Leo & Kieran's POV (third-person)
The apartment felt like a war room.
Leo stood with arms crossed, jaw clenched, while Kieran paced behind Knox, who was buried in lines of code on the monitor. The glow from the screen cast harsh shadows on the walls—reflections of the storm gathering in all of them.
Knox finally exhaled sharply. "Got something. A transmission blip."
Leo rushed over. "From where?"
"Not exact, but I isolated a tower it's been bouncing off. It's within the city. West side. Industrial sector."
Kieran leaned in. "That narrows it down."
Knox pulled up satellite maps, layering heat signatures over building schematics. "There's only a few cold storage and lab-type facilities out there that match Rael's MO—remote, limited surveillance, long-range signal bounce."
Leo's eyes scanned the screen, zoning in on a cluster of buildings. "That one. Looks like a defunct pharmaceutical research site."
"Abandoned three years ago," Knox added. "But no one's torn it down. Perfect place for someone like Rael."
Kieran nodded once. "Suit up."
Leo looked at him. "You're not giving a speech?"
Kieran strapped on a tactical vest. "No time for speeches. We go in fast and quiet."
Leo grinned darkly. "Good. I'm in the mood to break something."
---
The engine of Kieran's matte black motorcycle roared to life, followed closely by Leo's. They raced through the city, weaving between traffic, their minds already deep into the mission.
Leo's thoughts spun.
He had let Rael get away with Ashley. He'd fallen for the distraction. The anger at himself coiled inside like a live wire. But now, it was fuel. He wasn't just going in for justice.
He was going in for revenge.
Next to him, Kieran was silent, jaw set in a way Leo hadn't seen since the night his parents were attacked. There was something cold in his eyes—a sharp focus that scared even Leo.
They weren't just teammates anymore.
They were wolves on the hunt.
---
They reached the edge of the industrial zone, ditching the bikes a few blocks away. Leo peered over the fence through a broken slat. "Security cams, but low-grade. He doesn't expect company."
Kieran pulled out a scanner. "Infrared shows two guards at the south entrance. Possibly more inside."
Leo slipped two flashbangs into his jacket. "We go in together?"
Kieran shook his head. "Split. I'll draw attention from the east. You circle in from the west and breach through the loading bay."
Leo hesitated. "You sure?"
Kieran looked him dead in the eyes. "I trust you."
Something twisted in Leo's chest.
He nodded. "Then I won't let you down."
They bumped fists—no words necessary—and vanished into the night.
---
Inside the compound, Rael leaned over the monitor again. The chair was empty.
No guards had reported movement.
Which meant Ashley had gotten out of her room without triggering the alert system.
He smirked. "Clever girl."
He turned to a smaller monitor that showed the outer perimeter.
Then blinked.
Two heat signatures.
Fast.
Approaching.
He laughed softly. "And the wolves arrive."
Rael didn't seem surprised. In fact, he looked thrilled.
He pressed a button and spoke into the mic. "Welcome, boys. I was wondering when you'd come knocking."
---
Leo slipped past a patrol, staying low behind crates and rusted barrels. The wind carried Rael's voice faintly through a nearby speaker.
> "It's a little rude to show up unannounced. You know how I feel about guests."
Leo scowled and kept moving. His heart pounded, but his hands were steady. Every instinct screamed to hurry—but he couldn't afford recklessness. Ashley's life depended on precision.
He reached the loading bay door and pulled out a mini crowbar. The lock was old. One hard snap—
Click.
He slipped inside.
Dim hallways. Cold concrete floors. The place reeked of mildew and abandonment, but Leo knew better. This place was alive with secrets.
He crept forward, listening for anything—guards, machinery, Ashley's voice. But all he heard was—
Footsteps.
Fast. Heavy.
He ducked behind a support beam just as a guard passed. The guy looked tense—definitely on alert.
Leo waited, then struck.
One clean hit to the temple. The guard collapsed silently.
Leo grabbed the guy's earpiece and listened.
> "Subject 1 is still unaccounted for. Sector 3 search incomplete."
Ashley.
She was still out there. Free.
His lips curled into a grim smile.
That's my girl.
---
Kieran, on the other side of the compound, had already taken down two guards. Swift, silent, efficient. He moved like smoke—barely seen, never heard. The darkness wrapped around him like a cloak.
Then his comm crackled.
> "Leo here. West wing clear. Ashley escaped her room. She's loose."
Kieran paused. Smart, he thought. She had grit.
"Copy that," he whispered. "Pushing toward central lab. Stay sharp."
---
Back in the control room, Rael watched their movements with fascination.
"They're moving fast. Almost like they've done this before." He tapped his lip thoughtfully, then pressed the intercom again.
> "Leo. Kieran. You really should've come together. You're easier to break when you're apart."
Then he flipped a switch.
Down in the corridor where Leo moved—
Gas hissed through a vent.
Leo jerked his head up.
Damn it!
He yanked a cloth from his pocket, pressed it over his mouth, and rushed for the nearest emergency door. The hallway began to blur. His steps wobbled. But he reached the door—
And stumbled inside, falling to his knees, gasping.
A figure loomed in the shadows.
Not Rael.
But someone worse.