The tram ride through Nexus City this late at night was eerily empty, the kind of silence that felt oppressive rather than peaceful. The hum of the transport was the only sound, its mechanical rhythm steady and hollow. Outside the window, streaks of light from neon signs and holographic advertisements blurred into vibrant trails, illuminating the darkness with an artificial glow. The city itself was alive, pulsing with energy even at this hour. Nightclubs with pounding bass spilled light and motion onto the streets below, and holographic directional signs hovered in the skyway like glowing specters, guiding VTOL cars through the labyrinth of towering skyscrapers.

  But inside the tram, Jack sat alone, his reflection staring back at him in the glass. His mind was a storm, thoughts clashing violently as he replayed the events of the night. The fear in Naomi’s eyes had been real—raw and unguarded. That wasn’t the fear of someone caught off guard; it was the fear of someone who knew exactly how dangerous the stakes were. She was hiding something, something significant. And then there was the way she had reacted when he mentioned Eagle Eye. She recognized it. The way her face froze for a moment before she scrambled to shut him down, it was all the confirmation Jack needed. Kwame was suspicious of him, and whatever fear Naomi felt was because of that man.

  Artemis materialized in the seat beside Jack, his normally stoic expression marred by a rare flicker of concern. “Master, I’ve decrypted the file,” he said, his tone low but steady.

  “Show me,” Jack replied immediately, the tension in his voice unmistakable. A soft chime sounded from his pocket as his hand tablet signaled the incoming data. Jack pulled it out with deliberate movements, his pulse quickening as he opened the file.

  Jack’s eyes moved over the screen, his breath hitching as he began to comprehend the enormity of what he was reading. Project Eagle Eye. The details unfolded like the pages of a dystopian nightmare, meticulously laid out in three horrifying phases.

  The words struck him like a blow. The document detailed the release of a polymorphic virus, one designed to spread through a network of five interconnected supercomputers—the super cores. These weren’t just any systems; they were the backbone of CyberTech’s vast global infrastructure.

  The virus wasn’t meant to crash systems or steal data, at least not yet. Its purpose was far more insidious: to silently infiltrate the omnichips implanted in nearly every human being. These chips, a relic of a centuries-old humanitarian effort during the first unification attempt, were hailed as a technological miracle. Cassian Rehn had had the Omni chips placed in every child after bye conquered the core worlds. Now they were standard in everyone. They had been designed to monitor health, enhance communication, and connect people to a unified network of progress.

  But now, that same technology would become a leash. With the virus embedded, whoever controlled Eagle Eye could monitor every thought, movement, and interaction. The omnichip would no longer be a tool for human advancement—it would be a tool of absolute surveillance and control.

  Once the virus was fully operational, the system would begin isolating and cataloging potential threats. Federation sympathizers, defectors, and political opponents would be identified and systematically removed. The file coldly referred to this as "initial neutralization." But it didn’t end there.

  The system would extend its tendrils into the Federation itself, using the vast network of surveillance to blackmail key figures, infiltrate their ranks, and manipulate their actions. It was espionage at an unprecedented scale, all paving the way for a single devastating act.

  The data cores, now repurposed as powerful EMP devices, would be unleashed on a scale never seen. The electromagnetic pulses would cripple infrastructure, technology, and defenses, plunging the worlds into chaos. Each super core connected to the terraforming towers would planetary catastrophes in the core worlds. The attack would be blamed squarely on the Federation, providing CyberTech and the Imperial Court with the perfect pretext for a full-scale invasion. It wouldn’t just be war—it would be annihilation from the stars.

  The plan was to eliminate one-third of the Empire’s population. With the world engulfed in war, the chaos would serve as cover for the targeted extermination of billions. It would be systematic, efficient, and brutal. The justification was hidden behind cold logic: to create a “sustainable and manageable population size” under CyberTech’s control.

  What sickened Jack the most was the plan’s intention to pin the blame entirely on the Federation. Every atrocity, every death would be laid at their feet, cementing the Empire’s dominance and absolving CyberTech of any guilt.

  Jack sat back, his head spinning, bile rising in his throat. He clenched his hand tablet tightly, the weight of the information pressing down on him like a physical force. The tram slowed as it passed through a quiet sector, neon lights flickering across the windows. For a moment, he forgot where he was.

  “Master?” Artemis said, his voice cutting through the haze.

  Jack didn’t respond immediately, his mind reeling. This wasn’t just a corporate power play—it was a calculated bid for domination of Sol. Billions of lives hung in the balance, and Jack felt like he was standing on the edge of a precipice.

  “We need to act,” Artemis said, his tone unusually urgent. “If this is allowed to proceed—”

  “I know,” Jack interrupted, his voice hoarse. His hand tightened around the tablet. “But how the hell do we stop something like this?”

  The tram lurched slightly, snapping Jack back to the present. Outside, the city sprawled endlessly, its lights glittering like a sea of stars. Each one represented a life, oblivious to the storm brewing above them.

  “Next stop: Heavenly Heights Apartments,” the tram’s speaker crackled.

  Jack stood from his seat, his legs shaky beneath him. The dizziness hit like a wave, his stomach twisting violently as the weight of what he’d just learned pressed down on him. He staggered slightly, gripping the pole beside him for balance as the tram came to a smooth stop.

  The doors slid open, and Jack stepped out onto the platform. The cool night air hit his face, but it did little to ease the nausea. Neon lights danced across the walkway ahead of him, their garish glow reflecting off the polished surface of the platform. Somewhere in the distance, the hum of the skyway and the occasional thrum of a VTOL car pierced the silence.

  Jack moved forward unsteadily, reaching the edge of the walkway. The abyss of Nexus City yawned below him, a dizzying drop into a maze of steel and shadow. The bile rose in his throat, and before he could stop it, he leaned over the railing and retched, the contents of his stomach spilling into the depths below. The lights of the city blurred in his vision, and for a moment, he let himself just breathe. He had seen countless battles and had his whole life believed in the idea of a unified Sol, but this wasn’t right. This wasn’t unification it was subjugation.

  “Master,” Artemis materialized beside him. “are you all right?”

  Jack wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve, leaning heavily against the railing. “Do I look all right?” he muttered, his voice raw. He stared down into the void, his mind racing through the evil of what he’d uncovered. The enormity of it all—the surveillance, the control, the planned genocide—it felt impossible to grasp.

  “What is the plan?” Artemis pressed gently, his holographic form shimmering in the neon glow.

  Jack pushed himself upright, his jaw tightening. “The plan?” he echoed bitterly, shaking his head. “The plan is to get to Sophia. I need to get her someplace safe before this whole thing comes crashing down.”

  He started walking, his pace quickening with each step as his resolve solidified. “We’re out of time, Artemis. If they’re even close to launching this thing, it’s going to make what happened to Lakota Company look like a bad training exercise.”

  “And after Sophia?” Artemis asked, keeping stride with him.

  Jack didn’t answer immediately, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. His mind was a whirlwind of fear and anger, but beneath it all, a growing sense of determination burned. “One step at a time,” he finally said. “First, we protect her. Then we figure out how to stop this madness before it’s too late.”

  Artemis nodded, his expression unreadable. “Understood, Master. But I must remind you—time is not on our side.”

  Jack didn’t respond, his pace quickening as the chaotic dance of city lights played across his path. Each step carried a growing urgency, the weight of everything pressing down on him like an impending storm. He was just an ant among giants, caught in a battle he didn’t yet understand. But instinct told him one thing with certainty: escalation was coming. And when it did, he needed to be ready—for Sophia, for himself, and for the billions of lives now hanging in the balance.

  The platform outside Heavenly Heights Apartments was eerily still, the usual hum of activity replaced by an unsettling quiet. Jack’s heart, pounding minutes earlier, settled into a cold, rhythmic calm. The kind that burrowed deep into his bones, sharpening his focus. His fingers brushed against the pistol tucked inside his jacket, its weight a faint reassurance in a night filled with unknowns.

  Something was wrong. The silence wasn’t right.

  Jack pushed the thought aside as he opened the door to their apartment. The soft light of the city filtered in through the window above the couch, casting faint shadows across the room.

  “Sophia?” he called. “Sophia!”

  The bedroom door creaked open, and Sophia stepped out, her hair tousled, eyes heavy with sleep. She blinked at him, confused.

  “Jack?” she mumbled.

  “There’s no time to explain,” Jack said, tossing his tablet onto the bed and pulling a backpack from underneath it. “Grab a bag and start packing clothes and essentials.”

  Sophia’s expression shifted instantly, her grogginess replaced by alarm. “What? Jack, what the hell is going on?”

  Jack continued stuffing clothes into the bag, his movements hurried but deliberate. “We don’t have a lot of time. Please, just trust me.”

  Sophia froze for a moment, then crossed the room to stand in front of him, her hands trembling slightly. “Jack,” she said, her voice wavering, “are you still off your meds?”

  The question stung, but Jack pushed the rising anger back down. He couldn’t afford to lose his temper—not now. He cupped her face, his eyes locking with hers. “I’m not crazy. But I need you to listen to me. Pack your things. Now.”

  Her fear was palpable, but she nodded. “Are we in danger?” she asked quietly.

  “I don’t know,” Jack admitted, his voice softening. “But I’m not taking any chances. Please, Sophia.”

  After a beat, she nodded again, grabbing a bag from the closet and starting to pack clothes from the dresser. The apartment was filled with the rustle of fabric and zippers, the silence between them stretching taut. Too taut.

  Jack froze mid-motion, his body stiffening. Something wasn’t right. The slaggers weren’t playing music. They weren’t yelling, laughing, or tapping away at their music cube. They weren’t there at all.

  “Sophia,” Jack said, his voice low and tight. “What happened to the music?”

  She paused, her hands hovering over the bag. “What?”

  “The slaggers,” he said, his heart beginning to race again. “They’re always outside. It’s never this quiet.”

  Sophia hesitated, her expression shifting to concern. “Some grays came by earlier today,” she said. “They cleared them out. Put them in cuffs, loaded them onto an NCPD dropship. They cleared out the whole block. There was gunfire but not anymore than the usual. I didn’t think anything of it.”

  Trying to minimize unnecessary casualties, Jack thought grimly. Or witnesses.

  “Artemis,” he said quietly, his voice cutting through the tense silence. “Can you tap into the local security system?”

  Artemis materialized by the bed in his usual poised manner, his hands clasped behind his back. “Yes, Master. One moment,” the AI replied.

  The screen flickered to life before them, hovering mid-air. “I’m in,” Artemis announced.

  “Access the security cameras around the block and the apartment,” Jack ordered.

  The feed shifted, displaying a grid of live footage from cameras overlooking walkways, alleys, and platforms in the immediate area. Jack’s blood ran cold as his eyes locked onto a group of six figures in sleek, blood-red exosuits. Their glowing visors cut through the dimness, and the precision of their movements spoke volumes. Each carried an array of high-powered weaponry, and they were converging on his apartment door.

  They stacked up against the wall outside, one of them placing a breaching charge along the edges of the door with practiced efficiency. Jack’s gaze flicked to the black phoenix insignia painted on the chest plates of their armor. Phoenix Core. One of the most ruthless private military contracting groups in the Empire. These weren’t ordinary grays—they were elite operatives, trained to kill. And they were here for him.

  “Sophia, take cover now!” Jack barked, shoving her toward the ground along the wall. Instinct took over as he drew his pistol, the weight familiar and steady in his hands.

  He glanced back at the feed, noting their positions. They were stacked against the wall to the left of his apartment door, preparing to breach. His pistol was loaded with exo-penetration rounds—one small mercy. But he knew they could fire straight through the walls, and the odds were stacked heavily against him.

  Jack crouched in the threshold of the bedroom door, keeping as much of his body shielded as possible while lining up his aim. “Artemis, keep the feed up,” he ordered, his voice low and tense.

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  He fired through the wall toward their position, the wall ripping apart in a spray of debris. The gunshots rang out, shattering the relative silence. Sophia screamed, covering her ears as the sound reverberated through the small apartment. On the screen, Jack saw two of the operatives drop, their cries of pain muffled by their helmets.

  The reprieve was brief. The remaining operatives opened fire, their weapons ripping through the walls with terrifying precision. Jack ducked further behind the doorframe as bullets tore into the plaster around him, sending shards of debris flying. The air filled with the deafening cacophony of gunfire, drowning out Sophia’s panicked cries.

  Jack gritted his teeth, leaning out just enough to return fire. He managed to land a few more shots, forcing one of the operatives to retreat behind cover. But he was hopelessly outgunned. The barrage of bullets forced him lower, seeking what little cover he had.

  A sudden, bone-shaking explosion erupted as the breaching charge detonated. The apartment door and sections of the surrounding wall blew inward, the shockwave slamming into Jack like a freight train. He was thrown backward, his pistol clattering to the floor as he hit the ground hard. His ears rang, and for a moment, the world was a blur of dust and chaos. He gasped for air, the impact having knocked the breath from his lungs.

  Through the haze, Jack forced himself to his feet, every muscle screaming in protest. The operatives moved like shadows in the smoke-filled doorway, their silhouettes advancing with precision as they poured into the apartment. Time was slipping away, and Jack barely managed to react as one of the grays closed the distance.

  The gray leveled his rifle, but Jack lunged forward, grabbing the weapon and yanking it upward just as the operative fired. Bullets sprayed wildly into the ceiling, ripping through drywall and light fixtures. Jack held firm, leveraging the enhanced strength of his cybernetic arm. With a sharp motion, the operative headbutted Jack, the force slamming him into the wall.

  The gray followed up, smashing his helmet into the bridge of Jack’s nose. Jack’s head snapped back, bouncing off the plaster with a sickening thud. Pain flared, sharp and disorienting, as the gray shifted his grip on the rifle, shoving it upward to choke him.

  Jack gasped as the stock dug into his throat, the air driven from his lungs. His vision blurred, his hands scrabbling frantically against the exosuit’s augmented strength. The edges of his sight darkened as he glimpsed the other grays moving into position. If he didn’t act fast, he’d be overwhelmed.

  With a desperate surge of adrenaline, Jack drove his knee upward into the gray’s groin. The operative doubled over with a grunt, momentarily stunned. Jack seized the opening, twisting the rifle’s buttstock and slamming it into the man’s chin. The crack of impact echoed in the room as the gray stumbled backward.

  Jack didn’t hesitate. He shouldered the rifle—only for another gray to seize him from behind, a powerful arm locking around his throat in a crushing chokehold. Jack’s vision darkened at the edges as he struggled, feeling the brute’s grip tighten.

  The first gray recovered and lunged toward him, but Jack reacted instinctively. He kicked out with both legs, slamming into the attacker’s chest. The force sent the man flying backward—and in the same motion, Jack drove both of them into the wall, using the momentum to break the chokehold.

  Gasping for air, he twisted free, wrenching his rifle up and firing point-blank into the gray behind him.The man’s head exploded in a mess of metal, bone and blood. The operative’s grip went slack as he crumpled. Jack spun just as the first gray tried to rise—he didn’t give him the chance. He squeezed the trigger, the rounds slamming into the man’s torso, sending him collapsing in a bloody heap.

  He didn’t stop moving. Jack dropped to a knee, pivoting toward the bedroom door as the last operative stormed through. He steadied his aim and emptied the mag, the weapon barking as rounds tore through the man’s armor, but it didn’t stop him. The gray dove into his workshop for cover, a trial of blood following him.

  Before Jack could catch his breath, the last gray opened fire. A volley of rounds tore through the apartment, shredding the doorframe and narrowly missing Jack as he flopped onto his belly. Dust and debris rained down as Jack rolled, he grabbed another magazine off a dead grays armor and reloaded. He leveled the rifle and returned fire. His rounds punched through the thin wall and into the workshop, the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor signaling his success.

  Jack pushed himself up, his chest heaving as silence fell over the apartment. The acrid smell of gunpowder hung in the air, mingling with the metallic tang of blood. The grays lay motionless around him, their crimson exosuits marred with bullet holes. Jack gripped the rifle tightly, his knuckles white, as his eyes darted around the room.

  “Jack…” a weak voice called out behind him, trembling with pain. He spun around to see Sophia leaning against the wall, her face pale and stricken. She clutched her shoulder, blood seeping between her fingers from a bullet wound.

  “Damn it, Sophia!” Jack dropped the rifle and rushed to her side, gently lowering her to the floor. Panic gripped him as his eyes darted to the wound. The bullet had torn clean through her shoulder—a blessing amidst the chaos, but it still left her in danger.

  “Hold on, I’ve got you,” he said, his voice tight with urgency. He turned his head toward the main room. “Artemis, keep your damn eyes on the cameras!”

  “Yes, Master,” the AI responded promptly, the faint glow of his holographic presence illuminating the dim space as he materialized amidst the chaos.

  Sophia’s tear-streaked face stared up at him, her breath coming in shallow gasps. “Jack… what is going on?” she choked, her voice shaking with a mix of fear and pain.

  Jack didn’t answer immediately. He rested her carefully against the wall and reached under the bed, pulling out her medical bag from her work. His hands moved quickly, retrieving a tube of hemostatic foam. “Soph, this is going to hurt,” he warned.

  She nodded weakly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Jack inserted the tube into the wound and filled it with the foam, the white material expanding rapidly to seal the bleeding. Sophia groaned in pain, biting her lip to stifle a scream as the foam hardened inside the wound. Jack worked quickly, treating the exit wound the same way before wrapping her shoulder with steady hands.

  “I found something bad,” Jack said softly.

  Sophia watched him, her breath hitching. Despite the pain, her voice steadied, her innate strength shining through. “What do you mean you found something bad?”

  Jack met her eyes, his jaw tightening. She was calm—remarkably so, given the circumstances—and he loved her for it. But anger simmered beneath his worry. These bastards had come after him, but they’d hurt her in the process. If he hadn’t gotten home in time…

  “CyberTech is planning something that will get a lot of people killed,” Jack said grimly, tying off the bandage.

  Before he could elaborate, Artemis’s voice rang out from the main room. “Master, incoming communication from Rogue. Voice call this time.”

  “Rogue?” Sophia asked in disbelief.

  Jack grabbed his hand tablet from the bed, the screen displaying a blocked number. He answered, his grip tightening on the device. A distorted, metallic voice crackled through.

  “Jack, I heard about the breach at CyberTech,” Rogue began, his tone calm, almost clinical. “Have you found what I asked for?”

  “What the hell did you drag me into, Rogue?” Jack snapped, his voice rising with anger.

  “So, you’ve figured it out then? Good,” Rogue said, his tone infuriatingly unbothered.

  “You son of a bitch,” Jack spat. “Death squads from the Phoenix Core just attacked me! My wife is hurt!”

  “They found you?” Rogue’s voice lost its composure for a moment. “Did you secure the data?”

  “I’ve got your goddamn data,” Jack growled, fury bubbling over. “But what the hell does it matter if I’m dead? You need to get me out of this mess.”

  Artemis’s voice interrupted. “Master, a dropship has landed on the southern platform. More grays inbound.”

  The metallic voice returned, colder this time. “You’ve been compromised, Jack. I can’t risk you leading them to me. I’m cutting all trace of our communication.”

  “You’re kidding?” Jack shouted, disbelief flooding his voice. “What about the data?”

  “Not worth the risk.” The distorted voice said

  The line went dead, leaving nothing but silence. Jack stared at the tablet in his hand, his pulse roaring in his ears. Rogue had used him—dragged him into this nightmare—only to abandon him when things went south.

  With a roar of frustration, Jack hurled the tablet across the room. It shattered against the wall in an explosion of plastic and glass, shards raining down like glittering fragments of his broken trust.

  Sophia’s trembling voice broke through the tension. “Jack… what do we do now?”

  He turned to her, his heart pounding like a war drum, each beat echoing the urgency of their situation. Taking a steadying breath, he pushed down the rising tide of anger and fear, letting determination take its place.

  “The grays are coming from the south,” Jack said firmly, his mind already mapping out their escape. “To the east, there’s a landing platform. Artemis can secure us a car. We’ll get out of here and find somewhere safe—somewhere we can get help.”

  Jack grabbed a pistol from one of the grays armor and pressed it into Sophia’s hand, gripping it with her to steady her trembling fingers. “Do you remember how to use this?”

  Sophia nodded weakly, her eyes wide with fear but resolute. “I remember.”

  “Good,” he said, helping her to her feet. She winced, clutching her injured shoulder, but managed to stand. Jack grabbed a rifle from the pile of gear left behind by the grays, quickly checking the chamber and magazine. The weight felt familiar, almost comforting.

  “Artemis,” Jack said, his voice low but commanding, “disappear. Stay silent but signal me if anyone gets close.”

  “Yes, Master,” Artemis replied, his holographic form flickering out of sight.

  Jack wrapped an arm around Sophia’s waist, steadying her as they made their way eastward across the platforms. Her breaths were shallow and uneven, and her weight against him felt heavier with each step. The labyrinth of steel and glass stretched endlessly around them, illuminated by the fading neon glow of Nexus City. The light shimmered off the towering skyscrapers, their reflections creating an illusion of infinite layers, as if the city itself were watching them.

  Jack’s instincts screamed danger. Every shadow, every flicker of movement in his peripheral vision felt like a threat. The towering structures seemed to close in, their interconnected walkways a maze with no end in sight. His grip tightened on the rifle, his free hand keeping Sophia steady.

  Farther down the walkway, Jack's eyes caught a pair of feet sticking out from behind a stack of boxes. He froze, instinctively pulling Sophia behind him and raising his rifle. In the pale glow of moonlight, he could make out a dark pool spreading around the feet—blood.

  Jack moved cautiously, rifle steady, his breaths shallow as he approached the stack. Each step brought a creeping sense of dread. Peering around the edge, he found the source—a body slumped against the cold metal, its dreadlocks matted with congealed blood. The torso was riddled with bullet holes, the wounds jagged and unforgiving.

  Sophia gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as recognition struck her. “Kingston?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

  Jack turned back to the body, the face now unmistakable in the dim light. It was Kingston. Jack’s stomach churned. The man’s constant music and chatter had been a nuisance, but he’d been harmless, a familiar thread in the fabric of their chaotic lives. Now, he was just another victim. Jack felt a flicker of grief and anger but pushed it down—there was no time for that.

  Mi eva stop makin’ music from mi soul, know dis—di shadow man done come fi mi takin’. Kingston’s words echoed in his mind, heavy with foreboding.

  He glanced at Sophia and saw the tears glistening in her eyes, threatening to spill over. They needed to move before the grays caught up.

  “Come on,” Wayde said softly, steering Sophia away from the body. Her face was pale, her eyes wide and distant as if the horrors they’d just witnessed were playing on repeat in her mind. He didn’t dare let her stop to think about it, guiding her down the platforms with a steady grip on her uninjured arm.

  Each step echoed faintly in the eerie quiet of the midsection. Normally bustling with activity, the platforms were eerily deserted, the usual hum of life replaced by an unusual silence. Wayde’s gaze darted around, noticing the flicker of security drones in the distance flying up and down between platforms. The grays must have locked down the entire area before his arrival, cutting it off like a surgeon excising diseased tissue.

  His eyes flicked to Sophia as they moved. Her shoulder was stained with fresh blood, and her breathing came in shallow, uneven gasps. The pain was written all over her face despite her attempts to stay stoic. Her skin had taken on a clammy pallor, her body clearly weakened from the injury. Wayde clenched his jaw, a surge of anger flashing through him. She shouldn’t have been dragged into this.

  Artemis materialized beside them, the AI’s form shimmering faintly against the neon glow of the midsection. “Master, the grays have arrived at your apartment,” Artemis said. “They are performing a sweep of the area. We must hurry.”

  Wayde cursed under his breath and adjusted his grip on Sophia, pulling her arm over his shoulder to take more of her weight. “We need to move,” he said, urgency tightening his voice.

  Sophia nodded weakly, her lips pressing into a thin line of determination. Together, they quickened their pace, their footsteps growing sharper against the platform’s metallic surface.

  Finally, they reached a larger platform jutting out from the structure. The sleek, angular form of an NCPD squad car came into view, its polished surface reflecting the faint glow of the coming dawn. The officer standing beside it was an imposing figure, clad in dark blue armor that seemed to absorb the light. The reflective visor of his helmet tilted toward them, the faint blue glow of an internal HUD flickering across its surface like a dispassionate observer waiting to pass judgment.

  Jack’s breath caught as the officer turned fully to face them, his hand hovering over the pistol at his waist. For a moment, the silence felt oppressive, the vast city around them holding its breath.

  “Help!” Jack called out. “Please help us!”

  The officer’s head tilted slightly as he took in the sight of Jack and Sophia. He took a step towards them, the surprise evident in his body language. He raised a hand, motioning them closer. “Set her down here,” he ordered pointing to the edge of the car, his tone calm but authoritative.

  Jack nodded and guided Sophia to the car, gently easing her down so she was leaning against the front VTOL engine. She bit her lip to suppress a groan of pain as she settled. Jack rested the rifle beside the car, keeping it within reach but signaling his lack of hostility to the officer.

  “She’s hurt,” Jack said, his voice steady but laced with tension. “We need medical attention and a safe place. We’re in danger.”

  The officer removed his helmet with a deliberate slowness, revealing a sharp, weathered face etched with experience. His calculating eyes shifted to Sophia’s wound, lingering on the foam sealing her shoulder from under the bandage. “What happened to you two?” he asked, his voice edged with suspicion.

  “Grays from the Phoenix Core attacked us,” Jack replied, his tone steady despite the tension in his chest.

  The officer’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Grays? Why the hell would Phoenix Core mercs be after you?”

  “It’s… complicated,” Jack said cautiously. His muscles were tense, coiled like a spring. “But if you can get us somewhere safe, I’ll explain everything.”

  The officer’s gaze was cold and calculating as it flicked between Jack and Sophia, lingering on her injury. “We’ll get you the help you need, Mr. Lockley,” he said smoothly, placing a hand on Jack’s shoulder. His touch was firm, almost too firm. “Just stand by.”

  Jack’s stomach dropped. He hadn’t told the man his name.

  A cold, sharp edge of adrenaline surged through him, the primal survival instinct that years of combat had honed into a razor’s edge. The world around him slowed. The faint hum of the city faded, replaced by the thunderous pounding of his heart. Every detail sharpened—the officer’s controlled posture, the subtle shift of his weight, the faint flicker of readiness in the man’s eyes.

  Jack rose slowly, his movements deliberate. Beside him, Sophia’s trembling fingers tightened around the pistol. Her wide, fearful eyes darted between them, sensing the storm about to break.

  The officer turned, his expression hardening as he caught the change in Jack’s demeanor. For a moment, they locked eyes. The tension in the air was electric, taut as a tripwire.

  Jack moved first.

  He lunged, his shoulder driving into the officer’s midsection, but the man was fast—faster than Jack had anticipated. With brutal precision, the officer deflected the blow, slamming a fist into Jack’s face. A sickening crack rang out as pain exploded through his nose, blood spurting from the impact.

  Before Jack could recover, the officer grabbed his head and smashed it into the hood of the squad car. Jack staggered, his vision swimming, but the raw fire of desperation kept him on his feet.

  Sophia screamed and fired, the shot cracking through the air, but it went wide, ricocheting harmlessly into the steel structure behind them.

  The officer pivoted fluidly and kicked her square in the jaw. The blow sent her sprawling to the platform, her body hitting the ground with a sickening thud. She didn’t move.

  Rage erupted in Jack’s chest like a detonation. With a roar, he threw himself at the officer, ducking low and driving upward with his cybernetic arm. The impact sent the man stumbling back, his boots screeching against the platform. Jack didn’t relent. Grabbing the officer’s legs, he heaved him off the ground and slammed him down with bone-jarring force.

  They hit the ground in a feral tangle, fists and elbows flying in a fevered clash of raw strength and tactical skill. The officer’s movements were precise, mechanical. Jack’s were desperate, fueled by the primal need to survive. The officer twisted, rolling Jack onto his back, his knee pinning Jack’s chest with crushing force.

  The sharp click of a weapon drew Jack’s gaze. A sleek pistol appeared in the officer’s hand as if conjured from the shadows. He fired point-blank—a dart, not a bullet.

  The effect was instant. A cold wave spread from Jack’s torso, icy tendrils wrapping around his limbs. His strength drained away, his muscles refusing to respond.

  “Lockley’s secure,” the officer said into his comms, his voice coming in ragged breaths. “And the girl. Yes, both alive.”

  Jack’s vision darkened, his limbs leaden. He fought against the creeping paralysis, his mind screaming for his body to move, but the drug was merciless. Panic gripped him as he caught a flicker at the edge of his vision—Artemis. The AI’s holographic form shimmered faintly, a ghostly figure standing uselessly at the platform’s edge. Jack’s heart sank. Even Artemis couldn’t help him now.

  The officer crouched beside Sophia, his fingers pressing against her neck. After a moment, he straightened and turned to Jack, a faint smirk on his lips.

  “Still awake, huh?” The man’s voice was almost amused. His boot came down hard, crashing into Jack’s jaw with brutal finality.

  The world went black.