After barely escaping the lockdown at Dock 17, Kelin fled through underground tunnels and encrypted street passages, finally making it back to the Green Bender hideout in San Track City.
Bruised. Exhausted. But alive.
His crew greeted him with worried eyes.
"They saw me," Kelin said.
"Melin and Jack were there. They locked the whole zone down."
Bytefire stepped forward.
"What now?"
Kelin looked up. Eyes dark.
"We go back to the start."
Back to the Devil: Kate
Later that evening, Kelin stepped into an abandoned courthouse turned secret headquarters. The air was dry. The walls echoed silence.
There, sitting alone on a broken judge's bench, was Commander Kate—his long black uniform gleaming, his silver five-star badge glinting in the low light.
Kelin stood tall.
"The hit was a setup. Your man Drax is Red Cult—he had a full security ring and my brothers were there."
Kate turned slowly.
"And yet… Drax is still alive."
Kelin narrowed his eyes.
"You didn't tell me he was protected by Ballas. You wanted me dead, didn't you?"
Kate stood up, clenching his jaw. His face was red with rage, veins pulsing at his neck.
"You were given a simple mission."
"One man. One bullet. But instead, you hesitated like a scared little boy."
Kelin moved a hand toward his knife. Kate noticed and scoffed.
"Don't. You're not in control anymore."
The Betrayal
Kate walked slowly toward a black terminal in the wall, typing in a command. A screen lit up.
CCTV footage from inside a new prison — dark walls, sealed cells, red laser locks.
Inside one of them:
Celin.
Face bruised. Clothes torn. Sitting in silence.
Kelin's heart dropped.
"That's not San-Jamb Prison," he whispered.
Kate grinned.
"Correct. I moved him."
"Your brother is now in Kate Prison—a private blacksite under my control."
He stepped forward, breathing heavy with fury.
"You disobeyed me. So now, you owe me twice."
"You want your brother? Then do what you're told. Complete the next mission."
"Or I'll bury him so deep, not even your Green Benders can find his bones."
Power in Uniform
Kate pulled off his black coat, revealing full military-grade armor, a steel chestplate with blood-red stripes, and twin pistols on his hips.
"This city thinks cops are heroes. But me?"
"I run San-Jamb from the shadows. Politicians fear me. Gangs work for me. And now... so will you."
Kelin clenched his fists.
"You're no commander. You're just a monster with a badge."
Kate smiled cruelly.
"Then maybe it's time you become one too."
Meanwhile… in the Darkness
Inside his prison cell, Celin opened his eyes slowly.
Something felt wrong.
The guards were different. The food colder. The air tighter.
He whispered:
"Kelin… I hope you're coming."
To Be Continued...