Victor watched, heart racing, as the tension mounted. Stephen stood tall, and in the midst of the chaos, a ray of hope fluttered in his chest. "Stephen, you gotta go!" Victor yelled, voice hoarse."I'm not leaving without you," Stephen replied steadfastly, eyes scanning the scene. "Where's Enoch?"Michael's smirk tugged off for a moment. "Still caught," he said nonchalantly-as if it didn't matter leastwise.Damn it," Stephen swore, as frustration welled up. He took a deep breath and refocused on the standoff. "Listen, all of you need to leave now. Drop the package and get out. I won't hesitate."Voss scowled; incredulity crossed his face. "Are you threatening me?"I'm serious," Stephen finally replied, pulling back his jacket to reveal a vest loaded with explosives. "It's a timer. If you don't disconnect this in three minutes, I'll blow this whole place to hell."Michael laughed, the slightest trace of mirth creeping into his voice. "You're nuts as always, Stephen."Voss shot a glare
The narrow corridor around him exploded with the sound of gunfire, and Enoch's legs almost buckled under him; his breath caught in his throat, his fear clutching at his throat like a vice. Whether the shot was meant for him or wide, he didn't know, but he couldn't afford to stop and find out. He kept on running.His lungs burned and his heart jackrabbited against his ribcage as he sprinted toward what he hoped was an exit. Behind him, he could hear the heavy footsteps of Michael's men closing in, the shouts of anger and frustration cutting through the air. Enoch's mind raced, searching for any way to gain the upper hand, but he felt cornered, out of options. *If I don't find a way out soon, I'm dead.*He whipped around a corner, his feet skidding on the slick concrete floor. Ahead of him now, he saw the first sign of hope: a narrow staircase headed down. Without a second's hesitation, he launched down the stairs two at a time. Pure adrenaline coursed through his body; his muscles shri
Victor skidded to a stop, heart racing in his chest. The figure before him sidled into dim light, and Victor's stomach twisted. It was one of Voss's guys, this big fella with a scar running down the side of his face. He had his gun drawn, right between Victor's eyes."End of the line, Victor," the man said quietly and calmly but in a very threatening tone. "Hand over the package."Victor swallowed hard as his mind raced. He glanced around quickly, but the alley was empty-no sign of Stephen, no way out. He swallowed his heart as he remembered he had faked the package; that lie was catching up on him now. The need to think fast was on."I don't have it," Victor said, temporizing. "You really think I'd be running around like this with the real deal?"The man's eyes went glassy. "Don't play games. You've been running for far too long. You can hand it over now, or I'll take it off your body."Victor raised his hands slightly, making sure he looked as harmless as possible. He could feel the
Victor, Stephen, and Enoch sprinted down the streets, staying as close to the shadows as possible, as they moved on toward the safe house. Enoch was limping heavily; with the blood loss, he was growing weaker as the time went by. Stephen was keeping his arm around him, practically carrying him at this point in time."We're almost there," Stephen said tightly. He kept his eyes roaming, scanning every corner, every shadow, waiting for something to pop out at them. He could feel the tension build up in his chest, coiling tighter and tighter like a spring ready to break.Victor walked a few steps behind, the weight of his failure clinging to his mind like a shroud. He couldn't avoid the nagging sense that this was all his fault. Enoch wouldn't be bleeding out if it weren't for him. Voss's men wouldn't be hunting them down if he hadn't thought he could outsmart them."How far is it?" Enoch asked, his tone weak.Just a few more blocks," Stephen said. He readjusted his grip on Enoch, fightin
When Stephen saw Victor's lifeless body lying on the floor, the pool of blood around him growing, he froze. His heart beat at an incredible rate, and momentarily the world around him became a blur. He stumbled forward, dropped down onto his knees beside Victor, but he knew that he was already too late. The cold stiffness of Victor told it all."Damn it," Stephen whispered, his voice cracking. His friend was dead, and he could do nothing to help him.The briefcase. His gaze snapped to it, still clutched in Victor's hand. He pried it loose and checked the contents, making sure it hadn't been tampered with. It was all there.Before he could even think what to do next, the chilling silence was cut through by the faraway shrieks of police sirens, louder with each passing second. The air around Stephen's chest seemed to tighten. **They were coming.** He rose up onto his feet, wincing at the weight of it all coming down on him. He couldn't stay here, but he couldn't run without a plan eithe
Stephen blinked, his vision foggy as he fought hard to orient himself to the surroundings. The cold cement of the prison cell beneath him was too real, and at the same time, his brain was still whirling from the night's chaos. He had blacked out-again."Stephen?" a voice called out.He looked up, his gaze locking onto Enoch's worried expression. "What's wrong?" Enoch asked. "You passed out.""I'm fine," Stephen growled, his voice low as he forced himself to sit up. His leg was still sore from the wound, but that was the least of his problems now. He looked to Clarke, who was standing by the cell door with that same annoying smile on his face."What did you do?" Stephen asked, narrowing his eyes.The only immediate reaction from Clarke was the releasing of a slow, satisfied chuckle. "Behold," Clarke said with a theatrical gesture, "a little touch of power-the Anti-5G system."And with that, suddenly, a holographic interface appeared in the air before them. It shimmered with strange sym
Stephen blinked, his eyes foggy, trying to focus on anything. The concrete of the prison cell beneath him felt so real, yet his head was still reeling from chaos in the night. He had blacked out—again."Stephen?" a voice called out.He looked up and into Enoch's concerned expression. "What's wrong?" Enoch asked. "You passed out.""I'm fine," Stephen grumbled, low, forcing himself to sit up. His leg was still sore from the wound, but that was minor compared to what was bothering him now. He turned to Clarke, who was standing by the cell door with that same frustrating smile on his face."What did you do?" Stephen asked, narrowing his eyes.For several seconds, Clarke said nothing; he just emitted a slow, pleased chuckle. "Behold," Clarke said with an oververo reviewer gesture, "a little touch of power-the Anti-5G system."There appeared in the air in front of them a holographic interface that shimmered with weird symbols, thin lines of fire, as if it had bent reality itself. The heart
Stephen's fists clenched at his sides as he stepped backward, his mind racing with possibilities. He didn't know how, but he would stop Clarke-before it was too late.As he turned to go, Enoch looked at him questioningly. "What now?"Stephen's eyes hardened. "We find a way to destroy that system," he said, firm, his voice full of resolution. "Before Clarke reshapes this reality into something we won't even recognize."Enoch nodded, but there was still a deep furrow in his brow. "And if we can't?"Stephen didn't waste time. "We will," he let the words fall, cold and unyielding. "I won't let him destroy everything."Stephen's mind was racing as he and Enoch slipped out of the prison cell, leaving Clarke behind. He felt the weight of what they needed to do. The Anti-5G system wasn't just something-it was a weapon that could rewrite the very fabric of reality. If they didn't stop it, everything might spiral out of control.We need to find out the origin of this system," Stephen whispered,