Puppeteers

Unmasking the Puppeteers

The room was cloaked in shadows, curtains drawn tight against the chaos raging outside. The muffled roar of protests seeped through the walls, a low and menacing rumble that mirrored the storm brewing within.

Jaimy Hoffmen's fist crashed onto the glass table, the impact sending a tremor through the room. His eyes blazed, cold and sharp, fixed on the man across from him. "How the hell did this happen, Lopart?" he snapped, voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "We were untouchable—what went wrong?"

Lopart's gaze remained steady, fingers interlaced with a deceptive calm. The dim lighting cast hollow shadows over his face, masking the flicker of irritation in his eyes. "Calm yourself, Jaimy," he drawled, tone smooth as silk. "Panicking won't undo the damage."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Jaimy snarled, eyes narrowing. "The entire city is up in arms! Social media's a war zone—videos, documents, recordings, all pointing back to us. The IADR threw everything out there!"

Monitors on the wall buzzed with news feeds and livestreams—angry crowds flooding the streets, police lines cracking under pressure, hashtags demanding justice trending worldwide. Words like "corruption" and "massacre" flashed in bold red captions.

Lopart's fingers drummed a slow, deliberate rhythm against the table, eyes half-lidded. "They're overplaying their hand," he mused. "People's memories are short. A few weeks of distractions and—"

"This isn't something they'll forget!" Jaimy snapped, voice a growl. "I need answers, not half-baked reassurances."

But before he could continue, the heavy door swung open, and Catherine stepped in, heels sharp against the marble. Her face was a mask of composure, but tension coiled in her posture, eyes cold and calculating.

Jaimy's eyes flicked to her, impatience flaring. "About time," he snapped. "Tell me you have something."

Catherine's lips thinned. "Second Dawn is finished," she said, voice clipped. "Government officials stormed the HQ less than an hour ago. Freezing assets, seizing documents—the whole lot."

Jaimy's face darkened, fingers curling tight. "Damn it!" he spat, pacing like a caged beast. "This wasn't supposed to happen. How did IADR even get that information? We've been careful!"

Lopart's eyes glinted with dark amusement. "Seems your leash on the situation wasn't as tight as you thought."

"Shut up!" Jaimy barked. "This is your mess too, Lopart."

Catherine's eyes narrowed. "There's more," she said, each word deliberate. The room fell silent, all eyes on her. "I found out who's behind this leak."

Jaimy's eyes flashed. "Who?"

A pause. Catherine's gaze flickered, ice blue and hard. "My son," she bit out. "Remond. And Ms. Panther—real name, Yuki Dieng, Ho Dieng's granddaughter."

The silence was deafening. Jaimy's jaw tightened, eyes narrowing to slits. "Your son," he repeated, voice venomous. "Your son did this?"

Catherine's face was a mask of icy calm, but her fingers clenched, knuckles white. "I'll handle it," she said flatly. "He won't get far."

"He's already gone too far," Jaimy snarled. "We need to shut this down—now."

---

The Bang Before the Storm

But before another word could be uttered, the world exploded.

The reinforced windows blew inward with a deafening roar, shards slicing through the air. Security alarms screamed to life, red lights flashing in a dizzying blur. Smoke poured in, thick and acrid, clouding vision. Guards barked orders, weapons drawn, the chaos instantaneous.

Lopart was already on his feet, eyes narrowing. "What the—"

A figure blurred through the smoke—swift, lethal. One guard crumpled with a choked gasp, then another, limbs folding bonelessly. Sparks flared, blue and crackling, lighting the chaos in harsh bursts.

Through the smoke, Jaimy caught a glimpse—orange light flaring, a fist connecting with a guard's chest, sending him skidding across the marble.

"No," Jaimy growled, eyes flashing. "Not now!"

The smoke thinned just enough to reveal them—two figures moving in tandem, lethal and fluid. Remond, eyes blazing, fists crackling with kinetic energy. And beside him, Yuki—Ms. Panther—eyes sharp, blades flashing in lethal arcs.

Jaimy's teeth bared in a snarl. "Kill them!" he snapped, voice cutting above the alarms. "Now!"

---

Lethal Waltz

The air ignited with gunfire, bullets shredding through the smoke. Remond twisted, boots skidding on marble, kinetic energy flaring in bright arcs. A fist slammed into a guard's chest—orange light burst, armor crumpling like paper.

Yuki moved like a specter, strikes precise and lethal. A blade caught moonlight, arcing through the gloom, and a guard crumpled with a strangled gasp. Her eyes glinted gold through the mask, jaw tight.

Remond's breath was ragged, pulse a drumbeat in his ears. His gaze darted, locking onto Jaimy at the far end of the room—rage coiling tight and hot.

"Jaimy!" he snarled, voice echoing.

Jaimy's eyes flashed, lip curling. "You're a fool to come here, boy!" he spat, voice venomous. "Do you even understand what you're up against?"

"I understand enough!" Remond barked, fists clenching, energy flaring bright. "You killed my uncle, my friends and the one girl I liked—you tore my life apart!"

Jaimy's laughter was a cruel rasp, eyes cold. "Your uncle was a fool—just like you."

Rage roared through Remond, a wildfire in his veins. He lunged, energy crackling, a fist swinging wide—Jaimy's guard intercepted, armor sparking on impact. Remond snarled, spinning low, a kick sweeping the guard's legs from under him.

But another lunged in, baton crackling. Pain flared, lightning-bright, but Remond gritted his teeth, kinetic energy flaring. The baton glanced off, momentum reversing—the guard staggered back with a grunt.

"Focus," Yuki snapped, voice sharp. "We're outnumbered!"

"I know!" Remond bit out, deflecting another strike. "We just need—"

---

The Icy Revelation

His words died in his throat, eyes locking onto a familiar figure standing amidst the chaos—Catherine. She was untouched by the battle raging around her, face composed and eyes glinting like frost. Guards moved past her, weapons raised, but she didn't flinch, her gaze fixed solely on him.

Remond's breath hitched, disbelief cutting through the adrenaline. "Mom?" he choked out, voice raw and trembling.

She arched a brow, lips curling into a faint, almost mischievous smile—one that sent a chill racing down his spine. Her eyes were cold, distant, as if she were staring at a stranger and not her own son.

"Remond," Catherine drawled, her tone light, almost mocking. "You've made quite a mess, haven't you?"

The floor seemed to tilt beneath him, breaths coming shallow and jagged. "Why—how could you…?" His voice cracked, disbelief bleeding into fury. "You're part of this? All those people they killed—everything they did—how could you stand by them?"

Her smile widened, eyes glinting with a cruel amusement. "Oh, Remond," she sighed, head tilting. "You're so naive."

The breath rushed out of his lungs like a punch. "Naive?" he bit out, fists clenching tight enough to tremble. "You're working with murderers—criminals! I trusted you—I thought—"

But Catherine's eyes narrowed, amusement sharpening into something icier. "Spare me the righteous speech," she interrupted, voice cutting. "I've been part of this long before you were even born."

Remond's blood turned to ice. "W-What…?"

She took a step forward, heels clicking against the shattered marble, eyes never leaving his. "I've always been loyal to them, Remond," she said smoothly, the smile never faltering. "And I always will be."

The world seemed to blur at the edges, breath shuddering. "You—you knew?" he rasped, voice breaking. "All of it—the experiments, the killings—everything?"

"Of course," Catherine replied with a lazy shrug, as if discussing something as trivial as the weather. "You should be grateful, really. You're alive because of them—because of me."

Rage and betrayal twisted tight in his gut, eyes stinging with something dangerously close to tears. His fists flared with kinetic energy, orange light crackling, breaths coming fast and harsh.

"You're insane," Remond snarled, voice raw. "You're a monster!"

Catherine chuckled, the sound low and mocking. "If that's what it takes," she mused, eyes glinting with cruel delight. "But I'm afraid this little rebellion of yours ends here."

His vision blurred, heart pounding a brutal rhythm in his ears. "I'll stop you," he growled, voice a vow. "I swear—I'll bring you all down."

Her smile widened, eyes glinting with dark amusement. "You can try," she said, voice sweet as venom. "But you're just a child playing hero, Remond."