After the teleport, Monica awakened in complete darkness. Rocks pressed on her face and right side, and her head hurt like during a light hangover. Yet, memories of the recent events quickly invaded her, forcing her to put aside the discomfort and straighten her position.
Monica's first instinct was to call for Khan, but he would have reacted faster than her in that situation. She could immediately realize that he wasn't there, and making noise wasn't ideal when she had yet to understand where she was.
While standing up, Monica came into contact with more rocky surfaces. A whole wall was on her right, and stretching her arms upward revealed a short ceiling. She was in a tunnel of some sort, and the lack of sounds in her surroundings told her she was alone.
'Did the teleport split us?' Monica wondered, drawing her phone to check the time. Only a minute had passed since the teleport, but the device showed more important news. The current location had no connection to the network.
'This is a hideout,' Monica quickly understood, storing her phone and closing her eyes to summon her mana.
Monica's eyes burned a little when mana gathered there. A blue color took over and gained different hues when her eyelids opened. Her technique dispersed the darkness, adding shades of azure to the world in her vision.
The shades were quite detailed, allowing Monica to differentiate among rocks, ceiling, and ground. The technique also granted a good sense of distance, effectively making her able to see in the darkness.
The technique confirmed Monica's initial guess. She had ended up in a narrow tunnel, but the area didn't have other clues. She could see the passage branching out in the distance, but nothing added information about her actual location.
Inspecting and feeling the rocks didn't help either. Monica accepted that finding out where she was had the priority, but her plan stretched past that. Her headache didn't make her forget about the crisis.
Reuniting with Khan and the others would be ideal, but the bomb posed a threat Monica couldn't ignore. She couldn't just abandon the issue to follow her feelings. Actually, part of her wanted to solve everything to make things easier for Khan.
'The bomb must be nearby,' Monica guessed, 'Which means specialists.'
Monica didn't know about the timer, but her teleport had been scuffed, so it stood to reason that the bomb had suffered a similar fate. The area had to have personnel charged with retrieving and managing the weapon, and she planned to find them.
Slow and careful steps unfolded as Monica made her way through the tunnel. She helped herself with her hands and prioritized remaining silent in her advance. Her technique gave her a big advantage in that darkness, and she planned to retain it.
Monica halted her steps when she reached the first branches. The tunnel split into four almost-identical channels, and her quick inspection didn't reveal anything valuable. Still, she followed the most reasonable approach, walking into the passage that grew bigger in the distance.
The approach paid off. The tunnel grew larger until Monica spotted faint light from a branch in the distance. She deactivated her night vision, and the white color of that illumination confirmed its artificial nature.
Monica took a deep breath and half-crouched, slowly advancing and minding her steps to avoid slipping on the rocky ground. Her training allowed her to be perfectly silent, and peeking into the illuminated branch revealed a completely different environment.
The illuminated and short tunnel ended in a vast underground hall. A smooth and clear floor replaced the rocky surface to create a bright environment full of consoles. Monica even spotted a circular platform from her position, and faint, distant voices reached her ears from time to time.
Nevertheless, the man standing at the tunnel's edge soon captured Monica's attention. He stood mere meters from her, smoking a cigarette while keeping his eyes on the hall. He appeared in the middle of his break, but his position turned him into a perfect target.
Monica inspected the man and the area past him for a few seconds. The soldier looked in his forties, and nothing about his clothes revealed his level. Still, his smoke was almost over, and the underground hall didn't seem to have other guards nearby, so she chose to strike.
The man breathed the smoke deep into his lungs, doing his best to appreciate the faint intoxicating sensation rising into his brain. He even stretched his left arm lazily, but his throat suddenly stopped working.
The soldier began to panic, but that worsened his situation. Only faint grunts and smoke left his mouth while he lowered his gaze. A hand had appeared before his throat, and its middle finger was pressing at its base, interrupting his breathing ability.
The man tried to move his left arm but found it stuck too. Monica was holding his shoulder with a precise grip that prevented any movement. The soldier could still use his other limbs, but Monica pressed her middle finger deeper into his throat before he could get any strange ideas.
"Come with me," Monica whispered, taking a better look at the hall. The underground area had two more soldiers, but they were too busy with the consoles to look at the tunnel.
Monica pressed harder on the man's throat and pulled him back. That light struggle gave her an idea about the soldier's physical strength, placing him among second-level warriors. She could easily overpower him, and nothing stopped her from leading him deeper into the tunnel.
After crossing a corner, Monica delivered two precise kicks on the back of the man's knees. The soldier fell on the rocky surface, and she kept her finger on his throat to prevent any loud cry.
"Where are we?" Monica questioned, pressing on the man's left shoulder to keep him on his knees. She also softened the pressure on his throat to let him speak but continued to apply enough strength to feel threatening.
"L-Lauter," The man stammered.
Monica knew as much as Khan about the Harbor's system, so she reached the same conclusions, which made her anxious. Lauter was a good target for a terrorist attack, meaning the bomb would probably explode there.
"Where is the bomb?" Monica continued. "How do I disarm it?"
"I-I don't know," The man gasped for air that the finger on his throat continued to block.
"Answer me," Monica threatened.
"The teleport," The man tried to gulp, only to be interrupted by the finger. "The teleport malfunctioned. Soldiers went looking for it."
Hope invaded Monica. If those criminals had yet to retrieve the bomb, she might be able to disarm it. Her knowledge was the only issue since she was ignorant about the topic.
"Who is in charge of the bomb?" Monica questioned. "Who knows how to disarm it?"
The man didn't answer. To Monica's surprise, the soldier directly closed his eyes and relaxed. His fear seemed to vanish, which made her press harder on his throat.
"I asked you a question!" Monica stated, slightly raising her voice to convey danger.
"The teleport started the timer," The soldier revealed. "A quarter of the planet will vanish in a few minutes."
Monica froze. She didn't have Khan's senses, but the soldier's apparent calm spoke for his honesty. That wasn't the behavior of a man doing anything in his power to escape the situation. That was faith and deep loyalty.
"There must be someone who can stop it," Monica didn't give up.
"Maybe," The man chuckled. "Maybe not."
Monica did her best to remain calm and reviewed what she had learned. A discrepancy in that story soon appeared, and she didn't hesitate to mention it.
"Why would soldiers go look for a bomb set to explode?" Monica asked. "What's the point of finding it?"
"We are the Hive," The man chanted, wearing a peaceful smile, "And we are everywhere."
"I don't care what you are!" Monica shouted, flicking her middle finger into the man's throat to make him feel pain. "What's the point of finding it?"
The man coughed, but Monica promptly stopped his breathing again. She even showed her face to convey her resolve. Her expression told the man that she would do anything in her power to get the answers she sought.
"That place," The soldier gasped for air, pointing toward the hall. "That place ensures the best blast radius."
Monica couldn't help but freeze again. According to that story, stopping the bomb was impossible. She could only limit its destructive power, which was probably pointless considering its range.
"Josh, what's happening?" A male voice echoed through the tunnel while Monica was immersed in her thoughts. Steps also resounded, getting closer with each passing second.
Monica didn't know what to do. Escaping that situation seemed impossible. She didn't have any option, but an idea soon appeared. A slim chance that Khan had ended up outside the bomb's range existed. He might also be busy leaving the area, so she wanted to do anything in her power to make things easier for him.
Of course, Monica was simply desperate. She knew Khan would never escape on his own. He wouldn't leave her. He would probably prefer to die with her than survive alone. Still, a slim hope existed, and Monica didn't hesitate to pursue it.
Monica let go of the man's shoulder to slam two fingers on the back of his neck. The soldier gasped before fainting on the spot, and Monica let him go, uncaring of the noise his fall generated.
"Josh?!" The voices in the tunnel grew closer, and the same went for the sounds of steps. Still, Monica faced that threat head-on, crossing the corner and sprinting through the tunnel.
Two soldiers had come looking for the kidnapped man, a third and a second-level warrior. The artificial light shone behind their backs, creating some darkness inside the tunnel, and Monica's sudden appearance left them surprised enough to give her the initiative.
Monica sprinted forward, instantly reaching the two men. The soldier on her right was shorter, so she aimed her stretched fingers at his throat. Meanwhile, the enemy on her left was too tall for that swift attack, so she targeted his knee.
The man on the right became unable to breathe. His throat transformed into a wall that blocked the passage of air. His blood failed to flow, making him light-headed and eventually faint.
Instead, the other man lost control of his left leg, violently slamming one knee on the ground to stabilize his position. He tried to stand up right afterward, but a precise blow landed on the back of his head, making his mind go dark.
Monica briefly looked at the two fainted men before hurrying into the hall. The place was empty, so she approached the console closer to the circular platform to learn more about its functioning, but more voices arrived before she could reach it.
"What was that noise?!" A female voice resounded into the hall.
"Hurry!" A male voice followed, and Monica could only stop in her tracks as a team of six soldiers came out of another passage and fixed their eyes on her.
"What is happening?" One of the two women on the team asked.
"Wait, I know her," A man on the team stated. "She is Monica Solodrey!"
"Miss Solodrey?" A second man questioned.
"She has been all over the news for the past months," A third man declared. "How can you not recognize her?"
"I don't watch the news," The second man shrugged his shoulders.
"Shut up!" The second woman ordered. "Restrain her!"
The team eyed Monica, but she clapped her hands toward them to send a scorching heatwave. The spell engulfed them, but no one retreated. Hair burned, and small flames appeared on a few tracksuits, but the soldiers suffered no significant damage.
"What was that?" One of the men asked.
"Was that a spell?" One of the women questioned. "Wasn't she a third-level warrior?"
"I guess the families truly are overrated," The second man laughed. "How long to the explosion anyway?"
"Fifteen seconds," The second woman revealed after drawing her phone.
"No point fighting," The third man sighed. "The Hive wins."
"That's right!" The second man shouted, eyeing Monica. "Did you see, Miss Solodrey? Your family can't do anything against the Hive!"
The team wanted to laugh, but Monica had closed her eyes. Smoke had also started to emerge from her figure, and its grey color grew darker as the seconds passed.
"I guess I'll die a murderer," Monica sighed, but a smile soon bloomed on her face. "At least I'll be more similar to you."
Monica opened her eyes to look at the team. The latter couldn't help but gasp when they saw the bright red color they radiated. Flames seemed on the verge of coming out of her pupils, but her face carried only love.
"Tell me," Monica voiced as her smile grew sad. "Can you do anything against a volcano?"
