2025-03-24 21:38:47The safe house was quiet, save for the constant hum of the decryption software running on Carter’s system. Malcolm paced the room, arms crossed.
Zeke sat at a workstation, fingers flying over the keyboard. “Alright, so, uh… good news? We’re about 30% into the decryption process.”
Malcolm narrowed his eyes. “And the bad news?”
Carter sighed, rubbing her temples. “The Syndicate’s encryption is more advanced than we thought. The files are fragmented. The deeper we go, the more resistance we hit.”
Malcolm stopped pacing. “Meaning?”
Carter looked at the screen, her brows furrowed. “Meaning they have a failsafe built in. If we hit the wrong sequence… the data might wipe itself completely.”
Malcolm exhaled sharply. “So we only get one shot at this.”
Zeke nodded grimly. “Yup. And we’re already on borrowed time.”
Outside, the city was waking up, but Malcolm knew the hunt was still on.
He turned to Carter. “What’s in the files so far?”
She clicked a few keys, pulling up a fragmented document. Lines of corrupted text flashed across the screen.
Then, one phrase stood out—highlighted in red.
Project: Helios
Malcolm’s stomach tightened.
He had heard that name before. Years ago. Before everything fell apart.
“What the hell is Project Helios?” Zeke muttered.
Carter frowned. “I don’t know yet, but—”
A loud beep interrupted her.
The decryption progress jumped to 50%… then stalled.
Zeke’s eyes widened. “Uh, guys? That’s not me.”
The screen flickered. The code began rewriting itself.
Carter’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “They’re trying to lock us out.”
Malcolm’s jaw clenched. The Syndicate had found them.
A voice crackled through the speakers—distorted, mechanical.
“Malcolm. You’re in over your head.”
Malcolm stepped forward. “And you are?”
A pause. Then, a cold chuckle.
“You already know who I am.”
The line cut out.
And then—
The power went out.
Total darkness.
“Backup generators should kick in,” Carter muttered, reaching for her tablet.
A deep thud echoed from above.
Then another.
Zeke whispered, “Uh… is that—”
Another thud. Closer this time.
Malcolm pulled his gun. “They found us.”
The safe house had security, but if the Syndicate had breached the upper level, they wouldn’t have long.
Carter moved to the server console. “We can’t leave yet. If I don’t finish the decryption, the files will be lost.”
Malcolm turned to Zeke. “How fast can we get out?”
Zeke gulped. “You want the safe way or the insanely reckless way?”
Malcolm didn’t hesitate. “Reckless.”
Zeke sighed, pulling up a blueprint. “There’s an emergency exit—an old subway access tunnel beneath us. But it’s flooded, and also, uh… might collapse.”
A loud bang came from the entrance.
Carter’s fingers flew across the keys. “Decryption at 80%. I just need a few more minutes!”
Malcolm turned to Zeke. “Get the tunnel open. Now.”
Zeke scrambled to a hatch on the floor, prying it open with a crowbar. A metal ladder led down into dark, stagnant water.
Malcolm aimed his gun toward the sealed entrance, where the pounding had turned into cutting sounds—someone was slicing through the door.
“Carter—now.”
“90%—almost there!”
The cutting stopped.
A beat of silence.
Then—
Boom.
The door exploded inward, blinding light and smoke flooding the room.
Carter ripped the drive from the console. “Got it!”
Malcolm grabbed her wrist and shoved her toward the hatch. “Go!”
Carter climbed down first, splashing into the waist-high water below.
Zeke followed, slipping halfway and cursing.
Malcolm fired off three shots, forcing the first armored intruder to duck.
Then he jumped.
The tunnel was narrow, damp, and collapsing in places. The only light came from Carter’s wrist display.
Zeke was already half-running, half-wading ahead. “I told you this was a bad idea!”
Malcolm ignored him, checking the data drive in Carter’s grip. “Is it safe?”
Carter nodded. “Encrypted, but intact.”
Behind them, voices shouted in the distance.
“They’re following us,” Carter hissed.
Zeke panted. “Yeah, no kidding!”
The tunnel sloped downward, leading toward a sealed maintenance hatch.
Zeke paled. “That thing’s been rusted shut for years.”
Malcolm handed him his gun. “Then start shooting.”
Zeke blinked. “Wait, what?”
Malcolm aimed at the lock. BANG. BANG.
The hatch shuddered but held.
The voices behind them grew louder.
Malcolm reloaded. “Again.”
Carter grabbed a nearby pipe. “Or—”
She swung it at the lock.
CRACK.
The hatch snapped open—revealing a long drop into the river below.
Zeke groaned. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“Jump,” Malcolm ordered.
Zeke hesitated. “What if—”
A bullet whizzed past his ear.
He jumped.
Carter went next.
Malcolm turned, fired a final shot, then dived into the dark water below.
They surfaced, gasping.
Zeke flailed. “Oh my god—this is disgusting—”
Carter paddled toward the riverbank, shivering. “We need to move before they track us.”
Malcolm dragged himself onto solid ground, soaking wet but still holding the data drive.
He exhaled.
They had escaped.
Barely.
Carter looked at him. “Now what?”
Malcolm stared at the drive.
They had answers now. Or at least the start of them.
And the Syndicate wouldn’t stop until they got it back.
Malcolm’s jaw tightened.
“Now?” He pocketed the drive, eyes burning with determination.
“Now we take them down.”
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 101: Fractures Beneath the Surface
The city never truly slept—not in the way people liked to think. Beneath the surface of routine and normalcy, New Toronto throbbed with unrest, secrets, and ambitions that refused to be silenced. And Ethan knew this better than anyone.The victory at the docks was just the opening act. The Consortium was wounded but far from broken. Its poisonous tendrils still gripped every corner of the city. Caulder’s betrayal was a brutal reminder that even among allies, shadows lurked.But what gnawed at Ethan most was the fragile line between trust and suspicion—one wrong step, and the alliances painstakingly built could crumble.Ethan stood in the dim light of Beacon Spire’s war room, surrounded by maps, intel reports, and the faces of his closest advisors. The air was heavy, not with smoke or gunfire this time, but with tension and uncertainty.Serena paced slowly, her heels clicking s
Chapter 100: Foundations of Fire
The dawn stretched across New Toronto like a pale promise, soft light washing over glass towers and crumbling tenements alike. But Ethan knew better. Beneath that fragile surface, the city simmered with the uneasy tension of wounds still raw, of battles won and lost but not yet finished.The Reckoning Tide had arrived, but the storm was far from over.In the lower levels of the city, in a nondescript warehouse converted into a command center, Serena Vale watched the horizon through steel-reinforced windows. The alliance with Ethan and the Wardens was fragile, but necessary.Her phone buzzed. A coded message from her network.“Movement detected near the West Docks,” the message read. “Possible Consortium shipment. High value.”Serena’s eyes narrowed. The Consortium’s grip on smuggling routes and black market operations was their lifeblood. Disru
Chapter 99: The Reckoning Tide
The city pulsed beneath Ethan’s feet, an intricate web of light and shadow stretching into the distance. From the Observation Deck atop Beacon Spire, New Toronto looked both majestic and vulnerable—a kingdom of glass and steel fragile beneath the weight of its own contradictions.Ethan exhaled slowly, the chill night air carrying the distant hum of life and unrest. The fractures Mara had spoken of were not mere abstract concepts; they were the scars of neglect, inequality, and silence. These were the fissures Lira had warned about—the hidden fault lines beneath the city’s gleaming surface.The time for cautious strategy had passed. Tonight, the Reckoning Tide would rise.Inside the Council chambers, tension simmered like a powder keg.Harland Caine, the Speaker, slammed his fist on the oak table. “We cannot gamble with the city’s future on vague promises of social
Chapter 98: Fractures and Foundations
The weight of betrayal lingered in the War Room like a thick fog, heavy and suffocating. The revelation of Lira Kael as the traitor was a wound that cut deep—not just because of her deception, but because she had once been one of them. A strategist, a trusted voice in the Council’s chorus.Ethan Cross stood at the center of the room, feeling the pressure of leadership settle more firmly on his shoulders. Every glance from his team was layered with questions, doubts, and the silent plea for reassurance.Isla Mortensen broke the silence, her voice tight but resolute. “We can’t afford to fall apart now. The Consortium is regrouping, emboldened by Lira’s sabotage.”Ari Vale nodded, muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike. “They’re going to push harder, faster. We need to disrupt their supply chains and communications. No more mistakes.”Mara Va
Chapter 97: Echoes of Betrayal
The dawn’s light spilled unevenly through the jagged skyline of New Toronto, casting long shadows across the city’s fractured districts. The uneasy calm was a fragile veneer, cracked and splintering beneath the surface.Ethan Cross stood alone on the Observation Deck of the Beacon Spire, the heart of the Wardens’ power, his gaze fixed on the horizon. The city sprawled beneath him—a labyrinth of steel and glass, teeming with hope, danger, and secrets yet untold. But it wasn’t just the external threats that weighed on him now. It was the fractures within.Back in the War Room, the atmosphere was tense as the remaining Wardens gathered to dissect recent intelligence.Isla Mortensen was pacing, eyes flashing with frustration. “The Consortium’s resurgence isn’t just external. We’ve got a leak—someone inside our ranks feeding them information.”
Chapter 96: Fractured Alliances
The city of New Toronto thrummed with cautious optimism as dawn gave way to midday. The celebrations of the Festival of Renewal were fading, but the aftershocks of what had transpired in the depths of the Black Expanse rippled through every echelon of power. Ethan Cross stood at the precipice of this new world—a world born from fire and shadow, with scars both seen and unseen.Behind the gleaming walls of the Memory Halls, the Wardens gathered for their first post-conflict council. The air inside was thick with determination—and the unspoken weight of the battles still to come.Ethan took his seat at the head of the table, flanked by Isla Mortensen on his right and Nyla Voss on his left. The other Wardens filtered in: Ari Vale, always sharp-eyed and battle-ready; Noah Beckett, pragmatic yet fiercely loyal; Caulder, enigmatic as ever; and Mara Valen, the High Archivist, guardian of the fragile history they now vowed to protect.
You may also like
Tales Of Eronsvale
D. Marvel1.2K viewsAndara Revenge (Agen 123)
MelisaT 2.3K viewsAwaken Into a New World
Miss Cosmos 3.0K viewsParallels I
ArcDreamer1.7K viewsThe 7th System
curiosity_of_a_cat6.2K viewsThe Rise of Max bladeheart
Little LYTA 357 viewsElta Project: Last Days Of Humanity
Zeleno Neih1.4K viewsCanaan Club (Progenies of Ironward #1)
Westley Dans1.9K views