The van tilted dangerously as Lucas clung to its roof. Wind howled past his ears, stinging his face. The masked gunman he had dragged out thrashed beneath him, their struggle rocking the vehicle.Inside the SUV, Elias gritted his teeth, sweat dripping as he forced the wheel straight. “Hold steady hold steady” His heart hammered like a war drum. Helena, crouched low, reloaded with deadly calm. Her eyes flicked to Elias. “You’ve got this. Trust yourself.”But Elias didn’t trust himself Not yet. His hands shook, his vision blurred, but the image of his father clinging to that van burned into his mind.The BreakWith a savage twist, Lucas slammed his elbow into the gunman’s throat, silencing him. But the van’s driver swerved hard, sending Lucas’s body sliding across the roof. His fingers barely caught the rail.“Lucas!” Helena shouted, firing at the driver’s window. The glass spiderwebbed. Elias swerved the SUV to block another pursuer. Tires screeched, sparks flying as metal kissed metal

The SUV roared through the pitch-black tunnel, headlights slicing a narrow path forward. Helena’s grip on the wheel was unflinching, her eyes fixed ahead as if sheer willpower could push them faster.Behind her, Lucas leaned heavily against the seat, his shirt soaked crimson. Elias pressed his trembling hands to the wound, trying to stem the flow.“Keep pressure,” Lucas muttered, voice faint. “It looks worse than it is.”“That’s a lie,” Elias snapped, his voice breaking. “You’re losing too much”“Then don’t let me,” Lucas rasped, his gaze steady despite the pain. “You wanted the truth? This is what it costs.”The Door Beneath the CityAt last, the tunnel curved downward into a hidden service passage. Helena punched a code into a rusted panel, With a groan a massive steel door slid open, revealing darkness beyond. She drove through, the sound of the city vanishing the moment the door sealed shut behind them.“Welcome to the only place the world forgets exists,” Helena said.The SUV rol

The safehouse burned. Flames chewed through the walls, turning steel beams into molten skeletons. Smoke choked the air, sirens wailed in the distance, and the assassins pressed in from every corner like a black tide.Lucas staggered forward, blood soaking his sleeve, Helena steadying him with one arm while her other hand kept firing in controlled bursts. Elias, heart pounding, stayed close, pistol shaking but ready.“Stairs there!” Helena shouted, pointing toward a steel ladder bolted to the far wall. They sprinted through the inferno. Bullets chased their heels, sparks raining down as the building groaned under its own collapse.The First KillAn assassin lunged from the smoke, blade aimed at Elias’s throat. Elias didn’t think, He raised his pistol and pulled the trigger. The shot echoed like thunder. The man dropped, his mask cracking against the floor. Blood pooled, steaming in the heat.Elias’s hands shook so hard the pistol nearly slipped from his grip. His stomach lurched, bile

The rooftop shuddered beneath their boots, flames clawing higher from the inferno below. The building’s steel skeleton groaned like a wounded beast.Helena swept the horizon with sharp eyes. “We’ve got less than five minutes before this whole place collapses.”Lucas tightened his grip on Elias’s shoulder. His son was pale, trembling from the clash, but still on his feet. That was enough for now "Move,” Lucas commanded, voice rough.Trap TightensThey sprinted toward the far exix a steel door leading to the stairwell. Helena shoved it open, pistol raised. The stench of smoke and gunpowder hit them, followed by the sound of boots pounding upward. “They’re already inside!” she hissed.A squad of black-clad mercenaries surged up the stairwell, rifles snapping into position. Lucas yanked Elias back, dragging him behind a crumbling concrete barrier as bullets ripped past. Sparks lit the air, the smell of gun oil mixing with burning steel.Helena returned fire, precise bursts cutting down tw

The underground aqueduct roared like a living beast, black water surging through the channels. The air stank of rot and chemicals, and the shadows seemed alive with movement. Helena raised her rifle first. “Contact.”Figures emerged from the current, their armor glistening with water, glowing visors cutting through the dark. They moved with inhuman precision, their boots finding impossible purchase against the slick stone.“Riverborn,” Helena spat. “Enhanced.”Elias’s heart hammered as one of the armored soldiers tilted its head toward him. Even through the mask, he felt its focus on him like prey marked for slaughter.The AmbushThe first Riverborn struck, water exploding upward as he lunged. Helena’s rifle barked, bullets sparking off reinforced plating, The soldier didn’t slow.Lucas stepped forward, calm where chaos reigned. His eyes narrowed. His movements shifted faster, sharper, like something inside him had awakened.The soldier swung. Lucas caught the armored wrist with one