CHAPTER 59

The Reckoning

The night was heavy with the weight of what was coming.

I stood at the edge of the abandoned airstrip, watching as the Resistance forces gathered, the cold wind cutting through my jacket. Weapons were checked, plans were whispered, and the air pulsed with the kind of tension that only comes before war.

Riley was beside me, loading her rifle with a steady hand, her jaw set in grim determination. "We won't get another shot at this, Nathan."

I exhaled slowly, my hands tightening into fists. "We won't need one."

Because this wasn't just another mission. This was the endgame.

For years, the Oath had operated in the shadows, pulling strings, erasing lives, rewriting histories. They had taken my daughter and turned her into something unrecognizable. Tonight, that ended.

A sharp whistle cut through the night. Julian's voice followed, laced with amusement. "Still alive, Nathan? I have to admit, I'm impressed."

I turned, my muscles coiled, my fingers twitching toward my gun. Julian stood near the Resistance vehicles, his ever-present smirk in place. His dark coat flared slightly in the wind, but his hands were relaxed, tucked into his pockets. That was Julian for you—calm, controlled, like none of this could touch him.

"Surprised to see you here," I said coolly. "Didn't think you'd crawl out from whatever hole you were hiding in."

His smirk deepened. "You think I'd miss this? We're bringing down the Oath. Of course, I want front-row seats." His gaze sharpened. "Besides, I have my own debts to settle."

I studied him. Julian and I had always been on opposite sides of the same war, but tonight, we had a common enemy.

I nodded once. "Then let's get to work."

We moved quickly, loading into the vehicles, the Resistance ready. The plan was simple—hit the Oath's headquarters hard and fast, cut off their escape routes, and dismantle them from the inside. I wasn't here for bloodshed. I was here for one reason.

Her.

The thought sent a sharp pang through my chest. I had imagined this moment a thousand times—what I would say, how I would reach for her, how she would look at me with the same bright eyes she once had.

But she wasn't that little girl anymore.

She had been raised by them. Trained by them.

I clenched my teeth. No matter what they had done, she was still mine. And I was going to bring her home.

We reached the perimeter in record time. The Oath's headquarters was an imposing structure of steel and glass, surrounded by a high-tech security grid. Floodlights swept the ground, guards patrolled the gates.

Julian exhaled. "Subtle as always."

Riley smirked, already assembling her sniper rifle. "They won't see us coming."

I gave a signal, and the first explosion rocked the night. The Resistance moved in like a storm, sweeping through the outer defenses with ruthless efficiency. Smoke and gunfire filled the air, the sharp scent of burning metal clawing at my senses.

I moved through the chaos, my mind laser-focused. Every bullet dodged, every enemy taken down was just another step closer to her.

A group of Oath operatives rounded the corner, their weapons raised. I didn't hesitate. I dropped low, sweeping the legs of the nearest one and using his own momentum to slam him into the concrete. Another lunged at me, but Riley's shot rang out, dropping him before he could get close.

"Keep moving!" she shouted.

I did.

Through the corridors. Past fallen bodies. Deeper into the heart of the building.

Julian was somewhere behind me, cutting through enemies with that same terrifying precision he always had. Riley moved like a ghost, covering my blind spots.

Then I saw it.

A reinforced door, guarded by two heavily armed soldiers.

The lab.

I didn't slow. I threw a knife, burying it in the first guard's throat before he could react. The second barely had time to turn before my fist crushed into his jaw, sending him sprawling.

I reached for the keypad, hacking through its security with hands that trembled slightly. This was it.

The lock disengaged. The door slid open.

And then—I saw her.

The world stopped.

She stood in the center of the room, dressed in a sleek black tactical suit, a gun strapped to her thigh. She was taller than I remembered, her dark hair pulled back in a tight braid, her stance rigid with discipline.

Her eyes—God, her eyes—were the same shade of blue I saw in the mirror every morning. But they were cold. Distant.

She didn't move.

Didn't speak.

Didn't recognize me.

My breath hitched. "Emily…"

Her head tilted slightly, a flicker of something crossing her face. Then, in a voice that was quiet and sharp as a blade, she said—

"Who are you?"

Everything inside me shattered.

Before I could speak, a slow clap echoed from the far side of the room.

I knew that sound.

Julian stepped into view, his smirk still in place, but his eyes glowed with something darker. Something victorious.

"Well, well," he mused. "Looks like you're a little late, Nathan."

My stomach dropped.

He wasn't surprised to see her here.

He had known.

Riley stepped up beside me, her gun trained on Julian. "What the hell is this?"

Julian ignored her, his gaze locked onto mine. "She's one of us now. Trained. Conditioned. Ready."

My fists clenched. "You did this."

He gave a slow shake of his head. "No. The Oath did. I just made sure she ended up on the right side."

Rage burned through me like acid. My daughter—the child I had lost, the child I had mourned—stood in front of me, turned into a weapon.

I took a slow step forward. "Emily… it's me."

Her fingers twitched at her side. A flicker of something flashed through her eyes—confusion, hesitation.

Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

She reached for her gun.

And pointed it at me.

I didn't move.

My heart slammed against my ribs, my vision narrowing until all I could see was her.

She had been stolen from me. Brainwashed. Turned against me.

But she was still mine.

I swallowed hard, my voice steady despite the chaos tearing me apart. "You know me."

Her grip on the gun tightened.

Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.

Then Julian chuckled. "Looks like she doesn't."

The gunshot rang out.

Everything blurred.