Lights sparkled in the big Hart house. The air smelled like cake and flowers. People in fancy clothes laughed and talked. It was granny Victoria Jack's wife's Grandma birthday party. She sat at the head table like a queen. Her white hair was in a tight bun. Her cane was lying next to her chair.Jack Ironheart stood in the corner. He wore an old shirt and pants. His black hair was short and neat. His blue eyes watched everything. He had a scar on his face. He held a small box in his hand.Victor Hart, his father-in-law, walked up to him. Victor was short and round. His beard, which was gray, twitched. "What are you doing here, Jack? Go help in the kitchen."Jack nodded. "Yes, sir."He turned to go. But Alex Hart blocked his way. Alex was skinny and tall. He was Jack's wife's cousin. His blond hair was slick. He had sneaky brown eyes. "Hey, you useless thing. Don't forget to clean up after."Jack said nothing. He just walked past.Emily Hart saw it all. She was Jack's wife. Her pretty d

Rain poured hard. Jack was walking down a dark street alone in Lower Manhattan. His coat was wet. His scar hurt a little when the cold wind hit it.Mike’s voice came from the small earpiece. “Commander, twenty snipers red dots on rooftops. All looking at you right now.”Jack kept walking. He did not look up. “Let them look,” he said.A black SUV drove slowly past him. Mike leaned out of the window. "Boss, get in. They will shoot.”Jack stopped under a broken street light. He looked directly up at the sky.Red laser dots moved on his chest. Twenty little lights. Twenty guns ready to fire.Jack made sure to speak loudly so that all of the snipers could hear him clearly through their earpieces. The Legion had already hacked their radios. “You have ten seconds to choose. Drop the guns and live. Or pull the trigger and die.”Silence. Only rain. One second. Two seconds went by.A gun fell off a roof and made a loud noise on the street. Then another. Then five more.The red dots disappe

Jack stood there on the dock, rain soaking his coat, his heart pounding from the chase. He looked at Mike, who gripped his grazed arm with blood streaming through his fingers. The name hung in the air like a bad smell, making Jack's scar itch under the cold night wind.Jack took Mike his unharmed arm and pulled him in the direction of the truck. Mike winced but did not pull away, his face pale from the pain. The door slammed shut behind them as they entered.Jack started the engine, his hands steady but his mind racing with old doubts.Back at the Vault, Jack locked every door with a loud click. He called all the soldiers into the main room, their boots resonating on the concrete floor. Mike sat on a bench, wrapping his arm with a dirty cloth. Jack's eyes scanned each face, looking for any sign of dishonesty.Mike looked up, his brown eyes meeting Jack's blue ones. "It's not me, boss. I swear on the brothers we lost, on the battlefield we fought together. We're relatives

Jack hit the ground first, his boots thumping on concrete. Below, trucks waited with soft-running engines. He jumped in the front one, door slamming behind him.Tires squealing on curves, the truck raced through deserted streets. Jack's mind raced with thoughts of the Vault under attack. His shoulder from the fight hurt with each bump. He stared out the window, city lights blurring by.They arrived quickly at the Bronx subway entrance. Smoke curling out of the secret entrance. Gunshots echoed from below like thunder. Jack's stomach twisted with worry.With his gun in hand, he led the way down the stairs.The steps were slick and wet. At the bottom was a Legion soldier with blood on his uniform. Jack quickly knelt and searched for a pulse, but there wasn't one.Bullets bounced off walls like ping-pong balls as the siege raged through the corridors. With their weapons blazing, Darius's mercenaries charged forward. The Legion shot from behind corners, holding the line.Ja

Jack's blood turned cold as he remembered how Emily's scream cut the radio line. He stood on the tunnel exit, water still dripping from his soaked clothes. On the other side of the black Hudson River, the city lights were glowing. Darius's yacht moved steady, a white shape cutting through black water like a knife.Suddenly a new boat caught up to him. It was Mike with other legion soldiers.He climbed into Jack's boat despite the clear pain on his face. His brown eyes met Jack's for a moment. He operated the turret gun, hands steady on the handle even with the wound.The boat swiftly sliced through large waves. Their skin felt cold as the water shot high over the front. Under the salt, Jack's scar blazed with new rage.His gaze remained fixed on the yacht in front of him, gradually narrowing the distance.In their dark mansion room, the Harts watched from afar on a hacked feed.Victor sat with hands clasped tight in his lap. His fingers turned white from the pressure.His lips