Chapter 9: The Fractured Truth

Nova moved first, her pistol aimed directly at Reyes' head. "Move and you're dead."

Reyes barely reacted. His glowing amber eyes stayed fixed on Kade.

"After all these years, you're still letting someone else do the thinking for you?"

Kade could barely form a response. His mind was caught between rage, disbelief, and something dangerously close to hope.

Because if Reyes was alive… if he had somehow survived—

No. No, this wasn't right.

The man standing before him wasn't the same Reyes he had known.

His body was pristine, his cybernetics advanced beyond anything Kade had ever seen. The Syndicate didn't just rebuild him. They perfected him.

Nova's voice was sharp. "Kade. Who is he?"

Kade didn't take his eyes off Reyes. "My squad leader. He died five years ago."

Reyes chuckled, his voice laced with amusement. "Five years?" He shook his head. "Kade, do you even know what year it is?"

Kade's stomach dropped.

Nova's cybernetic eye flickered, analyzing Reyes, then stiffened. "Kade, he's not lying."

The realization hit like a gunshot.

Kade had been running, fighting, surviving—but all this time, something had been missing. He had no memory of the past two years.

His mind was a fractured mess of battles, ambushes, near-death escapes—but now, staring into Reyes' amber gaze, a horrifying thought crawled into his mind.

What if he hadn't been running for five years?

What if the Syndicate had him—and he just didn't remember?

Before Kade could say anything, the chamber shook violently.

A low alarm blared through the facility. Warning lights flashed red.

Nova turned, scanning the room. "We need to move. Now."

But Reyes didn't even flinch.

He smirked. "Run all you want. It won't change anything."

Kade's gut twisted. There was something deeper, something Reyes wasn't saying—

Then Reyes leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You're already too late."

Before Kade could demand an answer, the ceiling split apart.

A colossal explosion rocked the chamber, sending flames and debris raining down. Metal beams collapsed, cutting off their only exit.

Nova grabbed Kade's wrist. "We're not dying down here! Move!"

But Kade couldn't move.

Not yet.

Because through the smoke, he saw Reyes standing unaffected, watching him like he was waiting.

And that's when Kade knew.

This wasn't an ambush.

This was a test.

And whatever was coming next…

Was going to be worse.