Chapter 108 Breaking and Entry into Eight

Words : 945 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

The faint hum of an approaching vehicle cut through the night air. A sleek, black hover car descended just beyond the academy's perimeter, its underlights casting a faint blue glow on the pavement. At the same moment, hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor leading back to the dorms. Micah. Breathless, slightly disheveled, but here. "Alright, I'm good," he huffed, jogging up to them. "Told you I wouldn't ditch." Lucas shot him a sharp look. "You sure? Stomach isn't acting up anymore?" Micah scoffed. "Don't push it, Lucas." The others ignored the banter as the car settled just outside the high-tech gates. The security interface scanned the vehicle, cross-referencing its registration with the temporary clearance the gate guard had arranged. A few seconds later, a discreet beep signaled approval, and the gates slid open just enough for them to step through. Lucas turned to the group. "Alright. We go in, keep it quiet, and discuss the rendezvous point with the driver once we're inside. No mistakes." Bailey and Oba nodded, Micah simply rolled his shoulders, and Noah adjusted his backpack. Then, without another word, they stepped out of Twelve's academy grounds and into the waiting vehicle. The moment they stepped through the gate, the hover car's door slid open with a soft hiss. The driver, a lean man with a sharp jawline and tired eyes, glanced at them through the rearview mirror. "Five of you, yeah?" His voice was gruff, and he tapped his fingers rhythmically on the dashboard. "Get in. We ain't got all night." Lucas motioned for them to pile in. Noah slid in first, taking a spot by the window, while Micah dropped in beside him. Bailey and Oba squeezed into the back, leaving Lucas in the front passenger seat. The interior smelled faintly of machine oil and cheap cologne, the seats worn from years of use. As the doors sealed shut, a soft vibration rumbled beneath them, and the car lifted off the ground with a smooth ascent. "Where to?" the driver asked. Lucas leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Eastern school 8. We need a spot close to their exit and entry. Somewhere with a quick exit route." The driver exhaled through his nose. "Bold. You sure about that?" "Yeah," Lucas said without hesitation. The driver nodded. "Alright. I know a place. A parking dock near one of their old supply depots. It's been out of commission for a while, but it'll give you cover. I drop you there, then circle back in an hour. You miss the window, you find your own way back." "Fair enough," Lucas said. The car hummed louder as it accelerated, city lights below blurring into streaks of neon. Noah leaned back, exhaling slowly. 'So this was happening. No turning back now.' Micah tapped a rhythmic beat against his knee. "Hope y'all stretched before coming out." Bailey scoffed. "You worried?" "Please," Micah snorted. "I just hope Twelve doesn't embarrass itself tonight." Lucas turned in his seat, leveling a look at him. "Then don't slow us down." The tension between them was obvious, but neither pushed further. Not now. Noah stared out the window, watching the city lights smear past in streaks of blue and red. His reflection ghosted over the glass, sharp eyes and a face that looked far too calm for someone about to start a war. 'Security this predictable? Weak spots that obvious? Either Academy 8 got lazy, or we're walking into something we don't see yet.' Too early to call it, but the unease sat heavy in his gut. As they moved toward the western perimeter, the night stretched silent around them. Lucas handed Noah a small comm earpiece before they moved. "Sync up," he said. Noah slid it in, hearing the faint crackle as the channel connected. Bailey's voice came through first. "Comms live. We move quiet." Lucas gave a final nod, then they moved. The western perimeter was their entry point, just as Bailey had pinpointed. They moved like shadows, keeping close to the walls, avoiding the open spaces where the moonlight could expose them. Micah took the first initiative, lifting himself effortlessly with a slight gravitational shift. His boots barely made a sound as he ascended the side of a storage building, finding a perch where he could scan the area. High ground surveillance—secured. Bailey stayed low, fingers brushing the ground every few steps, adjusting frequencies, reading the soundscape. Every creak, every step, every shift in the wind—she heard it all. Oba stayed at the back, a silent wall of defense. His power was the most deceptive. Kinetic absorption. Which meant that if someone made the mistake of hitting him first, they wouldn't live to make another mistake. Noah and Lucas took point, leading the approach toward the dorms. As they rounded the building, Noah felt it before he saw it. Something was off. The air was too still. The academy's dormitory wing should have had faint noises—students whispering, the hum of electronics, maybe even a faint sound of water pipes. But there was nothing. Noah narrowed his eyes. 'Too easy. Why is it too easy?' Then, Bailey's voice cut through the comms. "Hold." Everyone froze. Noah glanced at Lucas, but Lucas was already tense, waiting for her report. Bailey's breathing was controlled, but there was something sharp in her tone. "There's a rhythm," she whispered. "A... beat." Noah frowned. "What?" "A pulse," Bailey clarified. "Like a heartbeat." A slow, deliberate thump-thump. Faint, but consistent. Bailey's voice dropped to a whisper. "Someone's watching you." Silence. Then—

Chapter 108 Breaking and Entry into Eight

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