The city had changed overnight.
Aarav Kane saw it clearly from the rooftop perch. Smoke rose from the Docklands. Bureau convoys moved cautiously, scanning for hidden threats. Citizens whispered in fear, rumors spreading like wildfire. Cipher Dawn's Phase Three had unleashed chaos—but it had also left cracks.
Aarav's eyes glimmered with cold resolve.
"Phase Four," he muttered. "Time to take control."
Nisha, still trembling but sharper than ever, hovered near the edge. "You really plan to go after them?"
Aarav didn't answer immediately. He surveyed the streets below. Every building, every alley, every vehicle—it was a chessboard. Every shadow, a piece waiting to move.
"They hit first," he finally said. "We hit smarter. Faster. And we finish what they started."
Soren, leaning against the railing, shook his head. "We're walking into a hornet's nest. Malhotra isn't the only one behind this. The Bureau… some of them are already compromised."
Aarav smiled faintly. "Then we make the nest collapse. One strike, one revelation at a time."
The plan was simple—brutal, precise. Nisha would leak the partial list of operatives to select journalists under deep encryption, making it public without full exposure. The Bureau would be forced to react, creating panic in their ranks. Meanwhile, Aarav and Soren would isolate and eliminate key Cipher Dawn enforcers citywide.
The first target: a logistics officer moving weapons through an abandoned textile mill.
They arrived as rain began again, the night slick and unforgiving. Aarav crouched behind a stack of crates, watching the officer confer with two masked operatives.
"You take left," Aarav whispered to Soren. "I'll take right. No mistakes."
Seconds later, chaos erupted. Soren moved like a shadow, silently taking down the first operative. Aarav followed, metal meeting bone with calculated precision. The logistics officer froze, pistol raised—but Aarav was faster.
A single strike to the shoulder. Disarm. Another to the chest. The officer collapsed.
"No mercy," Aarav muttered, scanning the area.
Then his comm crackled.
UNKNOWN VOICE: "Kane. Impressive. But predictable."
Aarav's blood ran cold. Malhotra.
Before he could react, movement behind them—a second wave of operatives, faster and deadlier than before.
Soren fired. Aarav slashed. They moved in perfect tandem, covering each other with lethal efficiency.
But then… betrayal.
One operative wasn't masked. Familiar. Standing in the shadows. Calm. Waiting.
"Surprised to see me?" The voice was smooth. Familiar. Too familiar.
Aarav's eyes widened. Soren.
Soren's hands were raised—but not in surrender. A pistol glinted. "I had no choice. You forced my hand."
"What are you doing?!" Aarav yelled, disbelief and fury mixing.
"Containment," Soren said softly. "You exposed too much. Bureau survival comes first. Phase Four isn't vengeance—it's chaos control."
Aarav's mind raced. Every scenario. Every contingency. None accounted for betrayal by the one closest to him.
"You made your choice," Aarav said, voice low, deadly. "So did I."
In a flash, Aarav disarmed Soren, the metallic clash echoing through the mill. Nisha screamed, taking cover behind crates. Soren didn't resist further—he had already accepted the outcome.
Aarav pressed the gun against Soren's chest. "Phase Four begins now. Not for control. Not for survival. But for justice."
Soren's eyes held regret, fear, and understanding. "Then kill me, Kane. Finish it."
Aarav shook his head. "No. You live… but you answer questions. You tell me everything about the compromised Bureau, Cipher Dawn's plans, every hidden player."
Soren swallowed hard. "You'll regret this."
Aarav smirked faintly. "Probably. But regret doesn't stop Phase Four."
Outside, the city trembled. News channels flashed partial leaks. Operatives scrambled. Cipher Dawn's inner circle was destabilized. Malhotra's influence wavered—but he was still watching, calculating, waiting.
Aarav looked at Nisha. "Get ready. The war isn't over. But Phase Four is ours to define."
Nisha nodded, determination in her eyes.
And in the shadows, somewhere, Malhotra whispered into his comm, "Interesting… Kane is no longer reactive. Phase Five begins."
The storm above the city matched the storm below.
And Aarav Kane was ready to burn the night alive.