David crouched behind an abandoned truck across from the warehouse. The place was quiet too quiet. No guards outside. No lights. Just the soft hum of the river nearby and the occasional creak of rusted metal.
He checked his phone. Adaobi's last ping confirmed this was the location.
But no backup had arrived.
He was alone.
Again.
And Amira was inside.
He pressed his back against the cold metal and whispered, "You can do this."
He crept closer, using shadows as cover. As he approached a broken side window, voices filtered out low and muffled.
Then he heard her.
Amira.
"…if you hurt her, I swear"
A slap.
David flinched.
They were already threatening her.
He scanned the perimeter. One side door. Unlocked.
He eased it open and slipped inside.
Inside, Amira's cheek stung, but she didn't flinch.
The man before her clearly their leader, smirked.
"You're brave," he repeated, just like the one in the car. "But bravery without leverage is useless."
He held up the flash drive she'd been forced to hand over.
"You thought this would be enough to stop us?"
Amira narrowed her eyes. "You're scared. That's why you're still talking."
He chuckled darkly. "Oh no, dear. I'm buying time."
"For what?"
A door behind her opened.
Someone stepped in.
Amira turned.
And froze.
It was Scorpion!
Alive,
Wounded,
And holding something in his hand.
A remote.
"You remember me," he said with a grin, blood still on his shirt.
Amira's mouth went dry. "You're supposed to be dead."
"I was.
He pointed the remote at the wall monitor.
A new feed appeared.
Kaira struggling harder than before.
But now, something had changed.
The camera angle was higher.
As if it had been moved.
She was no longer alone in the room.
A shadow moved behind her.
Amira leaned in, confused. "Who is that?"
Scorpion grinned wider. "That's the real twist.
Back in the monitoring van Adaobi had finally secured, she watched the feed from the hidden bug inside the flash drive.
She zoomed in on the screen.
The figure behind Kaira wore a white lab coat.
And then… turned.
Adaobi gasped.
"No way…"
She hit record. "David, Amira you need to hear this. That's not just any lab worker."
She paused.
"That's Rihanna."
Inside the warehouse, David ducked behind crates, moving closer.
Suddenly, a creaking floorboard betrayed his step.
A gun cocked behind him.
"Not another move."
David raised his hands slowly, turning.
A guard.
Big,Armed.
David had no weapon.
His eyes darted behind the man.
A rusty chain hung above them.
He made a split-second decision.
David lunged.
The guard fired, missed
David swung the chain smacked it across the guard's face. The man staggered, but recovered fast.
They fought in the shadows,raw, desperate.
David caught a blow to the ribs.
Then he flipped the guard over a crate.
Unconscious.
David collapsed for a second, gasping.
Then he rose.
Amira still needed him.
Amira stood face to face with Scorpion, her mind racing.
"What do you want from us?" she snapped.
He leaned in, eyes wild.
"To finish what was started."
The screen behind them flickered again.
And this time, a message blinked on the bottom.
"Don't trust what you see. I'm not who you think I am."
Signed:
– R
Amira's breath caught.
Scorpion didn't notice.
He turned to the others.
"Get the extraction team ready. We're moving her. Now."
He meant Kaira.
Amira's voice was ice. "Where are you taking her?"
He smiled.
"To where it all began."
Outside, David finally reached the main door.
He placed his hand on the knob.
Took a breath.
Then,
BOOM!
An explosion rocked the side of the building.
Flames burst from a storage area.
Chaos erupted.
Guards shouted.
Alarms blared.
David's hand froze.
And then,
The door opened from inside.
He looked up
Right into Amira's tear-streaked face.
"David…"
She barely got the word out.
Then a gun was pressed to her back.
And a voice growled:
"Come any closer, and she dies."