Chapter 24:The Hunt Begins

The emergency stairwell thudded with another blast that tore through the underground complex. Smoke poured from below, and alarms wailed in frantic, high-pitched tones. In the leading order was James, rifle steady along the way while games led them upward toward the enterprising surface.

Lina gripped the hard drive, her fingers wrapped tightly around the only leverage they had against the Architect. covering their escape, Sarah and Hassan moved on either side of her. The Broker still bound, if now no longer smiling kept pace as best he was able to manage.

"Any chance we're walking into a less fiery exit?" the Broker coughed, ducking a descending pipe.

James didn't respond; his mind was racing. They had been played, controlled, like pieces on a board by the Architect. But for the first time now they had something the Architect didn't realize the truth.

"How secure is that data, Lina?" James asked as they climbed.

She kept on running as she answered, "It's encrypted, but the key files need time extracting. This is deep intelligence, James. We're talking about extortion, assassinations, black market government deals everything the Syndicate's done to stay in power."

Hassan exhaled sharply. "Which, of course, is why they won't let us leave alive."

As if on cue, shots rang out from above. The door to the stairwell swung wide, Syndicate enforcers spilling into view.

"DOWN!" James yelled, driving Lina up against the wall as bullets sprayed in their direction. Sarah and Hassan opened fire, two precision shots took out the first two enforcers.

James pointed, weapons firing and knocking an enemy over the railing. The Broker ducked against the stairs, his guffaw resounding through the tumult. "I'll admit, I'm impressed. The average person doesn't stay alive this long."

James glared at him. "We're not 'most people.' "

Sarah threw a grenade up the stairwell. "Fire in the hole!"

The explosion sent shrapnel crashing down, offering them a small window for movement.

"Go, go, go!" James urged.

They charged up the final flight of stairs and exploded into open air.

But freedom wasn't what awaited them.

It was a trap.

In a Conversation with the Architect

A dozen armed men surrounded the exit, laser beams trained on their heads. A figure draped in a fitted black suit stood at the eye of that formation, their power radiating outward, face inscrutable.

The Architect.

James locked eyes with them. "It's about time you crawled out from beneath the rocks."

The Architect smiled a slow smile. "And yet, here you are. Caught. Again."

Lina held the hard drive tighter. Hassan's finger danced next to the trigger. Sarah's jaw tightened.

The Architect put their hands behind their back. "I've got to hand it to you, James, you surprised me. But don't kid yourself you don't get to beat me. You never have."

James straightened. "We have the files."

The Architect nodded, unspooked. "Yes. And what are you going to do with them? Run to the authorities? We own them. Leak them to the public? We control the media. "Wherever you turn, I am already there.

James smirked. "You sound nervous."

For the first time ever, the Architect's smile faded.

James pressed forward. "That's the difference between you and me. You think power is control. But power is trust. You don't have any. Your empire is built on fear. The moment we expose you, your people will turn on you."

Fumbling, the guards shifted, unsure. An array of disparate people crammed into the small room, someone pulling chairs into the small spaces, and everyone sat on the edges of their seats, the air crackling with tension like electricity.

Then, the Architect sighed. "A good speech. But words won't save you."

They raised a hand, and the enforcers moved in closer.

James glanced at his team. If they were going to fight, this was it.

A piercing whistle slashed through the air.

Out of the darkness, snipers emerged perching on rooftops, rifles focused on the Syndicate's enforcers.

The Architect stilled.

James grinned. "You see, I came prepared as well."

The Architect's eyes danced, calculating. They were still under the thumb of their men, just not as much as before.

Then, the Broker chuckled. "Uh, now this is interesting."

The Architect turned to him. "You. You betrayed me."

The Broker, still tied down but relishing every minute of it, shrugged. "Consider it a business decision."

James seized the moment. "Your move, Architect."

The Syndicate's leader hesitated for the first time.

And James knew the balance had changed.

This was no longer just survival.

This marked the start of the Syndicate's decline.