The city didn’t sleep. Not really. Even in the aftermath of war, neon burned across the skyline like false suns, masking scars with color. But Marcus saw only darkness.He stood on the balcony of a Hilton tower safehouse, scarf wound tightly around his arm, the blood long dried but the weight fresh as ever. The rain from earlier still clung to his hair, dripping onto the marble floor beneath his boots.Sophia. Taken. Daniel. The one holding her. The thought cut deeper than any Syndicate blade. Behind him, Elias entered, stride deliberate. He placed a holo-slate on the table, its light spilling charts, maps, and data streams. “This,” Elias said, “is what you asked for. Project Revenant.”Marcus turned slowly, his jaw tight. “Tell me everything.”Elias tapped the slate. “Syndicate research division. Underground facility, Sector Twelve. The logs confirm Sophia’s transfer. But the details” He paused, eyes narrowing. “They’re worse than I expected.”Marcus leaned closer, scanning the holog

The gunship’s floodlights carved through the smoke as the Revenant staggered backward, its metal plating melting under the barrage. Fire danced across its armor, sparks trailing from exposed wires and ruptured hydraulics.Elias yanked Marcus behind a toppled container as the creature roared, shaking the entire yard. “Stay with me,”Elias snapped, reloading with ruthless precision. “If that thing reaches the gunship, we’re all dead.”Marcus wiped blood from his mouth, chest rising in jagged gasps. “He made this… he made people into this.”Elias didn’t look at him. “Daniel has crossed lines you’re not ready to understand.”“I understand.” Marcus’s voice cracked, raw and dangerous. “He’s going after Sophia next.”Elias grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. “Then don’t die here. You want Sophia back? Survive this first.”A thunderous crash interrupted them the Revenant tore a burning crate in half and hurled it, flames spiraling through the air. Elias shoved Marcus down as the c

Darkness didn’t fade it tore open. Marcus hit the ground hard enough to rattle his bones. Air punched from his lungs as he rolled across shattered concrete.Sparks rained around him. Metal screamed overhead as the gunship’s tail slammed into the roof, skidding and carving through steel beams like a wounded beast.A chunk of flaming debris crashed a meter from his head. The shockwave rattled his teeth.Marcus coughed, dragged himself upright, vision swimming. “Elias Elias!”No answer. Just alarms, fire, and the shriek of twisting metal. He pushed to his feet, ignoring the stabbing pain in his ribs, and sprinted toward the downed gunship. The cockpit was crushed inward, sparks spraying from exposed wires. The interior glowed with flickering firelight.“Elias!” Marcus shouted again, ripping debris away with shaking hands.A voice groaned beneath the wreckage. “Marcus here”Marcus shoved aside a buckled panel. Elias lay pinned beneath a support beam, blood streaking down his temple. “Don’

The bullet didn’t hit Marcus. It smashed into the reinforced glass, spider-webbing across the surface like frozen lightning. A chorus of screams filled the strategy room as executives ducked under the table.“Get him down!” Adrian barked.Two guards tackled Marcus to the floor, pressing him flat against the cold marble. The lights flashed red overhead, alarms echoing through the hallways like a countdown.Marcus’s heart hammered in his chest. “I I thought this place was secure!”“It was,” Adrian snapped. “Until someone let them in.”Marcus swallowed. “Someone from inside?”Adrian didn’t answer. Which meant yes. “Move!” Adrian jerked his head toward the emergency exit on the left. “Evacuate the heir to Safe Room B!”The guards lifted Marcus, practically dragging him through the side corridor as shouts erupted in the strategy room. The adviser ran behind them.“Sir, the attackers are in tactical gear. They knew exactly where to hit. This is coordinated this is targeted.”Marcus wrenched

Darkness swallowed the entire corridor. Not the flickering, alarm-lit darkness from earlier this was total. Power cut. Emergency grids disabled. A silence so deep it felt engineered.Marcus tightened his grip on Walter’s frail body. “I can’t see anything what’s happening!?”The woman’s voice came from somewhere ahead steady, controlled. “Stay low. New hostiles. More coordinated than Royce’s team.”Adrian hissed, “More coordinated? Royce hired ex-military. Who the hell is this group?”“Someone worse.”A metallic clang echoed from the ventilation shafts above them. Hazel whimpered, pressing her back to the wall.“Th that wasn’t my team. That wasn’t mine. I don’t know who else is here”Adrian snapped, “Shut up.”Another sound this one a soft scraping, almost like metal sliding against metal.Marcus whispered harshly,“Shouldn’t we be moving? Running? Doing anything besides waiting to die?”“We move when I say move,” the woman replied. “Not before.”Hazel spat venom into the darkness. “Wh