused consciousness, Runebelle, Rune, and Sadie found themselves engaged in a peculiar internal conversation.

Rune’s gentle and loving tone was the first to break through the collective thought. "My dear Rune belle," she said, "you are the heart that has kept us all together."

Following Rune’s words, Sadie chimed in, "Yeah, Runebelle, you're the one who has the most impact in the physical world. You're the one people will see and know."

Being the primary consciousness, Runebelle felt a sense of unity and agreement among her constituent parts. "I understand," she said to her internal companions, "I am Runebelle, and I will embrace all that I am, representing the innocence, protection, insight, confidence and freedom that we have become."