Project Mage

Shadowcroft's staff members were in disarray, attempting to secure their experiments and protect their employer's interests.

"We can't let them reach the tanks! Defend the experiments at all costs!"

"Where's Kazeburo? He needs to handle this personally!"

"Alert the guards! We can't afford to lose control here!"

Meanwhile, the girl Rosebelle was being pulled along by the woman doctor. Rosebelle, confused, struggled to understand what was happening.

"I don't get it! Like, why are we running? What's going on?"

"I'll explain later, just trust me. We need to get out of here."

They rushed through the facility, taking a secret passage that led to the sewers. The A team of the police force was hot on their heels.

The other team moved swiftly through the upper levels of the Shadowcroft facility, making several arrests against the panicking employees. Shadowcroft employees who were armed opened fire on the approaching officers, leading to a tense exchange of gunfire.

“We’ve got to secure this area!"

"Cover me, I'm moving up! Watch out for stray fire!"

Amid the firefight, the police managed to subdue several employees and turn the tables. Some Shadowcroft staff members dropped their weapons and surrendered. They came to realize that their ill-fated mission was crumbling.

The news reached Bossman, who received the update with frustration. He looked at the unconscious Kazeburo on the monitor and said, "Kazeburo is sleeping on the job, it seems. How utterly disappointing."

Meanwhile, Sadie continued her efforts to hack into the enormous tube that contained the fusion process. Runebelle's eyes, nearly closed from exhaustion and pain, began to open slightly, and their gazes met.

The officer who accompanied Sadie couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance between the two young girls, with their multicolored hair. She commented, "You two really do look alike. Are you related?"

Sadie’s face shifted, and sorrow appeared in her eyes. She replied,

"Runebelle is my sister, but she doesn't know it. I've never had the chance to meet her before, and she's never been aware of my existence. My father kept her from knowing about me, and that's kept us apart for so long."

Tears welled up in Sadie's eyes. “I’m here to save Runebelle, to tell her everything, and to help our mother. I'll use the allowance I've earned and the money from helping the police. I'll do anything for that future, no matter what it takes."

Sadie continued her hacking efforts, but there was a growing frustration. The timer steadily increased to 45%.

Fighting back frustration, she muttered to herself, "Why isn't it working? It should be...unless..." She paused, deep in thought, considering the possibility of a deception.

Then, it struck her. Her tone became more resolute. "This isn't the real tube. It's a hologram." Sadie reached out to touch the holographic projection, confirming her theory. It dispersed like smoke.

With the real location of Runebelle's fusion process now clear in her mind, Sadie knew that it was somewhere upstairs in a different room.

As Sadie and the pink-haired officer charged upstairs, they encountered a formidable obstacle in the form of Shadowcroft Elites. These highly trained individuals stood their ground, blocking the path to the room where the fusion process continued.

One of the Shadowcroft Elites stepped forward sternly. He declared, "This is as far as you go. You won't interfere any further with Shadowcroft's operations."

Despite the danger that loomed before them, Sadie remained resolute.

"I won't let you stop me. I'm going to save my sister and put an end to this!"

The Pink-haired officer attempted to to use her gun, but her plan was swiftly thwarted. The Shadowcroft Elite destroyed it with a single, powerful punch. The officer gasped in shock at the immense strength of their opponent.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Sadie seized the opportunity to slip past the Shadowcroft Elite while their attention was fixated on the officer.

“Sadie!”

The officer called out to Sadie, but the girl was already on the move. After checking several rooms, Sadie finally stumbled upon a chamber filled with racks of sophisticated computer servers. The soft hum of the equipment filled the air. This had to be it—the control center for the fusion process.

Without wasting a moment, Sadie got to work. She began accessing the systems, using her hacking skills to navigate the complex digital labyrinth. The timer on the fusion process continued to climb, reaching 55%, and the pressure was mounting.

With her hacking skills, Sadie quickly located the right interface and began her attempt to reverse the fusion process. Her fingers danced across the the keyboard while trying to halt the merging of Runebelle and her mother. The timer began to tick backward in her success. The process gradually reversed.

The timer moved from 55% to 50% and then lower. Sadie's heart soared with hope. She was making progress, inching closer to saving her sister and her mother from the nightmarish fate that Shadowcroft had planned for them.

Meanwhile, the Pink-haired officer had been knocked out by the relentless Shadowcroft forces, who began to drag her away from the server room without Sadie’s knowledge.

However, Sirens blared outside, echoing through the complex, and the reinforcements were arriving just in time.

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After minutes that felt like nerve-wrecking hours, Sadie's fingers finally paused over the keyboard. The timer had reached 0%, and the fusion process had been completely reversed. It was a moment of triumph that she had hardly dared to hope for. She whispered to herself in disbelief, "I did it... I actually did it."

Tears welled up in her eyes. She had played a crucial role in this operation, with the help of her allies in the police force and succeeded.

Meanwhile, police reinforcements arrived swiftly, catching the Shadowcroft Elites off guard who were preoccupied with their unconscious captive, the pink-haired officer. The officers in camouflage quickly surrounded them with weapons drawn and ready.

One of the officers in charge of the operation shouted, "Drop your weapons! You're under arrest!"

The Shadowcroft Elites, outnumbered and disarmed, had no choice but to comply. With sullen looks, they placed their weapons on the ground.

The Grunts, now subdued and cuffed, exchanged uneasy glances. A female grunt spiky hair disheveled and a defiant gaze scoffed and said, "Well, this is just great. We got totally trashed."

Beside her, a tall guy shook his head. "The police really got the drop on us. Didn’t see them coming."

The punk girl shrugged. "I always knew the risks. But, you know, this money was sweet as hell. It’s a shame it all went sideways."

Sadie released Runebelle and Rune from their translucent tubes, she looked at Runebelle with teary eyes. Overwhelmed with relief, she embraced her sister tightly.

Runebelle looked at Sadie with confusion. "Who are you?"

Sadie pulled away from the hug. "I'm your sister, Sadie. I've been looking for you for a long time. I came here to save you and Mom."

Runebelle's eyes widened in surprise. "I never knew I had a sister," she said.

Sadie nodded. "Dad's always been overprotective and controlling. He didn't want me to go anywhere or do anything. He provided everything I needed, but it felt like a gilded cage. I had to break free and learn about the world on my own. That's when I found out about you and Mom."

Runebelle's face darkened. She recalled the few interactions she had with her father. "He's always been like that," she said with a hint of bitterness. "He broke up with Mom, took everything she had, and left her in debt. He even tried to convince me to go with him, promising that I could have anything I wanted if I abandoned Mom."

Sadie placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm here now, and we're going to make things right."

Runebelle looked at Sadie with a heavy heart,

"You should know, our mother won't be in a good state," she admitted. "I've seen it before. She'll likely spend her days crying, and it's so sad to watch. We'll have to be the ones to take care of her, to help her get back on her feet."

Sadie nodded. "I'm ready to do whatever it takes to support her and to be there for both of you. We'll make our family whole again."

Sadie was about to leave the room when a police officer approached, holding a folder. "We found something, and we think you should take a look," the officer said.

Sadie hesitated for a moment, then turned to Runebelle. "Can you walk?" she asked. "I want you to come with me. The police will look after our Mother until we get back."

Runebelle nodded, still coming to terms with the newfound presence of her sister, but willing to follow her lead.

Sadie led Runebelle out of the room. Her eyes scanned the hallway while they moved. Once they were a short distance away, she turned to her sister with a curious smile. "So, how's the High School life treating you? I know you must be in the thick of it right now. "

Runebelle glanced at her sister. A faint smile tugged at her lips. “it’s.. well, it's been tough. I’ve had to balance a lot—studies, assignments, and, of course, dealing with the occasional judgmental look."

Sadie raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Judgmental looks? I didn’t expect that."

Runebelle sighed. "Yeah, people sometimes give me odd stares because of my hair. It’s a little too bright and colorful for some tastes..."

Sadie chuckled softly. "I get it. Back home, I was always the center of attention. People seemed to flock around me with their interests. I was always surrounded by a crowd. Something like that can get pretty annoying...”

Runebelle looked at Sadie with surprise. “I never imagined that. I always thought being noticed would be easier."

Sadie shook her head. “Having people’s eyes on you can be overwhelming. I had my own struggles with being constantly in the spotlight."

Runebelle’s face softened. "I guess we both have our battles, then.”

The pair continued to move until they found an officer who urged them to follow them into a room. Inside, one officer pointed to a set of documents spread across a table. The papers were covered in what appeared to be a complex coding language.

The officer turned to Sadie and said, "We found these documents, but we can't make heads or tails of this code. We thought you might be able to decipher it. Can you take a look?"

Sadie nodded, setting down her laptop on the table. She leaned in to examine the documents more closely. Her fingers were already itching to dive into the challenge of deciphering the mysterious code.

Sadie meticulously deciphered the code with deep concentration. Line by line, the complex coding language began to make sense, and her fingers flew across the keyboard of her laptop.

"Roselle," she muttered to herself, "Risebelle... these are the names that are on here, but it's like they exist and don't exist at the same time. What in the world is going on? Why are these two the only ones that only have documentation on their names?"

While continuing to decode the information, a startling revelation started to form in her mind. "Doppelganger theory... that's the only thing that makes sense. They're creating copies, duplicates of people. But why? What's the purpose behind this, and who's behind it all?"

Sadie dug deeper into the documents, but while doing so, she experienced a surge of insight. It felt like the very information she sought was being directly uploaded into her consciousness.

In a flash, she gained a vivid understanding of Runebelle's experiences, including her interactions with Rosebelle and the first mention of Roselle. It was as if she had lived through Runebelle's memories and emotions.

Sadie’s focus immediately shifted to Rosebelle. She looked through the files to discover that Rosebelle was the daughter of a renowned scientist named ‘Juliana Kintovar’.

"It can't be," Sadie muttered to herself. "Juliana Kintovar is the most celebrated scientist in the world right now, but there's no connection to Shadowcroft….or is there?"