The room was silent, thick with tension, as Elena stared at the screen—at the haunting image of her mother, bruised and bound, a single message holding her hostage. Time was ticking, but the emotions inside Elena had already ignited like wildfire.
"We don't know where that place is," Ethan said, breaking the silence. "It could be staged. A trap, like Noah said."
Elena's voice was firm. "It doesn't matter. She's alive. I'm going."
Noah's hand slammed down on the table, rattling the glass. "And walk right into his hands? That's exactly what he wants, Elena!"
She stood, face flushed with fury. "She's my mother, Noah. He took her. If I don't go, he'll kill her."
"And if you do, he'll take you both," Ethan added darkly.
Camille leaned back, arms crossed. "We need a diversion. Something that shifts the balance. If he thinks she's alone, he'll lower his guard."
"I can't let any of you come with me," Elena said. "He made it clear—alone, or she dies."
"But you won't be alone," Noah said, his voice softer now, almost vulnerable. "We'll be there. Not in the open, but we'll be there. No matter what it takes."
Elena's eyes met his, something flickering between them. Fear. Anger. Unspoken truth.
Camille stepped in. "I can trace the signal to a location near the docks. Abandoned shipping yard, southern edge. He's hiding in plain sight."
Elena swallowed. "How much time?"
Camille glanced at the screen. "Ten hours."
---
Later that night – 3:12 AM
Elena stood before the cracked mirror in the base's small side room, her reflection barely visible in the dim light. Her hands trembled as she tied her hair back, trying to steel herself.
A knock at the door. She turned.
Noah stepped in, carrying a small device. "Tracker. You wear it, we follow."
Elena took it wordlessly and clipped it under her jacket.
He hesitated. "Elena…"
She looked up, eyes rimmed with silent tears. "Don't say anything, Noah. Not now."
But he stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I know I don't deserve your trust. But I need you to know… if anything goes wrong in there, I will burn his entire world to the ground."
Her throat tightened. "Just… bring her back. That's all I care about."
Noah didn't respond with words. Instead, he reached out and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. For a moment, the war faded, and only two broken people remained in the quiet.
Then she turned and walked out.
---
The Docks – 5:48 AM
Fog curled around the edges of the abandoned shipping yard. Shadows loomed like silent ghosts as Elena walked forward, every step echoing like thunder in her chest.
From the shadows, hidden eyes watched—Noah, Ethan, Camille—all in position, their weapons ready, their nerves coiled tight.
A metal door creaked open ahead.
Elena stepped inside.
A single bulb flickered above, casting eerie light across the warehouse.
And there he was.
Her father.
Alive.
Older, colder, and infinitely more dangerous.
"Elena," he said, arms open like a twisted parody of a welcome. "You've grown into the woman I always hoped you'd become."
Her voice cracked like ice. "Where is she?"
He smiled, and it was venomous. "In time."
Behind him, guards appeared—six, maybe more.
And from the corner, a groan.
Her mother.
Elena's knees buckled at the sight—pale, weak, but alive.
"Let her go," she demanded.
Her father stepped closer. "Oh, my sweet girl. You've always misunderstood. This was never about saving her."
Elena frowned. "What do you mean?"
He leaned in, whispering, "It was always about breaking you."
And then—
A flash.
A scream.
Gunfire erupted.
Noah's voice crackled through her earpiece. "NOW!"
Chaos exploded around her.
And Elena knew—this wasn't the end.
This was the war.
----
Screams tore through the warehouse as bullets ricocheted off rusted metal. The air was thick with gunpowder and chaos. Elena dropped to the ground just as a shot zipped past her shoulder, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
"Noah, I see her!" Ethan's voice crackled in her earpiece. "Elena's mom is alive. But barely."
Elena crawled forward, eyes locked on her mother. Her hands were tied to a chair, blood trickling down her temple, eyes half-open. But she was breathing.
That was enough.
"Elena, get out now!" Noah's voice was sharp.
But she didn't move.
She stood.
"I said LET HER GO!" she screamed at her father, who stood untouched in the chaos, completely calm as his guards scrambled.
He tilted his head. "Still so much fire in you. Just like your mother."
Elena's eyes burned. "Don't you dare speak about her."
Suddenly, a shot rang out—not from Noah, not from Ethan. From her left.
One of the guards dropped. Then another.
Camille.
She stepped out of the shadows, sniper rifle in hand, eyes locked on Elena's father.
"You're surrounded," she called out. "You're done."
He laughed. "Am I? You really think I didn't plan for this?"
From behind crates, more men poured in—fully armed, masked, fast.
Noah's voice roared in Elena's ear. "Fall back! Now, Elena!"
But she was already moving.
She lunged for her mother, grabbing a discarded knife and slashing through the ropes.
Her mother fell forward, weak but conscious.
"Elena…" she rasped.
"I've got you, Mom," Elena whispered, lifting her. "We're going home."
A guard aimed.
And then—
Boom!
A blast ripped through the far wall.
Noah burst in, gun blazing, flanked by Ethan.
They moved like shadows—fluid, lethal.
Noah reached her first, shielding her with his body as Ethan grabbed her mother.
"Go!" Noah shouted.
They sprinted through the smoke, weaving through the fight. Camille covered them from above, every shot a shield.
But just as they neared the exit—
A bullet caught Ethan's arm.
He stumbled, but didn't stop.
"Move, move!" he gritted.
They made it out—barely.
Into the SUV, doors slammed, tires screamed.
Elena held her mother's hand, tears streaming silently down her cheeks.
Noah looked back at the burning warehouse through the rear window. "That wasn't just a warning."
Ethan nodded, pressing his wound. "He knows we're getting close."
Elena looked down at her mother, whose eyes fluttered open. Her lips parted, a whisper barely audible.
"He… he's not working alone…"
Elena leaned in. "What?"
Her mother's hand gripped hers tightly.
"There's someone else. Inside your circle."
Her breath caught.
Inside?
Their circle?
Noah's gaze met Elena's in the mirror—dark, dangerous.
"Then it's worse than we thought."
-----
To be continued.....