A warehouse in the outskirts of Warsaw. Dim lights. Oil-stained concrete. Scattered engine parts.
Lacy leaned over a stripped-down prototype drone bike, integrating Devon's hybrid turbine tech. She worked in silence, hands fluid, brain sharp.
Devon watched her from the balcony above, analyzing a list of potential candidates. The system had generated a few profiles flagged individuals with overlapping talents, high-risk potential, and no allegiance to any government or agency.
Two names lit up.
Logan Cross — ex-military, demolitions expert, tactical operations lead. Dishonourably discharged after refusing to follow an order that would've led to civilian deaths.
Raven Velazquez — sniper, weapons engineer, former cartel armorer turned rogue. Known as the "Ghost maker" on black market boards.
Devon grinned.
"Time to finish the crew."
Berlin, Germany.
A private underground MMA ring roared with energy. Fighters bled for sport. In the centre, Logan Cross towered over a bruised opponent, barely winded. Muscles taut, eyes sharp, presence like a coiled weapon.
Devon found him in the locker room, taping his wrists.
"You're wasting your talents here," Devon said.
Logan barely looked up. "You a recruiter?"
"Not exactly. I'm building a crew. I need someone who knows how to lead men into chaos and walk out with a grin."
"And what's in it for me?"
"Adrenaline. Precision missions. No flags. No lies. And a chance to hit back at the people who turned on you."
A beat passed.
Then Logan smiled. "Alright. Let's see what you're made of, Brit."
Barcelona, Spain.
Devon found Rayen in a desolate scrapyard, turning sniper rifles into railgun hybrids with scrap parts and genius-level calculations. A target 400 meters away had a hole drilled dead center through reinforced steel.
She barely looked at Devon as he approached.
"You're either lost," she said in accented English, "or very desperate."
"I'm Devon Shaw. I'm putting together a team. You're on the list."
"I work alone."
"You've been hunted by both the DEA and the Belgrade Syndicate for two years. You're fast, but not invisible. I can give you cover, funding, a purpose."
She looked at him. "And what do you get?"
"I get someone who can end fights before they start."
She considered. "What's the first job?"
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Crew Members Recruited:
Logan Cross – Demolitions / Tactical Commander
Rayen Valasquez – Weapons Expert / Sniper
Crew Formation Complete
REWARD UNLOCKED:
Hidden Base Location: Zurich Alps – Former Cold War NATO Bunker
New Mission Assigned:
OPERATION COLD COREObjective: Infiltrate covert NATO depot in Greenland, steal experimental submarine radar coresDeliver to buyer in Vancouver, CanadaDeadline: 96 hoursReward: Legendary Skill Upgrade Token + $15 million
Zurich Alps.
The crew arrived via Devon's stealth-modified G550 jet. The base was buried into a mountain ridge powered, shielded, and updated by the system's automated drone protocols. Dorms, vehicle bays, black site med-lab, and a tactical ops room with full satellite uplink.
Devon stood before the holographic table, outlining the mission.
"Greenland. NATO's Ice Hound facility," he began. "They're building a new generation of deep sonar cores meant for stealth submarines. The tech's untraceable, undetectable. Worth billions."
Lacy reviewed the terrain. "Subzero temps. Ice tunnels. Military-grade sensors."
Logan cracked his knuckles. "Explosives can cut the power grid. We'll need a 90-second blackout to breach the vault."
Rayen loaded blueprints into the table. "Sniper nests at these two ridges. I'll keep eyes on patrol routes, drop anyone who strays."
Devon paced.
"We go in three vehicles. One for the infiltration team. One for evac. One as a decoy."
Lacy added, "Weather reports say a storm's coming. That's our cover window."
Devon looked at his crew. "This isn't a test. It's the first domino. If we pull this off, we'll send a message to every ghost hiding behind a flag."
They nodded.
The team was ready.
The game had begun.