The city sprawled beneath me, neon lights reflecting off rain-slick rooftops. My heart thundered violently as I ducked behind a ventilation unit, gasping for breath. A drone skimmed past, scanning relentlessly. My new teammates, Trey, Crate, and Jimmy, crouched nearby, each tense and alert, waiting for my signal.

  Across the rooftop stood my former Amazia teammates—Track, Enny, Cap, Mika, Ren, Joss—all of them staring coldly, their faces unreadable. My stomach twisted painfully. These were the same people I'd once trusted completely, whom I'd called friends. Now they stood opposite me, enemies bound by corporate loyalty, ready to stop me at all costs.

  "It doesn't have to end like this, Dion!" Track shouted over the howling wind. "Just surrender. Come back."

  I glanced toward Enny, hoping for any sign of doubt or hesitation. She stood quietly, eyes filled with regret yet resolute. My heart sank deeper.

  "You know I can't," I yelled back. "Not after everything I've learned. Not after everything they've done."

  Cap stepped forward, his massive figure intimidating in the dim light. "Last chance, Dion," he growled. "Don't force our hand."

  Jimmy leaned in closer to me, his voice a chilling whisper. "They're bluffing. We can handle this. Just give the word."

  Taking a deep, shaky breath, I raised my hand and signaled forward. Instantly, chaos erupted.

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  Track surged forward, crashing into Crate with immense force. Jimmy and Mika clashed, swift and deadly, exchanging strikes with dizzying speed. Trey swiftly hacked into Amazia's drones, turning their firepower against their own handlers. Sparks, explosions, and cries of pain echoed around us.

  I charged towards Enny, my heart splitting with anguish and disbelief. The pain of her betrayal tore through me, sharper than any physical wound. Each clash of our strikes was a cruel reminder of the love we had shared, the promises we had whispered in quieter moments, now crushed beneath Amazia’s lies. Her eyes pleaded with me, desperate but determined, filled with memories of late nights spent whispering dreams and plans, our fingers intertwined. "Please, Dion," she urged, her voice trembling with raw emotion. "If you ever truly loved me, you'd stop this. Just come back." Her words tore through me, exploiting the deepest wound in my heart—our love that Amazia had corrupted, twisted, and turned into a weapon against me. The trust we'd built, the love we'd shared, now lay shattered and painful, irreparable and devastating.

  "Why, Dion?" she asked desperately, blocking my attacks skillfully. "We were family."

  "Family doesn't lie," I spat back, grief choking my voice. "Amazia betrayed us. All of us."

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Crate sprawled motionless on the floor. Before I could react, I heard Track—my best friend—yelling something unintelligible. Suddenly, pain exploded through my head. My vision blurred, darkness closing swiftly around me. I collapsed, hearing voices muffled by pain and confusion.

  "Secure him," Cap commanded grimly. "Amazia wants him alive."

  Betrayal stabbed sharply through my heart as my consciousness faded. I'd lost this battle, but the war was far from over. The truth needed to be known, no matter the cost.

  My last thought, as darkness claimed me, was how it all began—when I was just a courier dreaming of something greater.

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