Fresh Start and Plans

The desert wind swept across the quiet estate nestled in the Nevada cliffs, stirring heat lines off the sand. A convoy of matte-black SUVs approached the compound, tires grinding the gravel underfoot as they came to a halt near the entrance of a sleek, fortified residence—part mansion, part corporate bunker.

John Wayne stepped out first, eyes scanning the terrain with the reflexive calm of someone who'd learned to survive worse than the desert's bite. His team followed—Price, Soap, Ghost, and Nikolai. No military insignia, no weapons. Just the air of men used to watching the edges of the world and making sure nothing slipped through.

The front door opened fast.

Jennifer Lewis stepped out, rage simmering behind her eyes. Her high heels struck the concrete like gunshots. At her side was Andrea Stark, tablet in hand, tapping rapidly as she looked up—equally unimpressed.

Jennifer didn't waste time.

"Where the hell have you been?"

John raised his hands slightly, trying to diffuse the incoming explosion.

"I can explain."

Andrea scoffed. "You better. Because while you were gone without a trace, we were putting out fires across every department. The board is furious, the media's getting curious, and half our global branches have gone radio silent waiting on leadership."

Jennifer stepped closer. "And don't you dare lie to me, John Edward Wayne."

Behind him, Soap whispered to Ghost, "How'd she know his middle name?"

"She raised him," Ghost replied. "She knows everything."

Price smirked, arms crossed. "Better him than us."

Nikolai chuckled under his breath.

John exhaled and dropped the joking tone. "I wasn't dead. But I had to disappear."

Jennifer's eyes narrowed. "Disappearing is easy when no one knows you exist."

Andrea tilted her head. "Yeah, let's talk about that. As far as the world is concerned, Jennifer Lewis has been running Wayne Industries alone for twenty years."

"Exactly," John said. "That was always the plan."

Jennifer folded her arms. "You were never supposed to show yourself unless absolutely necessary."

"It is necessary," John said. "Now more than ever."

Andrea blinked. "Wait... You mean—?"

John nodded. "I'm stepping forward. As John Wayne. The real owner and successor of Wayne Industries."

Andrea turned to Jennifer, stunned. "You're actually going to let him go public?"

Jennifer's expression remained unreadable. "It was never about 'letting him.' This was always his legacy. But it was supposed to be safe. Silent. Quiet."

"Well, that's out the window now," John said. "Eteon knows we exist. They've started to move. We can't keep playing from the shadows."

Soap muttered, "What's Eteon again?"

Ghost replied, "An organization with its claws in everything from biotech to black ops. They're the real problem."

John looked at Jennifer. "You always said if I wanted to make a difference, it couldn't be with bullets alone."

She nodded, slowly.

"So this is it," he continued. "I'm stepping in as CEO of Wayne Industries. Full public debut. But behind that, we turn the company into a weapon—not of war, but of innovation and control. We set the pace. Not just for defense, but for the future."

Andrea frowned. "You realize you've never been seen in public. Not once. You're a ghost. Even the board thinks you're a legal construct Jennifer created to hold shares."

"Then it's time they met their new boss," John said.

Jennifer gave a long sigh. "We'll need a carefully scripted return. A narrative that holds. We'll say you've been off-grid, focused on internal research. Groomed from childhood to take the reins. A quiet genius who's stepping up now."

"No mention of combat," Andrea added sharply.

"None," John agreed. "As far as the world knows, I've spent my life in think tanks and labs under the guidance of my guardian. The only people who know the truth—about the military, the Task Force, the missions—are in this room, General Bennett, and the President."

Price spoke up. "So we stay dead."

John nodded. "Exactly. You four were never here. You don't exist. But you'll still be my eyes and ears when I need you."

Nikolai grinned. "I like being dead. Less paperwork."

Jennifer turned toward the glass wall that overlooked the desert. "We'll have to prep the board. Carefully. Once you go public, there's no going back."

"I'm ready," John said firmly. "No more hiding."

Andrea smirked. "Well, you clean up better than most engineers-turned-phantoms."

"Thank the holobuds," Soap whispered, nudging Ghost. "He still looks like a lab geek in rich kid clothing."

"Rich kid's about to run a billion-dollar empire," Ghost replied. "Lab geek or not, he's the one pulling the strings now."

Jennifer turned back, eyes focused. "If you're doing this, you'll need my full backing. Publicly and privately. And Andrea will oversee your transition. The moment you walk into that boardroom, you're either king... or a sacrificial lamb."

John nodded. "I understand."

"You'd better," Jennifer said. "Because the world may not know who you are yet—but when they do, they'll either fear you... or try to destroy you."

That night, as the desert cooled and stars lit the sky in cold silence, John Wayne stood alone on the balcony. The wind carried the scent of sand and memory. Behind him, his team relaxed—ghosts with nowhere else to go. And inside, Jennifer and Andrea quietly drafted what would become his first public appearance.

He stared up at the stars, jaw set.

"This time," he murmured, "I won't just fight in the dark. I'll build in the light."

The quiet voice of Great Sage echoed in his mind.

"Master, this is the path that leads to legacy."

John smiled faintly. "Then let's walk it."

And with that, John Wayne—the boy no one knew existed—prepared to step into the light for the first time... and change the world.

...

P.S. starting this week I won't be able to upload much because classes have started and I have to focus, I may upload from time to time but it will not be consistent, I hope you all understand. 

Now, the story is a bit confusing because I did not state on the last chapter how they got from the old soviet base to Nevada, but I will write it as a side story as well as the part when he revealed his skills to lewis and Andrea and named them.

Lastly thanks for the support I'll try to improve this and may edit Sim chapters to make the storyline not too chaotic, but now I'll give you this chapter, there will be more but I don't know when, I'll try to post often in my free time now pls enjoy and continue to support my first work.

P.S.

My second work Starting In Fast and Furious with cheats will be remaked, I won't drop it I'll try a different approach and focus more on the story line of Fast there, here is more of a chaotic universe but the canon will start soon. I'm making it and still on the process of thinking how to start it with all the changes the MC brought like the advance tech.. But I already have an idea how thanks to some comments out there, they give fantastic ideas and inspire me to write chapters revolving in them.

Thanks again for the support see you in the next chapter GM peace..