2025-11-18 13:37:53The fog was clearing.
The bodies of the Black Serpent operatives lay scattered across the street, armor cracked, visors shattered, their once-perfect formation now nothing more than broken metal.
Ethan stood still.
Only his eyes moved.
Hale approached carefully.
“Sir… did he say what I think he said?”
Ethan didn’t respond immediately. His mind wasn’t on the dead soldier.
It was on a memory he had buried years ago.
A banquet hall.
A glass of wine.
A smile that wasn’t a smile.
And a betrayal that nearly killed him.
He exhaled slowly.
“Yes,” Ethan finally said. “Someone in my family sold me out.”
Hale stiffened.
“The Cole family is huge… thousands of people have benefited from your downfall.”
“No,” Ethan said quietly.
“It wasn’t the outsiders.”
His eyes hardened.
“It was someone close.”
⸻
THE CONVOY ARRIVES
Engines roared across the street.
Three armored SUVs pulled up, headlights slicing through the fog. Ethan’s men emerged—silent, disciplined, dressed in matte black with the Cole insignia on their shoulders.
Their leader, Captain Riker, stepped forward and bowed.
“Young Master, we detected a Black Serpent transmission from this location. Are you injured?”
Ethan wiped dust from his hand.
“No.”
Riker looked at the fallen soldiers and swallowed.
“All… all twelve? Alone?”
Hale gestured at the bodies.
“You’re looking at the result.”
Riker exhaled shakily.
“Understood.”
Ethan turned away.
“Secure the bodies. I want full scans. I want their command chain traced.”
“Yes, sir!”
⸻
THE FILE
Ethan headed toward the SUV, Hale following behind.
“Sir,” Hale said carefully, “if the file is really in Central Vault, then Slate is planning something big.”
Ethan nodded once.
“It means he’s preparing for the worst-case scenario.”
“The scenario where you return,” Hale added.
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
“That’s why we move now.”
As Ethan opened the door to the SUV, Riker rushed forward.
“Young Master, there is another matter.”
Ethan paused.
“What.”
Riker lowered his voice.
“We intercepted a call from Slate’s men. They know Black Serpent failed… and they’re preparing a retaliation.”
Hale’s expression darkened.
“Already?”
“Worse,” Riker said.
“They’re not targeting you… they’re targeting someone connected to you.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“Who?”
Riker swallowed.
“We’re still decoding the transmission but… it mentioned the name ‘Lila.’”
A cold silence dropped.
Hale blinked.
“Lila? Your wife?”
Ethan’s expression didn’t change.
But the air around him did.
It went colder.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
⸻
FLASHBACK — THE PROMISE
He remembered the day he married Lila Dawson.
Not because it was perfect.
It wasn’t.
Not because she loved him.
She didn’t.
But because of one thing—the only promise he made to her father before the man died:
“Protect her. No matter the cost.”
He never broke promises.
Not even ones made during his exile.
⸻
BACK TO THE PRESENT
Ethan closed the SUV door halfway.
His voice came out quiet.
Dead quiet.
“Riker.”
“Yes, Young Master?”
“Send a detail to the Dawson residence. Now.”
Riker nodded.
“Should they extract her?”
Ethan paused.
Extraction meant force.
Chaos.
Violence.
It meant revealing himself before he was ready.
“No,” Ethan said. “Keep her under surveillance. No one touches her.”
“Yes, sir!”
Hale studied him.
“You care?”
Ethan looked forward through the windshield.
“I made a promise.”
At that moment, Riker’s communicator crackled.
“Captain! Urgent report—Slate’s men just launched Phase One of the retaliation. Target confirmed. It’s—”
The transmission broke with static.
Ethan’s hand tightened on the door.
“Move,” he ordered.
“Yes, Young Master!”
The convoy roared to life.
⸻
SLATE’S WARNING
On the other side of the city, deep inside an abandoned industrial zone, Slate stood with his hands behind his back, looking at a large holographic map.
A subordinate approached, trembling.
“Sir… Black Serpent was neutralized.”
Slate didn’t react.
“And the target?”
“A surveillance tag confirms it… Ethan Cole has returned.”
Slate exhaled once.
A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.
“So the Ghost rises again.”
He turned to face the map.
“Proceed. Phase One. Hit the girl. Let’s see how far he’ll go to protect someone… who doesn’t even know who he is.”
“Yes, sir.”
⸻
BACK TO ETHAN — THE CALL
Inside the moving SUV, Ethan’s phone rang.
He checked the caller ID.
His expression shifted instantly.
Hale leaned forward.
“Sir? Who is it? What’s wrong?”
Ethan answered the call.
“Lila?”
Her voice came through—shaky, confused, frightened.
“Ethan… someone is outside the house.”
Ethan’s eyes went cold.
The real enemy had made their move.
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Chapter Fourteen
The Dawson house was too quiet.Too still.Too heavy.Lila stood in the middle of the living room, the broken door replaced temporarily by Riker’s men, the shattered glass swept away, the blood stains scrubbed clean.But the silence remained.The kind of silence that sits on your chest.The kind that changes something.She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the cold settling into her bones. Every few seconds she replayed the moment Ethan walked away. The way he didn’t look back. The way he spoke as if he were someone else. Someone she didn’t know.Someone she might never have known at all.Riker cleared his throat behind her.“Ma’am,” he said gently, “the perimeter is secure.”She didn’t turn.She didn’t trust her voice yet.A moment passed, then another.“Ethan… he’s gone to fight that man, isn’t he?” Lila said softly.Riker hesitated.“Specialist Cole is responding to a breach. That’s all I can say.”“That’s not an answer,” she whispered.“It’s the safest one I can give.”Lila
Chapter Thirteen
The city lights of District 7 flashed beneath the aircraft as Ethan stepped onto the ramp, black coat whipping in the wind.Hale’s voice cut through the comms.“Sir, Central Vault security is collapsing. Slate deployed a Phantom Unit—full optical camouflage.”Ethan adjusted his gloves.“Phantom won’t stop me.”The strike craft dove lower, slicing through fog like a blade.Below, alarms wailed across District 7. Roads were blocked, drones spun out of control, and the entire security grid flickered as if something—or someone—had overwritten its core.Slate.He was already inside.Ethan exhaled once.Cold.Steady.Purposeful.“Open the hatch.”The ramp snapped downward.Ethan jumped.He landed on the rooftop of Central Vault—silent impact, controlled descent. The black monolith towered above him, its armored surface vibrating from internal shockwaves.Hale landed beside him, panting.“Sir, we can still intercept him if we move—”Ethan was already moving.THE FALL OF THE VAULTThey reache
Chapter Twelve
The garden was silent.Shattered wood, broken armor, and the crushed body of the Black Serpent scout lay at Ethan’s feet. The porch light flickered above him, casting jagged shadows across his face.Lila stared at him—eyes wide, chest rising and falling fast.This wasn’t the Ethan she knew.This wasn’t the quiet, obedient, overlooked husband.This man looked like a weapon.A storm.A warning.Her voice trembled.“Ethan… what… what did you just do?”Ethan didn’t answer.He turned instead—slowly, controlled—and locked eyes with Riker’s operative who had taken cover behind the torn doorframe.“Report.”The operative stood at once.“Sir! Two scouts down. One escaped toward the east block.”Hale’s voice burst from Ethan’s earpiece.“Sir! We have visual on the runner—Slate’s men are initiating Phase Two. They’re retreating to regroup.”Ethan’s eyes narrowed.“Not on my watch.”⸻THE ONE WHO ESCAPEDThree blocks away, the surviving Black Serpent scout sprinted across rooftops, armor sparking
Chapter Eleven
Ethan… someone is outside the house.”Lila’s whisper trembled through the phone.Ethan’s blood went cold, but his voice remained steady.“Where?”“By the gate. I—I think they’re watching the house. I saw shadows moving. And the lights flickered. I don’t know what’s happening.”Hale stiffened.“Slate’s already deployed. They’re targeting civilians.”Ethan pressed the phone closer.“Lila, listen to me carefully.”Her breathing was shaky.“Okay…”“Do not step outside. Stay away from the windows. And whatever you do—don’t open the door.”“O-okay. Ethan, what’s going on?”He didn’t answer.He couldn’t—not yet.Instead, he signaled sharply.“Riker. Full speed. Dawson residence.”“Yes, Young Master!”The convoy surged forward, engines howling as they tore through the streets.⸻OUTSIDE THE DAWSON HOUSEThe night was unnaturally quiet.Three figures in dark tactical suits crouched near the Dawson gate, their movements precise, their breathing controlled. Their visors glowed faint red—Black Se
Chapter Ten
The fog was clearing.The bodies of the Black Serpent operatives lay scattered across the street, armor cracked, visors shattered, their once-perfect formation now nothing more than broken metal.Ethan stood still.Only his eyes moved.Hale approached carefully.“Sir… did he say what I think he said?”Ethan didn’t respond immediately. His mind wasn’t on the dead soldier.It was on a memory he had buried years ago.A banquet hall.A glass of wine.A smile that wasn’t a smile.And a betrayal that nearly killed him.He exhaled slowly.“Yes,” Ethan finally said. “Someone in my family sold me out.”Hale stiffened.“The Cole family is huge… thousands of people have benefited from your downfall.”“No,” Ethan said quietly.“It wasn’t the outsiders.”His eyes hardened.“It was someone close.”⸻THE CONVOY ARRIVESEngines roared across the street.Three armored SUVs pulled up, headlights slicing through the fog. Ethan’s men emerged—silent, disciplined, dressed in matte black with the Cole insig
Chapter Nine
The street was silent.Too silent.A thin layer of fog drifted across the asphalt as Ethan moved to the center of the road—straight-backed, expression calm, hands loose at his sides.Hale stood behind him, tense but ready.“Sir… Black Serpent is sixty seconds away.”Ethan didn’t blink.“Good.”THE APPEARANCE OF DEATHThe fog shifted.The first figure stepped through—tall, armored in matte black, visor glowing faintly red.Then another.Then ten more.Twelve soldiers.Twelve lethal machines disguised as men.They formed a wide semicircle around Ethan, their synchronization disturbing.No breathing.No speaking.No hesitation.Their leader stepped forward.“TARGET CONFIRMED: ETHAN COLE.THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME.EXECUTION PROTOCOL: OMEGA.”Hale whispered,“They’re using Omega Protocol… sir, that’s kill-without-recovery.”Ethan stepped one inch forward.“Protocol won’t help them.”THE FIRST STRIKEThree Black Serpent operatives lunged at once—perfect formation, zero wasted movement.Ethan m
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