BOOM.
The wall behind Riven and Kira exploded into splinters of concrete and fire.
Dust clouded the air as a squad of black-clad Executioners burst into the room—each armored in sleek black suits etched with glowing red lines, helmets down, weapons drawn. Their red visors locked onto Kira.
"Target K-0 located. Engage."
Kira spun, digital blade forming in her hand, its jagged edge humming with unstable code.
"Already?" she growled. "They didn't even wait a full day."
"Riven!" she shouted. "We've got company!"
"I see them!" Riven snarled, as his Execution Code flared to life. Red sigils spun across his arms as his fingers curled into fists.
The Executioners moved fast—three charged Kira with plasma-edged blades while two flanked Riven with compressed arc rifles.
Kira's sword clashed against theirs in a flurry of sparks. Her feet skidded across the old wooden floor, heels digging in as she parried a thrust and twisted into a sweeping counterattack that sliced through a soldier's shoulder.
"No mercy," she said coldly.
One Executioner aimed at her back—but Riven flashed in, blinking forward in an instant and slamming his palm into the rifle's barrel.
BZZZZZT—!
It backfired, electrocuting the soldier and knocking him out cold.
"I said—she's not going with you," Riven hissed, eyes glowing red.
The third soldier came at him with a dual blade, spinning fast.
Riven ducked the first strike, caught the second mid-swing, and kicked the soldier through the rotting wall into the kitchen.
"Kitchen's closed," he muttered.
Kira danced through the living room, blade moving in brutal arcs. She wasn't fighting like a soldier—she was fighting like someone remembering who she truly was. Strike. Dodge. Slice. Leap. Her style was fluid and wild, powered by emotion and muscle memory unlocking in real time.
More soldiers poured in through the blown-out side of the house.
Kira turned to her brother, panting.
"They're not stopping."
"We don't need them to," Riven said. "We just need to finish this."
He slammed his fists together. His Execution Code flared, and a red digital portal burst open beside him. From it, Tony, Vincent, and Mark jumped out, already in motion.
Tony drew both pistols mid-air and unleashed a barrage of light rounds, bullets bouncing between walls and soldiers like glowing ricochets.
Mark roared as he smashed down with his digitized hammer, cracking the floor and sending a shockwave that tossed enemies into the ceiling.
Vincent landed last, sliding across the floor as blue EMP energy spread from his palm, disrupting three Executioners' suits at once. Their helmets short-circuited and crashed to the ground.
"We saw your signal," Tony said, spinning his pistols. "Thought we'd join the party."
"Nice of you to crash in," Riven replied, grinning through blood on his lip.
Kira didn't wait. She charged through the smoke and struck the next wave of enemies with ruthless precision. Her sword's edge shifted, transforming mid-swing into a massive digital broadsword that shattered the floor beneath one of the agents.
"Death Protocol wants to take me back?" she shouted. "Then come and get me!"
A missile tore through the side of the building—BOOM—blasting the staircase apart.
Outside, dropships hovered in the sky. Dozens more soldiers were rappelling down.
"We're getting overrun!" Vincent called. "They're sending half the damn army!"
Riven growled. His eyes flickered—calculating, desperate.
Then—he activated Pause.
The world froze.
Then he activated portal.
For five seconds—everything stopped. Bullets mid-air. Soldiers mid-leap. Even the falling rubble suspended in time.
"Move now!" Riven shouted. "Clear the house!"
They grabbed Kira, who was already sprinting for the back door, and dove out into the portal and landing on the alley behind the home just as time resumed—
KA-BOOM!!
The house erupted in a fireball behind them, collapsing into smoke and flame.
The team hit the alley hard, panting, scorched, but alive.
"They're not letting up," Kira said, blade flickering in her hand.
"No," Riven said grimly. "They won't stop until you're back in chains."
Kira's gaze darkened. "Then we stop them first."
Somewhere Above – In the Dropship
A figure stood watching from the command platform—arms crossed, mask shining.
The Commander. Cipher's mimic.
He said nothing.
Just stared at the burning ruins of the house and the figures running into the shadows.
Then he turned and spoke into the comms.
"Deploy Phase-Two Hunters."
A pause.
"We'll retrieve her alive."
He clenched a fist."