A City on Lockdown

The flames still crackled behind them as X pushed himself up. His body ached. His ribs were bruised, his breathing ragged. But he was still alive.

Widow let them live.

Which meant this wasn't over.

Raven dusted soot off her jacket. "Next time, I put a bullet in her head."

Kessler groaned, sitting up against the wall. He looked shaken. "We should've kept running."

X ignored him. His mind was already working.

Widow didn't kill us. She stalled us. Why?

Then—sirens.

X's stomach dropped. Echelon was locking down the city.

He peered out of the alley, his sharp eyes scanning the streets.

Checkpoints.

Armed guards patrolling the roads.

Surveillance drones buzzing overhead.

They weren't just hunting them anymore.

The entire city was their prison.

Kessler wiped sweat from his brow. "They're closing in. We're running out of places to hide."

Raven cursed. "Great. Just great. We've got elite assassins, a sniper, and now the whole damn city looking for us."

X thought fast. They needed a way out.

They needed a ghost exit—an escape route Echelon wouldn't expect.

He turned to Kessler. "That smuggler you mentioned. Can he still get us out?"

Kessler hesitated. "He'll try—if we can reach him. But the docks will be swarming with agents."

X's jaw tightened. They had no choice.

They moved through the backstreets, staying in the shadows. Every corner was a risk.

Echelon's influence was everywhere. Surveillance cameras, patrols, snipers on rooftops.

At one intersection, they spotted a group of soldiers questioning civilians.

Kessler stiffened. "They're asking about us."

X's eyes narrowed. This wasn't just a manhunt anymore.

Echelon was using fear.

They wanted the entire city to turn against them.

By the time they reached the docks, it was past midnight. Fog rolled in from the sea, covering the abandoned warehouses.

A man waited for them near an old shipping container.

Thin. Twitchy. Nervous.

A rat in human form.

His name was Luca.

Kessler approached first. "Luca, we need passage. Quietly."

Luca sniffed, eyeing them carefully. "You're asking a lot."

X stepped forward. "You can do it."

Luca's eyes flicked to X. He hesitated.

Then—he smiled.

"Maybe. But there's a problem."

X already knew what he was going to say.

"They're already here, aren't they?"

Luca's smile widened. "Bingo."

Before X could react,

Gunfire erupted.

Bullets shredded through the shipping containers.

"AMBUSH!" Raven shouted.

Luca dived for cover as masked operatives swarmed the docks.

Not regular soldiers.

Echelon's death squad.

X grabbed his last magazine and opened fire.

Raven dropped an agent with a clean headshot.

Kessler? Useless.

Luca? Already running.

X cursed. They were outgunned and trapped.

Then—a familiar voice.

"You really don't know when to quit."

X turned..

And Widow stood there, pistol in hand, watching the fight unfold.

She smirked.

"This time, I won't let you walk away."