The facility shook with a series of coordinated explosions that spoke of professional demolition expertise.Vincent's team wasn't knocking politely.Dante grabbed Scarlett by her zip-tied hands, yanking her close enough to see the absolute certainty in his eyes. "You're coming with me. You lie, you die. Clear?"Scarlett nodded frantically, all her previous arrogance stripped away by proximity to real violence.They ran through corridors bathed in emergency lighting, alarms screaming electronic warnings that nobody was listening to anymore. Guards mobilized from barracks positions, converging on breach points, tactical formations suggesting military training.Reaper appeared from a side corridor, weapon raised and firing in controlled bursts. Three guards dropped before they could return fire. He glanced at Dante with his scarred face split in something that wasn't quite a smile."Go! I'll buy you time!"Dante hesitated, momentum carrying him forward but mind catching on the impossibil

Silence filled the vehicle like something physical—suffocating, absolute, crushing under the weight of Leonard's revelation.Sophia stared at Dante with eyes that contained too many questions.Dante's hands shook against his will, entire identity fracturing into pieces that didn't fit back together correctly. "I can't even clearly remember my own childhood... it's fragments. Training sequences. Mission protocols. Combat drills. But no family. No parents. No birthday parties or school or anything normal." His voice cracked. "I thought I was orphaned. That military recruiters found me at sixteen. That everything before that was just poverty and survival."Vincent slightly leaned forward from the driver's seat. "If Leonard actually trained you from childhood, boss. That means—""I've been a weapon since I was a CHILD." The words tore from Dante's throat. "Since before I could understand what that meant. Since before I could choose anything else."Scarlett's voice cut through with cruel p

Dante tackled Sophia with full body weight, driving them both behind a burning credenza as bullets whizzed overhead.Wood splintered. Plaster exploded. Heat radiated so intense it felt like standing too close to a furnace. The air itself seemed to burn with each breath.Victoria's laugh echoed through the collapsing structure, carrying decade of accumulated hatred. "Ten years I've waited to kill Marie myself! Ten years knowing she helped Leonard hide his bastard daughter! Watching her live while my life became a LIE!"Dante returned fire blind, three shots over the credenza forcing Victoria behind cover. Bought them seconds. Maybe.Sophia was already crawling toward her aunt, low and fast, using the smoke as concealment. "Aunt Marie! Can you hear me?!"Marie's eyes opened weakly, pain and fear mixing with recognition. Her voice emerged as cracked whisper. "Sophia... baby... you shouldn't have come... run..."Victoria reloaded with practiced efficiency, magazine seating with mechanical

Nathaniel's voice boomed through external loudspeakers with the calm authority of someone who believed they controlled every variable. "Beautiful work, Dante. Truly impressive revival technique. Now come out and bring that Victoria with you. She's outlived her usefulness."Dante pulled Sophia to her feet, supporting her weight as her body still recovered from clinical death. Aunt Marie moved to her other side despite burns that must have been screaming agony, maternal instinct overriding physical limitation.Victoria scrambled backward on hands and knees, designer clothes torn and filthy, all pretense of control evaporating. "No! Nathaniel, we had a DEAL! You promised me safety! You promised—"Nathaniel's laugh cut through her protests like a blade. "I promised nothing. You were bait. Leverage. A way to force Dante into impossible situations. And it worked perfectly. Now you're a liability."The house was surrounded. Twelve operatives visible through smoke and flames, tactical positio

Dante watched the live feeds cascading across multiple screens in the vehicle's mobile command center.Civilian faces twisted with fear and anger. Social media exploding with hashtags demanding justice. News commentators calling for his immediate arrest. Nathaniel's narrative spreading like wildfire through a city that wanted someone to blame for dead children.They believed him. All of them. The terrorist. The child killer. The Phantom turned monster.Sophia's voice was hollow observation. "He's turned the entire city against you. Even if you surrender, even if you save Vincent, they'll tear you apart in the streets."Dante's response was cold tactical calculation. "That's the point. Public execution. Maximum humiliation. Nathaniel doesn't just want me dead. He wants to destroy the LEGEND of the Phantom. Prove that heroes are myths and weapons are all that matter."Isabella worked her tablet with desperate efficiency. "We could leak the classified files. Everything we have on Nathani