A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO
The white hospital room hummed with machines, but Eric only heard his wife's breathing. He held her hand like it was the only thing keeping him upright.
"You can do this, honey," he whispered.
"Eric… it hurts."
"I know. But you're strong, darling. That's why I love you. Push. You've got this."
A newborn's cry tore through the air from behind the curtain.
"It's twins, sir. You're very lucky," the nurse said.
Eric let out a shaky laugh. "Did you hear that, sweetheart? Twins. Just like you wanted."
"We've known for months," Olivia murmured, fear creeping into her voice. "Eric… I'm scared."
He brushed hair from her damp forehead. "No need to worry, my love."
He kissed her hand.
"I'll move heaven and earth to protect them. I swear it."
YEARS LATER
Fifteen-year-old Altair burst around a corner, breathless with laughter, an airsoft rifle in hand. His sister, Selene, followed close behind in her sunflower dress, green eyes bright with the same mischievous joy. Together, they ambushed their father in the study, pelting him with plastic pellets as he dove for cover.
Eric bolted out into the backyard, laughing and pretending to flee for his life.
"Get him!" Altair shouted, and the twins chased after him.
They waited for their father's counterattack… but nothing came. Just as their guard dropped, Eric slipped behind them, snatched both rifles, and tossed them aside.
Altair reacted instantly—punch straight to Eric's stomach. Selene followed with two fast kicks toward his head. Eric staggered, stunned but impressed, before Altair jumped, elbow-first, toward his face.
Blood trickled from Eric's nose. He caught Altair by the shirt, gently flipped him to the ground, then froze a fist inches from Selene's cheek.
The three of them erupted into laughter.
"I'm impressed," Eric said, pulling them into his chest. "You two learn fast. And that synergy? Incredible."
He held them tighter.
"I promised your mother I'd move heaven and earth to protect you. But looking at you now… I think I'm the one who'll need protecting."
Altair grinned. "You're the best dad in the world."
Eric shook his head, smiling softly. Then he pulled out a small knife. Without hesitation, he sliced his palm. He passed it to Altair. Altair followed. Selene did the same.
"This meant everything to me when I was growing up," Eric said. "It kept me alive. So now—Altair. Swear you'll protect your sister."
"I swear."
"And you, Selene?"
"I swear I'll keep Altair out of trouble," she said, beaming.
They pressed their bloodied palms together, then onto their father's.
"I'm proud of you both," Eric whispered, emotion thickening his voice.
"You boys are going to spook Selene," Olivia teased as she approached, her brown braids swinging over her shoulders. She rested her hands on the twins' heads.
"Who's hungry? I got hot—"
A wet crack of sound tore the air. Blood sprayed across Altair and Selene's faces.
Olivia collapsed.
Silence. Paralyzing. Absolute.
Eric's voice broke the spell. "Inside. Now!"
Altair couldn't breathe. Selene couldn't move. Then Eric roared again:
"Altair! Get Selene inside!"
Altair snapped out of it. He grabbed his sister's wrist and dragged her into the house as more shots rang out. Eric ran after them, narrowly dodging a bullet that punched into the wall behind him.
On the living room TV, security feeds showed men in black combat gear swarming the grounds.
"Come on," Eric said, shoving the twins into a hidden room. His hands shook as he moved aside a book on a shelf. The shelf slid open, revealing a small armory.
"Dad… is Mom dead?" Selene's voice cracked.
Eric froze. His jaw tightened. A vein pulsed on his temple.
"Dad?" she whispered again.
"She wouldn't want us to dwell on it," he said quietly. His hands shook as he armed himself.
"We're ready," Altair said. "We'll fight with you."
"You're not ready." Eric's tone hardened.
"What? Isn't this what you trained us for since we were six?" Altair demanded.
"I trained you to survive. What's coming next—this is revenge. My revenge. My sins." Eric's voice trembled. "Revenge is a dark, lonely road. You walk it long enough, you die alone."
"Then why are you going?" Selene shouted, tears spilling. "Isn't that revenge?"
"I swore to protect you. I'll become a monster if I have to."
He opened a smaller safe-room door.
"Get in."
"Dad, no," Altair whispered.
"I'm not asking," Eric snapped. "Get. Inside."
The twins stepped in.
Eric looked at them one last time.
"I love you. Stay strong."
The door began to close.
"Don't you die," Altair said, voice breaking for the first time.
The steel door sealed shut.
A five-hour timer engaged.
And the house fell into war.
Eric pivoted toward the doorway just as three armed men swept into the room in a tight formation. No shouting. No hesitation. Pure kill-order precision.
He yanked a flashbang from his belt, thumbed the pin, and skipped it across the floor.
The detonation washed the room in white.
Before their screams even formed, Eric leaned out with his SEMI-AUTO and stitched controlled pairs into their chests and heads. Each shot deliberate. No spray. No waste.
He slid back behind the overturned table, breathing steady, hands moving automatically as he swapped magazines. The wood splintered above him—someone had seen the muzzle flash.
Four more men flowed in, slow, checking corners, guns raised.
Eric counted their steps.
Three… two… one—
He rose just high enough to see over the tabletop.
Two clean headshots—snap, snap—before the other two reacted. Eric dropped down again, palming a frag. He pulled the pin with a single practiced twist and rolled it across the floor.
"Grenade!" someone yelled.
Too late.
The blast kicked dust and plaster through the room, rattling the walls.
Eric pushed himself up, ears ringing, and drew his sidearm—his rifle empty. He chamber-checked on instinct and moved toward the staircase, back to the wall, gun tight to his chest.
Three men waited below, rifles aimed upward.
Eric didn't hesitate. He cut the first two down with tight shots center-mass moving quickly into headshots. The third wore Kevlar and absorbed the first round—then the second—staggering backward.
Eric didn't give him a fourth.
He charged down the steps, closing distance while the man was still recovering from the impact. Eric slammed an elbow into his jaw, then snapped a brutal hook into the side of his skull. The Kevlar man dropped to one knee.
Eric finished him with two point-blank rounds through the gap in his armor plate at the back.
He barely had time to straighten before pain burst across the side of his head. Another assailant—a fourth man hugging the blind spot—cracked him with the butt of his rifle. Eric hit the wall, vision swimming, blood rushing in his ears.
I'm going to help Dad," Altair said, voice tight.
Selene shook her head. "He told us to stay here."
"When was the last time you followed instructions?" he shot back.
"This isn't a joke, Altair. We could die."
"Dad could die." His voice cracked, the anger barely covering the fear. "He's facing sixty men out there. With us, he has a chance."
Selene hesitated. "How do we even get out of here?"
Altair forced a grin he didn't feel. "Who do you think you're talking to?" He tilted his head toward the vents.
Selene sighed—half fear, half trust. "Then… let's go save Dad."
Altair nodded. He didn't want her to see how badly his hands were shaking.
+
Eric was dragged into the main sitting room, shoved onto his knees before a well-dressed man seated calmly on the couch—Vittorio Constantine. Two armed guards flanked him like shadows.
"You look awfully comfortable for someone who just sent an army into my house," Eric said, blood dripping down his temple.
"I'm disappointed, Eric," Vittorio replied, almost bored. "All this… for what?"
Eric's jaw clenched. "I tried to appeal to whatever you had left that resembled a heart. I worked for you for twenty years. I helped you build New Lazarus City. Don't I deserve my own happiness?"
"I made you rich." Vittorio leaned forward. "Of course you deserve happiness—by my side. But you disobeyed me. You broke the only rule: One way in, no way out. Still… I hoped you'd come to your senses. Raise your family wherever you want. My protection. My resources. But you spat on my face."
High above, inside the vent, Altair and Selene crawled into position. They peered through the grate. Selene gasped.
"Dad—" she whispered.
Altair clamped a hand over her mouth. "They'll hear us," he breathed, voice trembling.
"But… who is that man?" she whispered.
"I don't know."
Down below, Vittorio sighed. "I'm sorry about Olivia. Truly. Tragic woman. But come home, Eric. This ends. No more blood. Train your kids. Live your life." His smile was venom. "But choose wisely. There won't be another offer."
Eric lifted his chin defiantly.
Altair grabbed Selene's wrist. His palm was slick with sweat. His breathing shallow. His whole body shook.
"Selene… let's go. We have to run," he whispered.
"No," Selene whispered fiercely. "We save Dad."
"We'll die," Altair rasped. "All of us."
"My kids are strong," Eric said below. His voice softened in a way Altair had never heard before. "But they're not monsters. Not like me. It's my job to protect them… from my sins."
A gunshot cracked the air.
Vittorio put a bullet through Eric's skull.
Selene screamed.
"No!" Altair lunged to cover her mouth—but the metal beneath her shifted. The vent gave way. Selene slipped through the collapsing panel and crashed onto the floor below.
"Oh?" Vittorio stood slowly. "Look what we have here."
Selene whimpered as armed men moved toward her.
"And where's the second one?"
Altair froze above them. His breath hitched. His vision blurred. He crawled backward—instinct, terror, every survival instinct screaming at him.
Vittorio looked up at the vent. "Altair," he called. "If you don't come down before I reach ten, I kill her."
Altair's heart slammed against his ribs.
"One… two… three… four… five…"
Voices in his head tore at each other.
"Altair help please, let's save Dad…"
Selene's gaze met Eric's dying eyes which felt eerily calm
"Altair"
Go save her.
No—run.
Coward.
I'm not a coward.
Save your sister.
You swore.
That doesn't matter—run.
RUN.
Altair broke.
He scrambled through the vents, tears blinding him, crawling so fast he scraped skin from his palms and knees. His breath hitched in small, strangled gasps.
Behind him, Vittorio kept counting.
When he reached ten, a final gunshot echoed through the house.
Altair didn't stop crawling.
Not even when he reached the far end of the vents. Not even when he collapsed into the dark.
LATER THAT NIGHT
Altair sat on the edge of a rusted old bridge, soaked, shaking uncontrollably. His eyes were raw and swollen. A small knife sat in his hand. He dragged it across his arm again and again, shallow lines, punishment etched into skin.
"Sorry, Dad…" His voice broke into a sob. "I couldn't save her. I abandoned her. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"
He stood.
He stepped forward.
And he fell—dropping from the bridge into the cold, black river below.
New York's claustrophobic grid. Vegas' sensory overload. The city didn't blend them—it devoured both and spat out something brighter, louder, and more predatory. That is New Lazarus City.
Altair drove through ignoring the noise. The neon lights streaked across his windshield, painting his face blue, red, gold, then black again as he passed beneath a rail line.
Eventually the towers thinned, giving way to a more exclusive stretch of the city—wide roads, manicured walkways, private security drones humming overhead. The kind of neighborhood where even the silence had money.
He pulled up in front of a massive wrought-iron gate framing an estate that looked more fortress than home. Tall perimeter walls. Imported stone. Spotlights climbing the façade like climbing vines of light. Beyond the gate, the mansion sprawled—sleek modern lines fused with old-world arrogance. A private empire built on land carved away from the rest of the city.
A shutter slid open in the guard booth. The gateman leaned forward.
"And who exactly are you here to see?"
Altair lowered his sunglasses with a single finger, letting the cameras get a clear look at his eyes as a slow, unsettling smile spread across his face.
"Tell your boss Altair is here."