Chapter 265: The call

Words : 2346 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

In a secure room inside the arena, all four precided with tension as Kelvin settled into a chair, still looking pale but eager to share what he'd retrieved. Noah leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as Sophie busied herself connecting Kelvin's retrieved data drive to their secure terminal. Lucas paced the length of the room, his usual composed demeanor disrupted by an undercurrent of barely contained energy. "Alright, Kelvin," Lucas said, finally stopping to face him. "We've got you back, but we need to understand what we're dealing with. How the hell did they move you from the Nexus Arena to some underwater facility without anyone noticing?" Kelvin ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "That's the thing—I have no idea. Last thing I remember was being at the corridor three floors away from the world's most dangerous couple... then... nothing. Just woke up in that tank." He shuddered visibly. "Felt like I'd been drugged." "But that's impossible," Sophie said, looking up from her terminal. "My father had the entire perimeter locked down that day after the initial security alert. Nothing got in or out without triple verification." Lucas nodded. "Exactly. No aircraft could have approached without triggering at least six different security protocols." "Could they have used conventional ground transport?" Noah asked, pushing away from the wall to join the conversation. Kelvin shook his head. "Too risky. The roads were all monitored. Besides, I wasn't the only one they took. When I woke up I saw multiple people walking besides me as they matched us to our cells. I'm sure that would attract attention." He straightened suddenly. "Wait. The facility where I was held—it was definitely underwater, but I didn't feel any movement. If they'd transported me by submersible, I would have felt the motion when I started regaining consciousness." A contemplative silence fell over the room. "What's the nearest significant body of water?" Lucas asked, eyes narrowing. Kelvin's response was immediate. "Lake Morien is 217 kilometers northeast. The Western Harbor is 178 kilometers south. But neither is close enough for quick transport, especially with heightened security." "So how did they move you?" Sophie mused, fingers drumming against the tabletop. "Maybe they didn't have to," Noah said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him. "What if you never left the Nexus Arena at all?" Lucas's eyes widened slightly. "Are you suggesting—" "Think about it," Noah continued. "Attacking the Nexus Arena directly would be suicide. This place is essentially a fortress, especially during inter-academy events. Military presence, elite students, academy security protocols..." "Not to mention my father and half the defense council of the east are here," Sophie added. "Exactly," Noah nodded. "But what if they didn't need to attack it because they were already inside?" Kelvin snapped his fingers. "Underground," he said, eyes bright with realization. "There has to be something beneath the arena itself." "That's a reach," Lucas countered, though his tone was thoughtful rather than dismissive. "The Nexus Arena was built on bedrock specifically to prevent unauthorized tunneling." "But what if the tunnels were already there?" Kelvin persisted, turning to Sophie. "Can you pull up the original architectural plans for the arena? Not the public ones—the full structural schematics." Sophie's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Give me a minute to bypass some security... there." The holographic display flickered to life, showing multi-layered blueprints of the massive Nexus Arena complex. "Nothing unusual here," Lucas said, studying the plans. "Just standard foundations, utility access, emergency systems." But Kelvin was already shaking his head. "No, no. These are the revised plans. We need the original survey data from before construction." Sophie looked skeptical but dug deeper into the files. After several minutes of tense silence broken only by her typing, she accessed a different set of documents. "Huh," she said. "Look at this. Pre-construction geological survey from fifty years ago." The display changed to show subterranean mapping data. Kelvin leaned forward eagerly. "There!" he pointed to a faint line running beneath what would now be the northeastern quadrant of the arena. "What's that?" Lucas squinted. "Some kind of natural formation?" "No," Kelvin said, excitement building in his voice. "That's man-made. Those are the remnants of the old locomotive tunnel system." "The what now?" Noah asked, moving closer to examine the holographic projection. "Before the modern transit grid, this entire region was connected by underground magnetic rail tunnels," Kelvin explained. "Most were filled in or repurposed during the Third Expansion, but some sections were just sealed off and forgotten." Noah studied the map intently. "So you think Purge has access to these old tunnels?" "It makes perfect sense," Kelvin said. "They could have a facility directly beneath us, connected to the old tunnel network. They wouldn't need to transport anyone—just move them down." Lucas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If you're right, this changes everything about how we approach this. It means the infiltration goes deeper than we thought." Noah nodded grimly. "It means the arena itself is compromised." "Let me check something," Sophie said, pulling up another file. "The current utility schematics should show any unusual power draws or structural anomalies." As Sophie worked, Lucas turned to Noah. "Mind if we talk outside for a minute?" Noah nodded, and the two stepped into the hallway, leaving Sophie and Kelvin to continue their investigation. The corridor outside was quiet, arena security personnel stationed at discreet intervals ensuring their privacy. Lucas walked a few paces before turning to face Noah, his expression uncharacteristically stern. "What the hell were you thinking?" Lucas asked, voice low but intense. "Going after Kelvin alone like that?" Noah's expression remained impassive. "I got him out, didn't I?" "That's not the point," Lucas said, frustration evident. "You should have come to me first. We could have assembled a team, created a proper extraction plan." "There wasn't time." "Bullshit." Lucas ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't just about Kelvin, Noah. What if something had happened to you?" Noah raised an eyebrow. "I can handle myself." "That's not—" Lucas cut himself off, visibly collecting his thoughts. "Look, I'm not questioning your abilities. As Academy Twelve's Number One, I've seen what you can do better than most. But going in alone against an organization like Purge? That was reckless." "Who was I supposed to ask?" Noah challenged. "Kelvin was the one taken. Sophie? I'm not taking my girlfriend into enemy territory. And you were beating up another academy's number 1 till they reached a new height," "You could have asked me," Lucas said firmly. "I would have made time." Noah was quiet for a moment. "I'm not used to having backup," he finally admitted. "Back in base where I grew up, it was usually just me. The first time I had someone fight with and for me was you on Cannadah. And ever since then I've had people fighting for me. Kelvin included. So no, I didn't have time to send a memo out," Lucas's expression softened slightly. "You're not in Cannadah anymore. And whether you like it or not, you're part of something bigger now." "Look," Noah said with a slight smile, "I appreciate the concern, but you were among the first people, even before Sophie or Kelvin, to see what I'm capable of. I'm not saying I'm the toughest person out there, but I'm not exactly easy to break." Lucas clasped Noah's shoulder firmly. "I'm just glad you're not Purge. Now that I know my Number Five is even more of a scumbag than we thought, it would have been hard punching your face in the way I will when I get hold of him." His grip tightened slightly. "And thank you for not ending him. Kelvin mentioned you left some bodies behind at the facility. How are you handling that?" Noah shrugged, his expression unchanging. "Honestly? Not that different from putting down Beasts or fighting a Harbinger. Combat is combat." Lucas studied Noah's face intently for a long moment, seeming to search for something beneath the surface. Whatever he saw—or didn't see—caused a flicker of concern to cross his features before he nodded once. "Let's get back inside," he said. "Sounds like they're onto something." When they reentered the secure room, the atmosphere had shifted entirely. Kelvin was practically bouncing with excitement, while Sophie looked up with a triumphant grin. "We found it!" Kelvin exclaimed the moment they walked in. "There's definitely something down there." Sophie had expanded the holographic display to show a complex three-dimensional rendering of the space beneath the Nexus Arena. "Look at this," she said, highlighting a section that pulsed in red. "There's a consistent power draw coming from this area that doesn't match any of the arena's systems. It's been carefully masked to look like background electrical noise, but once you know what to look for..." "How did you even spot this?" Lucas asked, impressed. "That was all Kelvin," Sophie admitted. "He knew exactly what patterns to search for." Kelvin shrugged modestly. "Advanced systems always leave traces if you know where to look. The real genius was Noah pointing us in the right direction in the first place." Noah stepped closer to examine the holographic model. "These old tunnels—they're still structurally sound?" "According to the data, yes," Kelvin nodded. "The original design was incredibly robust. Military-grade reinforcement, actually. Made to withstand significant seismic events." "Which makes them perfect for covert operations," Lucas mused. Noah began tracing the tunnel pathways with his finger, eyes narrowed in concentration. "If I'm reading this correctly, these connect to a much larger network. See how this junction here branches off in three directions?" "Most people would never notice that," Kelvin said appreciatively. "The junction is masked by newer construction." Sophie looked between them with amusement. "Should I leave you two alone? You're practically finishing each other's sentences." "Maybe they should just kiss and get it over with," Lucas added with a playful smirk, earning surprised laughter from Kelvin. Noah rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. "Focus, people. This is serious." Lucas stepped forward, his presence immediately commanding attention. "Extremely serious," he agreed. "If Purge has established operations directly beneath the Nexus Arena, we're looking at a potential catastrophe. Think about it—twelve different academies gathered here, along with Mr. Webb Pithon," he nodded at Kelvin, "Minister of Defense Reign," a nod to Sophie, "and half the military command structure. This could be the prelude to a major attack." The levity in the room evaporated instantly. "What's our next move?" Noah asked quietly. Lucas's expression shifted into one of focused determination, the natural leader in him taking charge. "First, we drill. If there is an attack on this arena, we need to be ready to respond instantly." He turned to Kelvin. "I need you to keep digging through those files you retrieved. Find out who's compromised and who's on Purge's roster. We need names, positions, access levels—anything that helps us identify the threat network." Kelvin nodded firmly. "Already on it. I've got decryption running on their personnel files." Lucas turned to Sophie next. "Sophie, I need you to create a secure communication channel, something completely off the grid that Purge can't intercept. Then discreetly alert your father's security team—only the people you personally trust—about a potential threat. Don't mention what we've found specifically; just put them on heightened alert." Sophie straightened, her usual playful demeanor replaced by focused professionalism. "I can do that. I've been developing an encrypted mesh network for exactly this kind of situation. Well...it was so I and Noah could talk from any planet in the cosmos when he gets deployed," she confessed looking Noah's way. They both stared at each other for a second and Kelvin was practically grinning his face off watching Noah blush. "Wow," Kelvin said, leaning back in his chair with an exaggerated sigh, "and here I thought getting kidnapped by an evil organization was the most dramatic thing to happen this week. Little did I know I'd be front row for the Academy's hottest will-they-won't-they romance. Should I bill Purge for making me miss the earlier episodes, or...?" He raised his eyebrows at Noah. "Maybe that's why you came in like a one-man wrecking crew—couldn't stand being ghosted by your actual human friend for once." Noah shot him a look that would have intimidated anyone else, but Kelvin just grinned wider. "Good," Lucas nodded, then turned to Noah. "You and I are going exploring. We're taking a trip to see an old wonder of the world—the locomotive era." "The tunnels," Noah said with understanding. "Exactly. We need to know what we're dealing with down there." Lucas checked his wrist device. "Everyone sync chronometers. We reconvene here in three hours, regardless of what we find. If anyone doesn't make it back, assume they're compromised and proceed with contingency protocols." As they prepared to separate, Sophie caught Lucas's arm. "Be careful down there. Those tunnels have been abandoned for decades. There could be structural weaknesses, automated security systems, or worse." Lucas gave her a reassuring smile. "We'll be fine. Between my tactical skills and Noah's abilities, I think we can handle some dusty old tunnels." "I meant, watch his back. Sure he is clever than his pretty face assumes but he can be reckless. Be his anchor," Sophie said and Lucas nodded in understanding. "Don't underestimate Purge," Kelvin warned. "If they've been operating down there undetected for this long, they're clearly more sophisticated than we thought." "Noted," Noah said simply. "Hurry up, Eclipse. Let's go kick ass!" Lucas said.

Chapter 265: The call

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