PIER 4 - MAIN WAREHOUSE 05:05 AMTactical spotlights from an FBI helicopter pierced through the glass roof of the warehouse, creating pillars of white light that imprisoned Marco in the center of the room.In front of him, Senator Thorne was still smiling. Surrounding him, dozens of SWAT team rifle barrels were aimed at his head."Drop your weapon, Rossi!" Agent Parker's voice boomed through a megaphone. "This is your final warning!"Marco didn't drop his weapon. He didn't look at Parker. His eyes were locked on the phone screen Thorne was holding.Thorne played the video. A live feed from inside a black van speeding away from the Bronx.On that small screen, Marco saw Maria. His wife was crying with her hands tied, her face bruised. And in a dark corner, Sofia was curled up like a ball, her mouth taped shut, her eyes squeezed tight against fever and terror."Look at them," whispered Thorne, his voice didn't need to be loud to be clearly heard by Marco's sharp ears. "They belong to me

INDUSTRIAL WASTE BEACH - SOUTH BRONX 05:45 AMDawn in the Bronx brought no warmth. The gray morning sunlight only revealed the bleak landscape of a beach littered with industrial waste, dead rats, and chemical foam.Marco dragged his body out of the black water. He crawled on the sand mixed with oil, every breath feeling like swallowing razor blades as his lungs were full of saltwater."Cough! Cough!" Marco vomited seawater. His body shivered violently. Without [Tactile Warmth], the cold of this dawn felt like it was burning his skin.Behind him, Bruno emerged from the waves. The giant stumbled, then fell to his knees in the sand. He was still clutching his soaked shotgun a reflex of a soldier who refused to die."We... we're alive, Boss..." sighed Bruno, his voice heavy.Marco didn't answer. He scanned the coastline with blurred eyes."Julian," Marco called out. "Find Julian.""He was on the roof, Boss. He didn't jump in...""He's crazy, Bruno. He definitely followed," Marco forced hi

DR. LI'S VETERINARY CLINIC - CHINATOWN - 06:00 AMThe glass door of the veterinary clinic shattered into pieces.CRASH!Marco Rossi didn't knock. He kicked the door until the hinges gave way. In his arms, he carried the unconscious body of Julian "Joker" Thorne, blood dripping heavily from his abdomen, leaving a long red trail on the white ceramic floor.Bruno entered behind him, breathing heavily, holding a shotgun with trembling hands."DOCTOR!" Marco screamed. His voice was no longer human. It was the sound of a wounded beast. "GET OUT HERE NOW OR I'LL BURN THIS PLACE DOWN!"The practice room lights flickered on. Dr. Li, the old veterinarian who had once stitched up Bruno, appeared looking shocked, holding a coffee cup that immediately dropped to the floor."Good heavens... You again?" Dr. Li looked at the deathly pale Julian. "Get him to the operating table! Hurry! His guts will rot if exposed to air for too long!"Marco laid Julian on the cold metal table usually used for neuterin

BREAKING NEWS - CHANNEL 4 NEW YORK - 06:45 AM"We interrupt our morning broadcast for breaking news. An emergency situation is unfolding on the I-87 highway heading north."Television screens across the city, from coffee shops in Brooklyn to the giant billboards in Times Square, displayed the same image.Shaky aerial footage from a news helicopter.The camera panned over an empty highway. Police had blocked all access points. In the middle of that desolate road, a police armored tactical vehicle (BearCat) was speeding insanely fast, smashing through guardrails, siren blaring, but not stopping."The vehicle was stolen from the Precinct 42 Police Station about fifteen minutes ago by a single suspect," the reporter's voice sounded panicked. "Police sources are referring to him as 'Subject Alpha'. Witnesses described him as... a killing machine. Like a Terminator."On the screen, the BearCat rammed a patrol car trying to block it, tossing the car to the side of the road like a tin toy."Oh

"AEGIS" PRIVATE MILITARY COMPLEX - UPSTATE NEW YORK - 07:00 AMThe location didn't exist on G****e Maps.Amidst a pine forest shrouded in morning mist, a massive concrete structure protruded from the side of a limestone cliff. It was a decommissioned Cold War missile silo, bought and renovated by a shell company owned by Senator Thorne.This place wasn't a home. It was a giant coffin designed to withstand the apocalypse.Marco Rossi stood at the edge of the forest, staring at the towering black steel gates in the distance.There were no human guards at the post. No patrol dogs. The silence here was far more terrifying than the sound of gunfire.Marco touched his chest. Beneath his cold skin, his heart was being paced by the [Slaughter Protocol]. He felt no fatigue, despite not sleeping for 48 hours. He felt no pain from his wounds.He felt only one thing: The ping signal from Sofia's necklace.[TRACKING TARGET: SOFIA ROSSI.][DISTANCE: 500 METERS UNDERGROUND.][STATUS: ALIVE.]"Papa is