The city was silent at 2:14 a.m.
Rain slicked the streets, neon lights bled through the mist, and in the industrial district on the city's east side, a convoy of unmarked vans crawled toward an unassuming warehouse. To anyone else, it was just another facility — nondescript, quiet, forgettable.
But tonight, it was the beating heart of a storm.
Kade Morello stood in the back of the lead van, checking his equipment one last time. His crew moved in silence around him — six men and two women, all dressed in matte-black tactical gear, their faces hidden behind masks. They weren't common thieves. These were specialists, veterans of heists that had broken banks, cracked vaults, and humiliated governments. And tonight, their target was Eversage.
"Three minutes," one of them murmured, checking his watch.
Kade nodded. "Comms check."
"Alpha, online."
"Bravo, online."
"Charlie, online."
He tapped his earpiece. "Ghost team, status?"
A voice crackled through. "Inside and in position. Cameras looped, sensors bypassed. You're clear."
Kade smirked. "Showtime."
The convoy rolled to a stop two blocks from the facility. The team slipped out like shadows, moving quickly and silently toward a service entrance. A thin beam of light scanned the keypad, and a second later, the lock clicked open.
"Door's green," one whispered.
They slipped inside.
On the other side of the city, in a dimly lit office high above C&B headquarters, Jason Yun watched a series of monitors flicker to life.
"They're in," Hendricks said, leaning forward.
Jason's expression didn't change. "How many?"
"Eight in the primary unit, two support outside," Hendricks replied. "Same team from the failed ambush. They're moving fast — must think the inside man did his job."
Jason's eyes narrowed. "And the decoys?"
"In place," Daisy confirmed from across the room. "All formula servers have been scrubbed. What they're about to steal is a carefully crafted nightmare."
Jason leaned back slightly, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips. "Then let's welcome our guests."
Inside the facility, the heist was unfolding like clockwork.
"Camera sweep complete," Alpha whispered. "We're invisible."
"Vault corridor secured," Bravo added. "Thermal sensors bypassed."
Kade moved at the front, his breathing steady. Every step was planned. Every second accounted for. This wasn't a smash-and-grab. This was a ghost operation — one that would be over before Eversage even realized they'd been hit.
"Status on the vault?" he asked quietly.
"Thirty meters ahead," Charlie replied. "We're inside in five."
The hallway leading to the central research vault stretched ahead of them, pristine and empty. Kade's boots made no sound against the polished floor. At the end of the corridor, a reinforced titanium door loomed — thick, imposing, and wrapped in layers of security.
"Thermal lock is armed," Charlie muttered, pulling a small device from his pack. "Give me ninety seconds."
"Sixty," Kade countered.
"Fine," Charlie grunted, setting the device against the wall. A soft hum filled the air as electromagnetic waves danced through the lock's circuitry. One by one, the status lights along the vault door flickered from red to green.
"Thirty seconds," Charlie said.
Kade's heart pounded. This was it. After weeks of planning, failed attempts, and corporate bloodletting, they were about to win.
The final lock clicked.
The vault door slid open.
Inside, the chamber was smaller than expected — stark, sterile, lined with shelves of sealed containers and digital terminals humming softly. But at the far end, behind a glass panel, sat the prize: a slim black case labeled Prototype Formula 2.0.
"There it is," Kade breathed. "Move."
Two operatives hurried forward with insulated cases. Another plugged a device into the terminal and began copying data. Lines of code streamed across his visor. "We're in. Downloading now."
"Five minutes," Kade said. "Then we disappear."
Five minutes later, alarms screamed to life.
"What the—?"
The operatives froze as red lights bathed the room. A synthesized voice echoed from hidden speakers: "Security breach detected. Containment protocol engaged."
"Alpha, status!" Kade barked.
"Doors sealed!" came the reply. "We're locked in!"
The vault door slammed shut with a metallic boom. Thick steel shutters dropped over the glass panel, sealing them inside.
"What's happening?" one operative hissed.
"Something's wrong with the download!" the hacker shouted. "The files— they're not formulas, they're—"
The screens around them flickered. Words appeared in bold white text:
"HELLO AGAIN."
Kade's stomach dropped.
Jason Yun's face appeared on every monitor, calm and composed, as if he were standing in the room with them. "I was wondering when you'd come back."
"Shut it down!" Kade yelled. "Kill the feed!"
The hacker frantically yanked cables, but the screen remained lit.
"Here's the thing," Jason's voice continued. "You didn't steal the formula. You didn't breach our system. What you did do… was break into a sandbox designed to look like our vault. Every file you just downloaded is traceable. Every piece of hardware you're carrying is tagged."
"Sir, they're triangulating!" one operative shouted. "We need to—"
"Too late," Jason's voice said.
A thunk echoed through the walls as reinforced blast doors slammed shut outside the vault. Heavy footsteps reverberated in the distance — dozens of them.
"Multiple hostiles inbound!" Alpha shouted. "SWAT units, coming from both ends!"
"Blow the door!" Kade barked.
Charlie slapped a charge against the wall. The explosion rocked the chamber, but when the smoke cleared, the vault door was untouched. The steel was too thick.
"Charges didn't breach!" Charlie yelled. "We're trapped!"
"Fallback plan?" someone asked desperately.
"There is no fallback plan!" Kade roared.
On the other side of the city, Jason watched the chaos unfold on his screens with surgical detachment.
"City tactical teams are in position," Hendricks reported. "They'll breach in sixty seconds."
"And our internal unit?" Jason asked.
"Already in the tunnels," Daisy said. "No one gets out."
Jason nodded once. "Good."
He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands. "Let's end this."
Back inside the facility, panic had set in.
"Thirty seconds!" someone shouted. "They're right outside!"
"Smoke!" Kade ordered. "Prep breaching charges!"
The crew scrambled, tossing smoke grenades and shouldering weapons. The air filled with haze and the acrid scent of chemicals.
The first blast hit like thunder.
Steel buckled. The vault door split open. Tactical units in black armor surged into the chamber, weapons raised, lasers painting targets across Kade's team.
"Drop your weapons!" a voice boomed.
"Do it!" Kade snapped. "We surrender!"
One by one, weapons clattered to the floor. Masked figures dropped to their knees, hands raised. The room filled with the sound of restraints clicking into place.
Kade stared at the ground, fury boiling beneath his calm exterior. He played us. Again.
Half an hour later, Jason stood in the facility's central control room, watching as the captured operatives were loaded into armored vehicles. Hendricks joined him, hands in his pockets.
"Five arrested," Hendricks reported. "Three slipped out before the breach, but we'll have their faces by morning."
"Good," Jason said quietly.
Daisy approached, holding a tablet. "We traced the devices they brought with them. All of them lead back to shell companies tied to Titan."
Jason's jaw tightened. "And Malcolm?"
"No direct link," Daisy admitted. "But the evidence is damning."
Jason stared at the screens for a long moment. "Not enough to destroy him in court. Not yet."
"What now?" Hendricks asked.
Jason's lips curved into a cold smile. "Now we let him stew. He's bleeding money. He's bleeding reputation. And after tonight, he's bleeding people too."
He turned toward them. "But make no mistake — this isn't over. Malcolm's not going to stop until he's broken. And when he comes back, he'll come back harder."
"And when he does?" Daisy asked.
Jason's eyes hardened. "We'll be ready."
Meanwhile, across the city, in a darkened office high above Titan Skincare headquarters, Malcolm Veyra hurled a bottle against the wall. It shattered, amber liquid splattering across the floor.
"Useless!" he roared. "All of you — useless!"
Kade stood silently near the door, blood trickling from a cut on his temple. "They were prepared, Malcolm. They knew."
"They always know!" Malcolm shouted. "They're always one step ahead!"
He paced the room like a caged animal, fury radiating from every movement. "We had the best. The best equipment, the best team. And still — still — they walk away unscathed."
"They've got someone feeding them information," Kade said. "It's the only explanation."
Malcolm stopped pacing. "Then find them. I don't care what it takes. I don't care who you have to bribe, torture, or kill. Find the rat."
"And if there isn't one?" Kade asked.
"Then find a way inside anyway," Malcolm hissed. "Because I swear to you, Kade… I will not let this stand."
He turned back toward the window, rain streaking down the glass like tears. "Eversage humiliated me twice. They won't get a third chance."
At that same hour, Jason walked through the silent halls of the Eversage lab. The vault was sealed again, the false data wiped clean, the entire facility on high alert. He paused at the observation deck, looking down at the rows of humming equipment below.
For now, they were safe.
But he knew better than to think the storm had passed.
"Sir," Daisy said softly as she joined him. "It's over. We won."
Jason shook his head. "No. This was just the first battle."
"And the next?" she asked.
Jason looked out over the city, the lights twinkling like a thousand eyes. "The next will decide everything."