Scene 1: The Consequences
As they ran, their hearts thumped hardly , their lungs gasped. The city behind them was a maze of smoke and darkness, ruled by crime and betrayal. No one escaped this place unharmed.Still in the body of the street rat Lee, Alex gripped his ribs. Every breath was a stab, every step a struggle. His will to live was stronger than ever, despite the fact that his body was weak.
Arya led the way, her jaw clenched, blood streaming down her arm. She didn't turn around. Jin staggered beside her, one eye already swollen shut, but he barely managed to keep up.
Jin said in a raspy voice, "They're still after us."
With keen eyes cutting through the darkness, Arya scanned the back alleys. "After that, we continue to move."
"Where?" Alex, barely keeping up, gasped.
"There," she said, indicating a small, dark, and rust-covered alley.
They turned in and vanished into the city's shadows. Like silent witnesses to their struggle, the buildings above leaned in close.
Alex said nothing. He remained Lee, Arya's younger brother, in the eyes of Arya and Jin. They were unaware of the fact that he was Alex Kingsley, the affluent son of a powerful corporation, thrust into a society that couldn't give a damn about his past.And that secret may be the only thing sustaining them at the moment.
Scene 2: An Unlikely Friend
A steel door covered in graffiti and grime marked the end of the alley. Arya pounded it hard twice.
A narrow slit opened. Two sharp eyes peeked out.
"Password?" came a gravelly voice.
Arya smirked. "Go to hell."
The panel snapped shut. A moment of silence. Then: the scrape of metal bolts and the heavy groan of the door opening.
Dante stood there—mid-forties, bulk like a freight train, face mapped with old scars.
His eyes landed on Alex. "Who's this?"
"Long story," Jin said quickly, wiping blood from his chin.
Dante didn't press. He simply stepped aside. "Get in before someone follows."
Inside was a chaotic mix of grease-stained tech, glowing monitors, and half-dismantled weapons. It looked like a war bunker mashed with a hacker's garage.
Alex froze when he saw the rifle on the workbench. Sleek. Deadly. And unmistakably marked with the NextGen Networks logo—his father's company.
His gut turned to ice.
Scene 3: The Hidden Truth
"Where'd you get that?" Alex blurted, too fast.
Dante raised an eyebrow. "You bleeding, or just nosy?"
Alex ignored the jab. "I know those blueprints. That's NextGen military tech. It's not supposed to be here."
Dante crossed his arms. "Then you better ask Daddy dearest why Jo's boys are packing your family's toys."
Alex's stomach dropped.
Jin and Arya exchanged a glance—like this wasn't news to them, just another truth they'd buried.
"My father…?" Alex asked, his voice low. "He's selling to them?"
Dante gave a humorless laugh. "Kid, the government and the gangs? They're dance partners at this point. One builds the bullets, the other fires them. Nobody's clean in this city."
Alex felt like the floor had vanished beneath him. Everything he believed about his family, his name—it was fracturing.
Scene 4: The Black Market Deal
A knock cut through the room's silence. Dante grabbed a pistol.
He cracked the door.
Selene Blackwell slid inside like a shadow in heels. Platinum blonde, emerald eyes, and a suit that could stop a boardroom and a gunfight.
"Still running your scrapyard circus, Dante?" she purred.
"What do you want, Selene?"
She smiled. "Business. There's a shipment of Apex gear coming in tonight. I want it."
Arya folded her arms. "You mean steal it."
Selene shrugged. "Sure. Tomato, tomahto."
Jin frowned. "Why us?"
"Because that crate holds tech even NextGen hasn't released yet. Stuff that could rewrite the rules."
Alex stepped forward, jaw set. "Where and when?"
Arya turned sharply. "You can't be serious."
"We need to know the truth," Alex said. "And this might be the only way."
Jin sighed. "Fine. But when this explodes in our faces, I'm blaming you."
Selene grinned. "Dockyard 17. Midnight. Be ready."
Scene 5: Chaos at the Dock
Fog rolled across Dockyard 17 like a curtain drawn for a deadly play.
Jo's convoy arrived first—trucks, guards, and a man in a pristine white suit calling the shots.
Selene's team fanned out. Jin and Arya melted into shadows. Alex and Dante took the overlook, watching through cracked binoculars.
Selene's voice came through the earpiece: "Wait for my signal."
But then—gunfire cracked. And it wasn't theirs.
Another group, unknown and ruthless, stormed the deal from the far end.
Jin's voice hissed, "We've got company!"
Arya ducked behind a crate. "They're not Selene's crew."
"Nope," Selene replied grimly.
And then—they saw it.
The air shimmered like a heatwave. A figure moved—distorted, flickering, faster than any human should be.
Alex's chest seized. "What is that…?"
"MOVE!" Jin shouted.
An explosion tore through the docks.
Metal screamed. Fire lit the sky. The deal was dead. The battlefield was alive.
And something unnatural had just entered the war.