Confrontation with Ivanov

Lucy stood trembling in an austere, windowless room that reeked of antiseptic and stale air. Harsh fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, illuminating walls of gleaming metal cabinets and sleek monitors. She clutched her turtle plush in bound hands—her wrists still secured by thick plastic cuffs. The presence of armed guards at every corner kept her too terrified to move.

Just hours ago, she’d been sneaking through the corridors of this facility with her father and Sofia, hopeful they might find the stabilizer to save her life. Now they were prisoners, caught in the heart of General Ivanov’s fortress.

Across the room, Elias strained against a pair of guards who twisted his arms behind his back. Blood stained his shirt collar—a reminder of how violently he’d resisted capture. Sofia was nowhere to be seen, taken by a separate squad moments after their arrival. Lucy’s heart lurched every time she thought of it; would Sofia be tortured for information? Forced to cooperate in perfecting the dreaded “mega-bubble” technology?

Ivanov entered, flanked by two high-ranking officers. His polished boots clicked against the tiled floor. His cold, calculating gaze swept over Lucy, then settled on Elias.

“Take him out,” Ivanov ordered, jerking his chin toward the door. “Wait outside until I call for you.”

The guards dragged Elias from the room. He tried to fight—“Lucy! Lucy, hold on!”—but his protest was cut short by the butt of a rifle slamming into his stomach. He doubled over, wheezing, as they hauled him away. Lucy’s eyes brimmed with tears. Every fiber of her being wanted to run after her father, but the guards kept her pinned in place.

Once the door sealed shut, Ivanov turned his full attention to Lucy.
“How old are you, really?” he asked, voice quiet but menacing.
Lucy swallowed hard, her throat painfully dry. “T–ten,” she stammered. “I’m ten.”

A smirk curled Ivanov’s lips. “Remarkable. You look so much older.” He circled her like a predator might circle wounded prey. “And from what Dr. Ishida tells me, your accelerated aging is the result of raw time exposure from a rogue bubble. Fascinating.”

She shivered under his scrutiny. The uniform, the crisp lines of his posture—everything about Ivanov spoke of unshakable authority. He exuded confidence, as though the entire world were merely a chessboard he maneuvered at will.

“Why not just kill me?” Lucy dared to ask. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but in the sterile hush of the room, it sounded louder than she intended.

Ivanov paused, arching an eyebrow. “Kill you? What purpose would that serve? I find your existence… useful.” He tapped a gloved finger against his chin. “Your father needs strong motivation to cooperate, and you, my dear, are precisely that motivation.”

Her heart hammered, but a surge of defiance flickered in her eyes. “My dad will never help you.”

Ivanov chuckled. “We’ll see.” He waved to one of the guards. “Bring him back in.”

Moments later, Elias stumbled into the room, arms still pinned behind him. A fresh bruise marred his cheekbone. He locked eyes with Lucy, relief washing over him at the sight of her still alive, still fighting tears.

Ivanov motioned for the guards to hold Elias upright. Then he addressed him in a calm, icy tone:
“I suspect you realize by now that escape is impossible. My soldiers cover every exit, and Anna’s pathetic rebels are little more than a nuisance. Meanwhile, Dr. Ishida is taking care of Sofia—no doubt gleaning whatever scientific data remains locked in her traitorous mind.”

Elias seethed, adrenaline coursing through him. “If you harm Sofia or Lucy, I swear I’ll—”

Ivanov’s voice cut across him, crisp as a razor:
“You’ll do nothing, except listen to the deal I’m about to offer.” He turned to Lucy, studying her face as though measuring her fear. “I’ve grown tired of cat-and-mouse games. It’s simpler this way.”

Elias struggled against the guards’ grip. “I’m not interested in any deal, you twisted—”

Ivanov snapped his fingers. Another guard stepped forward, raising the butt of a rifle near Lucy’s shoulder. She flinched, bracing herself for a blow.

“Don’t you dare!” Elias shouted, voice cracking with panic. “Leave her alone!”

“Are you going to listen, or shall I let my men… discipline her for a moment?” Ivanov’s stare was utterly devoid of empathy. “I am a pragmatic man, Elias. I don’t enjoy needless violence, but if it becomes necessary to make my point, I will indulge.”

A horrible wave of fear and nausea slammed into Elias. He bit back any retort, eyes darting between Lucy’s trembling form and the guard’s raised rifle. “Fine,” he said at last, voice tense. “I’ll listen.”

Ivanov gave a tight, satisfied nod. “There’s a reason I’ve put so many resources into capturing you. Sofia was once a key architect of Chronos technology, and you…” He leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “You have the rare distinction of surviving multiple anomaly encounters—first your wife, then your daughter. Dr. Ishida believes your genetic markers might be crucial in perfecting the stabilizer. I want you to cooperate with Dr. Ishida’s research.”

Lucy stared at him in disbelief. “You want him to… help you build more of these weapons?”

“Weapons, stabilizers—call them what you like,” Ivanov said with a dismissive flick of his hand. “The end result is the same: a refined mechanism to control time anomalies.” His gaze shifted to Elias. “Work with Ishida in my labs. Provide genetic samples, mechanical expertise, and any notes you have from Sofia’s research. In return, I’ll see to it that Lucy is spared.”

Elias’s face twisted with rage. “You can’t be serious. After what you’ve done—what you’re doing—to innocent people, you think I’ll just help you perfect your torture devices?”

Ivanov sighed theatrically. “I expected your moral outrage. So, let’s clarify the stakes.” He nodded at the guard to lower his rifle from Lucy. Instead, the soldier clamped a hand on her upper arm, forcefully yanking her forward. Lucy stumbled, gasping in pain.

“Stop!” Elias growled, lunging, only to be held back by two more guards. “Don’t lay a hand on her!”

Ivanov’s voice dropped, cold and low. “If you refuse, I can’t guarantee her safety, or her… dignity. My men are loyal, but they are still men, after all. You have eyes, Elias; you know how vulnerable she is. I can give the order for them to amuse themselves with her. Or perhaps I’ll send her to one of the experiment chambers—accelerate her aging further until she’s nothing but dust.”

Lucy’s eyes widened, tears streaking her cheeks. She clutched her turtle plush, feeling both helpless and furious that she couldn’t protect herself. Elias’s heart hammered so hard he thought it might burst. Fear mingled with fury, surging like a storm in his chest.

“You… you monster,” he breathed.

Ivanov let the words hang in the air for a moment, observing the trembling girl and her enraged father. Then, without turning his gaze away, he spoke in a tone devoid of warmth:

“You have thirty minutes. If, at the end of that time, I don’t have your agreement, I’ll assume it’s a refusal. And you both know what that means.”

He snatched a glance at the guards. “Keep them here until the deadline. Make sure they don’t do anything… foolish.” His cold stare returned to Elias. “Use your time wisely.”

With that, he turned on his heel and strode out, the door closing with a reverberating clang. Silence followed, broken only by Lucy’s shaky breathing.

For a long moment, Elias could scarcely move. Lucy stood next to him, still clutching her plush turtle with trembling hands. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, and her eyes darted fearfully to the guards stationed against the metal walls. She seemed so small, so breakable.

“Dad,” she whispered at last, voice cracking on the single word.

Elias forced himself to breathe. He knelt down, ignoring the searing pain across his bruised ribs, and gathered Lucy into the crook of his arms. “Shh,” he murmured, trying to keep his voice steady. “It’s going to be all right. I promise.”

She let out a sob, burying her face against his shoulder. “I—I thought he was going to kill you,” she blurted, words tumbling out in a tear-choked rush. “Or—he was gonna—he said such horrible things—”

Elias tightened his arms around her, his heart clenching. He couldn’t erase the things Ivanov had threatened, but maybe he could shield her just a little from the worst of it. “I’m here,” he said softly. “I’m not going anywhere. I won’t let him hurt you, Lucy.”

Her breath hitched. “But he’s so… cruel. He wants to do experiments, and he talked about me like I’m just—just an object.” She trembled, pressing closer as if trying to melt into her father’s chest.

Elias stroked her hair, swallowing the lump in his throat. The guards stared at them impassively, rifles at the ready. He kept his voice low. “You’re not an object. You’re my daughter. Nothing he says or does changes that.”

Lucy sniffled, attempting to wipe her tears away with her cuffed wrist. “But he said— he said he’d only give you thirty minutes. Dad, what are we gonna do?” Her eyes brimmed with new tears as she looked up at him, fear twisting her features.

Elias cupped her cheeks gently. “We’ll wait,” he said, though his voice trembled just enough for her to notice. “We’ll think this through, see if there’s a way out. Anna’s rebels might try something… maybe Sofia can break free.” He realized the desperation in his own words. They had no plan, no advantage. Still, he kept his gaze on Lucy, determined to project any shred of hope he could muster.

A fresh burst of sobs overtook her. “I’m scared,” she whimpered. “I’m really scared, Dad.”

“Me too,” he admitted, pressing a kiss to her temple. “But we hold on to each other, all right? If we can just—hold a little longer, maybe we’ll get our chance.”

Lucy clung to him, tears dampening his shirt. He rocked her gently, mindful of his own injuries, whispering whatever comforting words he could find. He told her everything he wished for her future—how they’d leave this place behind, how they’d reunite with Sofia, how they’d fix her rapid aging. He told her about the quiet afternoons they’d spend somewhere safe, eating real meals with no fear of gunfire or sirens.

As he spoke, her sobs subsided into quiet sniffles. She lifted her head after a while, glancing uneasily at the guards. “They’re watching us,” she whispered, gripping her turtle more tightly. “I don’t like it.”

Elias gently positioned himself between Lucy and the closest soldier, hoping to block her view. He offered her a shaky smile. “Focus on me,” he said. “They can’t hurt you without orders.”

She nodded, still pale and trembling. Her eyes roamed the bare walls, the sterile lights, trying not to linger on the rifles glinting at the guards’ sides. “Thirty minutes…” she repeated under her breath. “It feels like forever.”

Each passing second made Elias’s heart pound. Ivanov was gone, leaving only a twisted ultimatum in his wake. Outside, the faint hum of machinery and muffled footsteps suggested the facility was as busy and fortified as ever. No sign of rescue. No sign of hope. And the clock was ticking.

Elias pulled Lucy’s head back down to his shoulder, trying to steady her shaking body. He remembered carrying her to bed when she was little—how she’d wrap her small arms around his neck, trusting him absolutely. That memory burned in him now, fueling an aching desperation to protect her.

“Listen,” he murmured, brushing back a damp strand of her hair. “No matter what happens, I’m with you, Lucy. We’ll face it together. You’re not alone.”

She nodded, swallowing hard, her breath still unsteady. “Okay,” she whispered. “I… I’ll try to be brave.”

“That’s my girl,” Elias said, tears threatening to blur his own vision. He forced a steady exhale. “We’ll figure this out.”

Lucy squeezed her turtle plush to her chest, tears glistening in her eyes. She looked so very young then—ten years old, thrust into a horror far beyond her understanding. Her lips trembled as she tried to offer her father a tiny, hopeful smile.

Outside, a distant metallic clang reverberated through the corridors. The facility seemed to shift, as if preparing for Ivanov’s next command. But the locked door held firm, sealing father and daughter in a grim cocoon of uncertainty.

Minutes bled into each other, and Lucy’s breathing slowed to a fragile calm. Elias stroked her hair in silence, lost in a thousand half-formed plans. None of them seemed feasible. Still, he had to cling to the thought that somehow they would hold out—somehow, they would survive.

The seconds ticked by, leading them inexorably closer to the moment Ivanov would return for his answer—or choose to treat silence as refusal. Lucy closed her eyes, pressing her face against Elias’s chest, her soft hiccups echoing in the sterile air. She wished she could vanish, or wake up from this nightmare. Anything but face the man who threatened to destroy them both.

But for now, all they had was each other in that cold, merciless room.

And the clock kept ticking.