chapter 4:Revelation in The Desert

The fire crackled softly, casting long shadows over the safe house. Jeffrie sat apart from the others, staring at his hands, the same hands that had crushed a man's skull hours ago.

He could still feel the whispers clawing at the edges of his mind. The flashes of experiments, of something inhuman inside him. He wasn't modified like Ray and Trice. Sable hadn't enhanced him.

Then why the hell was he different?

Scarlett leaned against the wall; arms crossed. "You gonna talk about it?"

Jeffrie didn't look up. "Nothing to talk about."

"Bullshit."

Ray, sitting across from him, sighed. "Brudda, we get it. Finding out you ain't who you thought you were? Been there."

Trice nodded. "But you gotta keep your head straight. We got work to do."

Sophia pulled up a holo-map, flicking through the stolen data. "Sable's moving something big. A convoy—heavily armed, high security. Whatever's inside? It's important."

Azul smirked. "So, we steal it?"

Raven, ever the strategist, shook her head. "We cripple it. Make Sable feel the hit."

Jeffrie exhaled slowly. The rage, the uncertainty—it would have to wait. For now.

"Fine." He stood, cracking his knuckles. "Let's move."

The desert night swallowed them whole, the convoy's headlights cut through the darkness like searchlights. Dozens of armored trucks, soldiers in full gear, and heavy weapons.

Azul jammed their comms.

Scarlett and Raven took the flanks, blades ready.

Sophia and Lily positioned themselves for cover fire.

Ray and Trice stood beside Jeffrie. "On your word, Brudda," Ray murmured.

Jeffrie's golden eyes gleamed in the dark.

"Hit 'em hard."

The first explosion ripped through the lead vehicle, flipping it in a fiery blast. Gunfire erupted. The team descended like a storm.

Scarlett weaved through enemy lines, daggers slicing through throats.

Raven moved like a ghost, killing before they even saw her.

Ray and Trice fought side by side, a blur of fists, bullets, and raw power.

Jeffrie—he was somewhere else entirely. His body moved faster than his thoughts, dodging bullets, breaking bones with every hit. It was almost too easy—

Then—

A voice cut through the chaos.

"Damn, boys. Took you long enough to find us."

Jeffrie froze.

Ray stiffened. Trice's breath caught.

Stepping from the wreckage—Nick and Mack.

Alive. Armed. And working for Sable.

"No..." Ray whispered.

Trice clenched his fists. "Cuzzo, tell me I ain't seeing this shit."

Nick smirked. "Oh, you're seeing it, all right."

Mack cracked his neck. "Question is—what the hell are you gonna do about it?"

The Fight That Changed Everything

Nick and Mack weren't just soldiers anymore.

They were enhanced.

They moved like ghosts, faster than before, stronger.

Trained to kill their own brothers.

Nick's Mistake

Nick lunged at Jeffrie first—big mistake.

Jeffrie dodged instinctively, his reflexes moving before his mind could. He countered—faster than he should have been able to. His fist slammed into Nick's ribs.

Crack.

Nick barely staggered. "Damn, Rios. You have been holdin' back?"

Mack rushed at Ray, their fight breaking into a vicious exchange of fists and elbows.

Raven circled the chaos, watching Nick closely. She wasn't one to jump in without a plan, but something about the way he moved had her attention.

Then Nick smirked.

He wasn't focused on Jeffrie.

He was baiting.

Raven realized a second too late.

She thought she could predict his next move.

She was wrong.

Nick feinted left—Jeffrie moved to counter.

Then—Nick struck.

Not at Jeffrie.

At Raven.

Jeffrie hadn't even noticed her move-in. His mind had been locked onto Nick—reading his feint, preparing for the counter.

He was so focused on the fight—he never saw Raven coming.

Then—impact.

Nick's fist slammed into Raven's ribs.

Crack.

She gasped. Staggered.

Mack was already moving.

His boot met her stomach—a devastating, full-force kick.

She went airborne—straight toward Trice.

Trice saw it. He moved in to catch her.

But Mack was ready for him.

Before Trice could react, Mack pivoted—his first kick slammed into Trice's chest.

Trice barely had time to grunt before he was sent flying.

Mack didn't stop.

Using the momentum of the first kick—he spun mid-air.

His second kick connected with Raven's back.

A sickening, bone-rattling impact.

Jeffrie saw it all—too fast, too calculated.

He was going to stop it.

But by the time he moved, Nick was already waiting.

Nick clenched his fist.

As Raven's body came flying toward him—he twisted his entire weight into one final, merciless punch.

His knuckles met Raven's skull.

A brutal, earth-shattering impact.

A sickening crunch.

Blood splattered the dirt.

Raven's body hit the ground hard.

She didn't move.

Jeffrie stood frozen.

His mind took a full second to process—how did this happen?

His breath hitched—he hadn't even noticed she was in danger.

And now she was down.

Jeffrie snapped.

Something inside Jeffrie tore open.

A dam-breaking. A switch flipping.

The whispers in his mind? They roared.

One second, Nick and Mack stood there, smirking.

The next?

Jeffrie was on them.

A hurricane of violence. Unstoppable.

His fist met Nick's face.

Bone shattered.

Mack moved—Jeffrie caught his arm and twisted.

Snap.

He didn't stop.

Didn't think.

Just destroyed.

Nick tried to retreat—but Jeffrie grabbed his throat.

Mack swung—Jeffrie, caught his fist mid-air and crushed it.

Then—the killing blow.

Jeffrie raised his fist.

Nick barely had time to register what was coming.

One punch—straight through Nick's chest.

A wet, ugly sound.

Nick's body seized—his mouth gaped open in shock.

Jeffrie ripped his bloodied fist free.

Nick hit the ground.

Dead.

Mack—in shock, in horror—moved.

Too slow.

Jeffrie grabbed him—a blur of raw, inhuman strength.

He didn't hesitate.

Didn't second guess.

Didn't stop.

A brutal, crushing twist of the neck.

Snap.

Mack's body dropped lifelessly to the ground beside Nick.

The battlefield went silent.

Blood pooled in the dirt.

Jeffrie stood there—breathing hard, body trembling, fists dripping red.

No one stopped him.

Not Ray.

Not Trice.

Not even Raven, barely clinging to consciousness.

Jeffrie had crossed the line.

There was no going back.

They were dead.

But somehow...

The air hung thick with smoke and blood. The battlefield, once roaring with chaos, now stood eerily silent—until the explosion.

Jeffrie barely flinched as the shockwave blasted through the ridge, dirt, and debris scattered through the night.

Figures emerged from the shadows; silhouettes cut against the fire.

Aidan Cole. Marcus Vance.

And they weren't alone.

Nick and Mack—lifeless, unmoving, their bodies ruined from Jeffrie's wrath—were hoisted upright, dragged by Aidan's men.

Jeffrie's golden eyes narrowed.

They were taking them.

Aidan smirked, tilting his head. "You didn't think we'd let you keep them, did you?"

Marcus cracked his knuckles. "They belong to us."

Lily's voice was sharp, urgent. "Jeffrie, we need to move. Now."

Jeffrie wasn't listening.

His eyes locked onto Nick's mangled body, Mack's twisted form.

This wasn't how this was supposed to end.

He should have left them here. Buried under the weight of their sins.

Not... this.

Scarlet's voice cut through the tension. "Why do you need corpses?"

Aidan chuckled. "Now, that is a question for another day." His gaze flicked back to Jeffrie. "But don't worry, Ghost. This isn't goodbye."

Marcus smirked. "No, it's just an intermission."

Jeffrie's fists clenched. His body burned.

He had half a mind to rip them apart where they stood.

Sophia's flames flickered to life beside him, ready.

Scarlet shifted her stance.

But Lily...

Lily wasn't looking at Aidan or Marcus.

She was still pressing against Raven's wound, whispering, "Not now, not now, not now..."

Raven needed them.

Jeffrie exhaled slowly.

Aidan's smirk widened. "You can fight now, or you can live to regret this later."

Marcus stepped back, motioning to his men. "We'll be seeing you, Rios."

Then—

Smoke bombs.

The ridge vanished in a thick, suffocating cloud.

By the time it cleared—they were gone.

And so were the bodies.

The battlefield fell silent again.

Jeffrie stood frozen.

They took them.

Why?

His jaw clenched. His rage was nowhere near satisfied.

Sophia sighed, her flames flickering out. "This isn't over."

Scarlet crossed her arms. "It never is."

Jeffrie finally turned back toward Raven, watching as Lily worked desperately to stabilize her.

He exhaled sharply.

No.

This wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.