Chapter 22: The Hunt Begins

The industrial district smelled of rust, oil, and decay. The streets were empty—no pedestrians, no passing cars. Just silence. It was the kind of place where bodies disappeared, and no one asked questions.

Alex crouched behind a stack of rusted shipping containers, scanning the abandoned high-rise ahead. The building loomed in the darkness, its windows shattered, its brick walls tagged with graffiti. Bishop was in there. Dead or alive.

Ellie knelt beside him, her pistol drawn. "I don't like this. Feels too quiet."

Alex nodded. It was too quiet.

Maya's voice crackled through their earpieces. "I tapped into some old security feeds. Looks like you've got movement on the second and fourth floors. Could be guards."

Alex exhaled. Black Sun had gotten here first.

He checked his rifle, then glanced at Ellie. "You take the side entrance. I'll go through the front."

Ellie smirked. "Finally, a little chaos."

She slipped away into the shadows, disappearing between the buildings.

Alex tapped his earpiece. "Maya, keep us updated. We go in silent until we can't."

Maya chuckled. "When does it ever stay silent?"

Alex smirked. "Never."

Then, he moved.

Into the Darkness

The front entrance was unguarded. That was a problem.

Alex stepped inside, rifle raised. Dust coated the floor, undisturbed except for a set of fresh boot prints leading up the staircase. He followed them, keeping close to the wall, every step calculated.

As he reached the second floor, he heard voices.

"…took him an hour ago."

"Boss wants him alive—for now."

Alex crept closer, peering through the doorway into a dimly lit room. Two guards. One was flipping through a file, while the other leaned against the wall, smoking.

Alex didn't hesitate.

Two shots. Silenced.

The first guard dropped instantly. The second barely had time to react before Alex slammed him against the wall, driving his knife into the man's throat.

No noise. No mess.

Alex grabbed the file off the desk, scanning the pages. Coordinates. Names. Notes about "the package."

He tapped his earpiece. "Maya, I need you to check some coordinates."

"Send 'em over."

He snapped a picture and sent it.

Maya's voice came back a second later, tight with urgency. "Holy shit."

"What?"

"That location isn't just any Black Sun facility. It's one of their off-grid sites. If Bishop's alive, they're taking him there."

Alex's jaw tightened. They were running out of time.

He grabbed his rifle and moved.

Ellie's Side

Ellie moved like a ghost through the building. She had taken out three guards already, each one a clean, silent kill. She was built for this.

As she reached the fourth floor, she heard something—muffled voices.

A storage room. The door was locked from the outside.

Ellie's gut told her to open it.

She picked the lock in seconds and swung the door open.

Inside, sitting against the wall, bloodied and bound—Bishop.

His eyes flickered open. He looked rough. Bruised, cut, but still breathing.

Ellie grinned. "Miss us?"

Bishop groaned. "Took you long enough."

Ellie knelt and cut his restraints. "Can you walk?"

He nodded weakly. "Yeah. But we need to—"

Gunfire.

The hallway exploded with bullets as Black Sun operatives stormed the floor.

Ellie yanked Bishop up and shoved him behind cover. "Stay down!"

She fired back, her pistol snapping off precise shots, dropping two men instantly.

Alex's voice crackled in her ear. "What's happening?"

Ellie gritted her teeth. "They found us. It's getting messy."

Alex cursed. "I'm on my way."

Maya's voice cut in. "You guys need to move! More guards are inbound!"

Ellie grabbed Bishop's arm. "Time to go."

They bolted out of the storage room, bullets trailing behind them.

Alex met them at the stairwell, taking down a guard with a clean headshot. "You good?"

Ellie nodded. "He's alive. But we've got company."

Alex reloaded. "Then let's make this quick."

They moved as one, cutting through Black Sun's forces with brutal efficiency. Each kill was personal now.

By the time they reached the exit, the building was burning behind them.

Maya was already waiting outside in a stolen SUV. "Get in!"

Alex and Ellie shoved Bishop into the back seat and jumped in after him.

Maya floored it, tires screeching as they tore out of the district.

The Aftermath

Bishop coughed, wincing. "You don't know what you just got yourselves into."

Alex glanced at him. "Then start talking."

Bishop's face darkened.

"They're not just after you anymore."

He handed Alex a blood-stained note.

One last name had been added to the kill list.

Maya.

She saw it and paled. "Well… shit."

Ellie tightened her grip on her pistol. "They just made the biggest mistake of their lives."

Alex exhaled slowly.

The war wasn't just personal anymore.

It was payback.