Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Chapter 1982

Estelle, her face obscured by a mask that revealed only her steely, determined eyes, felt a slight tremble in her arms from the recoil of her submachine gun. She moved with deliberate calm, the spent cartridges clinking coldly on the floor as they fell.

The lab was filled with a cacophony of screams, wails, and the relentless chatter of gunfire. Blood sprayed wildly, severed limbs struck the glass walls, and the carpet was soaked crimson as the pungent stench of gore permeated the air.

Bodies fell by the dozens, and yet more assailants swarmed in.

Estelle and Winston worked together seamlessly, advancing and retreating in unison. As Estelle grappled with the guards, she glanced over to where Winston was laying down covering fire while retreating. Suddenly, Winston's gunfire intensified. Estelle took her cue, letting him cover her as she darted behind the bulk of the lab equipment and sprinted towards a sealed door.

After a burst of gunfire from her weapon, Estelle breached the door to find a horde of bloodsoaked victims inside. The sight drained the warmth from her veins.

"Here!" Winston, from across the room, tossed the last vial of the virus to her.

Estelle mowed down an oncoming guard with her submachine gun, leapt to catch the vial, and then pivoted swiftly towards the lab chamber. She spared one last look at the victims, whose eyes alone could still move, before slapping a black detonator pack onto the chamber door.

As she spun away, she tossed the vial of the virus into the chamber.

With a thunderous "BOOM!", the building seemed to split apart. Estelle dashed out as flames engulfed the chamber behind her.

Screams tore through the air, a hellish symphony amidst the inferno.

Estelle kept firing as she ran towards Winston. They met with a nod and sprinted towards the panoramic windows.

Behind them, a horde of guards pressed in.

Outside, the roar of an approaching helicopter filled the air.

In perfect sync, Estelle and Winston leapt through the windows. A colossal crash shattered the glass, and with gunfire at their heels, they soared into the void, a barrage of bullets chasing their flight. Fragmented glass glittered around them, reflecting the fiery blaze within the room, bursting like fireworks!

The helicopter quickly closed the gap, its mounted machine guns laying down suppressive fire, shielding the pair.

Estelle and Winston caught the dangling ladder dropped from the chopper, one above the other.

Once they had a firm grip, the helicopter unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the swarm of attackers on the forty-ninth floor, then whisked them away into the distance.

Estelle's arms buzzed from the vibration of the gun, and she let out a sigh of relief. She looked up to exchange a glance with the man peering down from the helicopter, sensed his fury, and quickly averted her gaze to Winston below.

Winston cracked a wry smile, his eyes deep with meaning.

Estelle smiled back, a smile of complete relaxation and release.

Raiden led his team in pursuit, Zion's defense systems sprang to life, and gunfire rained down from the sky. Two helicopters circled Estelle and Winston, attacking while closing in.

Weaving through the high-rise buildings and their shadows, Estelle and Winston suddenly leapt from the ladder.

The man on the plane's eyes narrowed as he saw Estelle's parachute deploy. He let out a breath of relief and barked an order, "Head northwest, tell Mark to rendezvous."

"Roger!"

The pilot responded, accelerating toward Zion's northwest.

The pursuing helicopters quickly caught up, but within moments, three more aircraft appeared, raining gunfire on the two followers.

Hit by the onslaught, the chasing helicopters spun out of control, billowing smoke, and crashed into the forest behind Zion, the explosions echoing through the night.

The escorting helicopters shielded the central aircraft, flying over Zion and vanishing into the darkness.