Chapter 14: Shadowed Betrayals

Hiro lay sprawled on the cold factory floor, blood pooling from the wound on his leg.

He gritted his teeth, the pain searing through his body. In front of him was, Rei and Takeda standing frozen, their hands hovering near their weapons but hesitated to act.

The sniper, perching from above, had his rifle trained squarely on Hiro's head, "Take another step, and I'll blow his head off," the sniper sneered, his voice echoing in the silent factory.

Takeda clenched his fists in frustration, muttering to Rei, "Damn it, so now what do we do?"

Rei's voice was barely a whisper. "I don't know."

From the ground, Hiro growled, "What the hell are you idiots waiting for, huh?"

Takeda's head whipped towards him. "Huh?"

Hiro, his voice filled with rage, yelled, "JUST HURRY UP AND KILL THE DAMN BASTARD ALREADY!"

The sniper in that moment fired a warning shot, as the bullet grazed the floor inches away from Hiro's head. "If I hear another word come out of your mouth, the next bullet won't miss," the sniper barked, his cold eyes shifting back to Rei and Takeda.

"Now, what's it going to be? Surrender, or watch your friend die right before your eyes. If I were you, I'd make the right choice."

Rei's face tightened as she spoke softly to Takeda. "He's right. We should just surrender."

"What? You can't be serious!" Takeda hissed.

Rei nodded grimly, unbuckling her gear belt and tossed it to the floor. "Hey!" she called out to the sniper, raising her hands. "We surrender, okay? Just don't hurt him."

Takeda scowled, clicking his tongue in frustration. "We're going to regret this," he muttered, tossing his knife aside and raising his hands.

Rei whispered to Takeda, "Just be ready."

On the ground, Hiro muttered under his breath, "Idiots."

The sniper smirked. "Good. Now you all get to die together. I can't just let you leave, not with those files, now can I?"

Rei's expression turned icy. "Honestly, I didn't expect you to."

Takeda taking a step forward pulled a set of small black spheres from his pocket. "Think you can really kill us? Go ahead and try."

The sniper adjusted his aim, but Takeda hurled the spheres at him. They exploded on impact, shrouding the area in thick, dark smoke.

A shot rang out through the smoke, the bullet grazing Takeda's shoulder. However, from the shadows, sharp needles whizzed through the air, striking the sniper's neck and skull, crumpling to the floor, lifeless.

Rei then dusted her hands clean, exhaling sharply. "That takes care of that."

Takeda, clutching his wounded shoulder, shot her a glare. "Speak for yourself. I'm the one who got freaking shot here!"

Rei smirked. "Shame it didn't hit your annoying head."

"You wish, brat!" Takeda shot back.

Rei ignored him and knelt beside Hiro. "Hey, you okay?"

Hiro groaned, pushing himself to a sitting position. "What do you think? No, I'm not okay."

Takeda scoffed. "At least you're alive."

Hiro looked up, confused. "Why didn't you just leave me behind? You could've just made a run for it with the files."

Takeda turned his back to Hiro. "I knew you were an idiot, but I didn't think you were this dumb."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Hiro snapped.

Rei then began wrapping a bandage around Hiro's wounded leg, cutting off his retort. "It means you're one of us now. Therefore, no matter what happens, we won't abandon one of our own. Whether they like it or not."

She tied the bandage tight, causing Hiro to wince. "Hey! Easy Now! I'm delicate, you know!"

Rei smirked, pulling it even tighter. "There. That should do it." She said, slapping the bandage, sending a fresh wave of pain through Hiro.

Standing, she clapped her hands together. "Alright, it's time to go."

She glanced at Takeda. "You carry him Takeda."

"What? Why the hell should I?" Takeda protested.

"Because you're the pack mule," Rei replied matter-of-factly.

"LIKE HELL I AM!" He yelled.

"Quit whining and just get a move already. We don't have much time."

Takeda grumbled, hoisting Hiro onto his back. "Come on, you piece of shit. We're leaving."

As they disappeared into the shadows, leaving the bodies of their enemies behind, a lone figure watched from a hidden vantage point.

Miles away, the leader of the organization Kazuo Mori, stood outside the factory, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He pulled out his phone from his pocket; And began dialling a number.

Then a woman's voice answered. "Yes?"

"It's me," he said, climbing into his car. "We've got a problem. Someone managed to get in and they stole the documents."

The woman chuckled. "Really what a shame. But it really doesn't matter anymore."

"What? What do you mean?" He asked in confusion.

"The plan shall proceeds as intended. So we have no further use for you," she said coolly.

Mori's eyes widened. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

The line then went dead.

His hands trembled in fear as he tried to redial the number, but the car suddenly surged forward. As the brakes would not respond. He slammed his foot down, but the car only sped up.

"NO, NO, NO!" he screamed, fumbling with his seatbelt. However, it refused to budge.

Ahead, the road ended abruptly at an unfinished overpass. The car launched into the air, crashing into the scaffolding below.

The explosion lit up the night sky as the car engulfed in flames.

Back in her office, the woman leaned back on her chair, a satisfied smile on her lips. "It is done."

End of the 14th Chapter.