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Home / Urban / THE HAND OF VENGEANCE / Chapter 12 — The Trace
Chapter 12 — The Trace
Author: Milky-Ink
last update2025-11-05 20:06:45

The newsroom screens glowed like a city of lies. Paige sat alone in her apartment, the curtains drawn tight, her laptop casting blue light across her face.

Every network in Chicago was replaying the same footage, the blast at Holland Clinic, fire swallowing the night.

Headline: FUGITIVE DOCTOR SUSPECTED IN BIOTECH TERROR ATTACK.

Frank’s photo filled the screen. Same tired eyes, same stubborn jaw. Now framed by fire. She whispered, “They did it. They really did it.”

Her phone buzzed. A blocked number. She hesitated, then answered. “Paige Lang.”

“Agent Lang,” a man’s voice replied smoothly. “Special Investigations Division. We’d like a word about your recent… communications.”

Her throat tightened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The line clicked dead. A second later, her Wi-Fi cut out. Paige froze. Then she moved. She crossed to the bedroom, pulled the emergency hard drive from a hollowed-out book, and slotted it into her laptop.

Lines of code filled the screen. Roth Biotech.
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  • Chapter 20 — Regroup and Strategize

    The secondary safehouse was hidden beneath an abandoned warehouse on Chicago’s industrial edge. Damp concrete walls, flickering fluorescent lights, and a faint smell of mold filled the space. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was secure.Frank leaned against a metal table, brushing rain from his coat. He opened one of the encrypted drives, eyes scanning rapidly.“Roth’s reach is extensive. Hospitals, private clinics, federal contractors… everything is networked.”Paige adjusted her scanner, pacing. “And we just destroyed one hub. It bought us time, but not much. Reinforcements are already mobilizing, and Cole is likely recalibrating his strategy.”Lisa slumped into a chair, exhausted. “I don’t know how we keep doing this. Every step we take… it’s like swimming through a storm.”Frank’s eyes met hers, unwavering. “Because every second counts. Every subject we save is another strike against him. That storm? We control it, if we’re smart.”Paige raised an eyebrow. “Smart? We barely survived

  • Chapter 19 — The Ambush

    The rain drummed relentlessly against the concrete and asphalt. The city’s reflections shimmered in puddles as Frank, Lisa, and Paige moved cautiously through a narrow alley near the lakefront.Frank’s eyes scanned constantly, head on a swivel. “Sensors are offline for now, but we’re not out of the woods. Cole, or Roth, could be anywhere.”Lisa adjusted her coat, gripping a metal pipe she’d picked up. “I don’t even want to think about what they’ve set up next.”Paige held the portable scanner, shaking slightly. “I’m picking up something… movement ahead. Too synchronized for normal patrols. Could be drones, but… something else.”Frank crouched behind a dumpster, eyes narrowing. “Roth’s learned fast. He won’t send just drones anymore. Likely humans and machines, working together. They’re testing us, trying to gauge our reaction.”Lisa whispered, “So what do we do?”Frank’s jaw tightened. “We bait them. Lead them into a controlled zone where we have the advantage.”Paige tilted her head.

  • Chapter 18 — The Hunt Escalates

    The sewers reeked of damp rot and iron. Water rushed past their ankles as Frank led the small group through the winding tunnels, the rescued subject clinging to Paige for support.Lisa followed above, her footsteps echoing off the maintenance corridors, creating distractions that would hopefully draw Roth’s forces away.“Frank,” Paige whispered, eyes scanning the tunnel walls with her portable scanner. “Sensors are everywhere. They adapted. Roth isn’t just reacting, he’s anticipating.”“I know,” Frank replied, voice low and cold. “That’s why we move fast. No hesitation.”The rescued subject groaned, weak but alive. Frank glanced back, evaluating the young man’s vitals. “We need to stabilize him and get him out of harm’s way. Every second counts.”Paige frowned. “I’m detecting more motion, drones, automated patrols. At least five converging from different tunnels. We can’t outrun them all.”Frank’s jaw tightened. “Then we fight smart. We split into two groups. I take the subjects deepe

  • Chapter 17 — Regroup and Retrace

    The underground passageways smelled of wet concrete and metal. Rainwater seeped through cracks, pooling around Frank’s boots.Lisa followed closely, arms wrapped around herself. Paige walked ahead, scanning every shadow with a portable scanner.Frank adjusted the straps of his bag, containing the drives they’d ripped from Roth’s hub. His mind raced, replaying the hub confrontation. Cole’s gun, the drones, the alarms, everything had almost gone sideways.“Do you realize what we just did?” Lisa muttered, voice shaking. “We took out a control hub… Roth’s empire… we just”Frank cut her off, voice low. “We survived. That’s step one. Step two: find the remaining subjects before Roth does.”Paige shook her head. “And Cole. He’s not going to forget this. Not ever. He’ll hunt us, every tunnel, every street, every digital footprint.”Frank glanced at her, eyes sharp. “Then we disappear completely. We go dark. No trace, no patterns.”Lisa exhaled, shivering. “And where do we even start?”Frank s

  • Chapter 16 — The Showdown in the Hub

    Darkness swallowed the control room, but Frank’s eyes adjusted quickly. His hands moved instinctively toward the keyboard, fingers flying over the keys. “Lights out won’t stop me,” he muttered.Lisa crouched beside him, shivering. “Frank… he’s right there.”Cole’s silhouette remained calm at the doorway, gun raised, eyes cold and calculated. “Step away from the terminal, Mercer. You know the consequences.”Frank didn’t flinch. “Consequences are subjective. I prefer justice.”Cole’s smirk widened. “Justice? You’ve been playing rogue. Destroying systems, bypassing federal control. You think you’re the hero here?”“I know I am,” Frank replied, voice flat but deadly. “And I know you’re part of the problem. Roth may have given you orders, but that doesn’t mean you’re in control.”Lisa whispered, “Frank… we’re trapped.”“Not yet,” he said, glancing at Paige, who was scanning the room for backup systems. “Paige, how many redundancies?”“Three main servers, but a hidden one in the northwest c

  • Chapter 15 — The Confrontation

    The rain poured harder, soaking Frank and Lisa through to their bones. The figure stepped closer, hood low, scanner pulsing red over the street. Frank’s fingers flexed. “Show yourself.”The hood shifted. A face emerged in the dim glow. Sharp features. Cold eyes. Familiar. Lisa gasped. “It… it can’t be…”Frank froze. Recognition hit like a punch. “Paige?”The woman nodded, expression tight. “Frank… I didn’t want it to come to this.”Lisa’s voice trembled. “Wait, she’s helping us?”Paige shook her head. “I’m… complicated. And you’re in danger, both of you.”Frank narrowed his eyes. “Explain. Now.”Paige gestured toward the scanner. “They’ve upgraded the tech. Roth’s monitoring every sewer, every maintenance hatch. Cole’s tracking the drive. I can help, but we have to move fast.”Lisa crossed her arms, wary. “And why should we trust you after everything?”Paige swallowed. “Because I’m the only one who knows the system inside-out. And because if we don’t act now, Roth won’t just capture y

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