The night blanketed the city in velvet darkness. Neon lights buzzed in the distance, their glow reflected in puddles left by the evening rain. The safehouse was silent, but Jayden could feel it — the shift in the air.
Something was wrong.
---
Wendy was the first to speak during their gathering that night.
"There's a leak," she said, voice low, sharp. "Someone inside has been feeding information to them."
The room stiffened.
Tension rippled like a live wire.
Jayden's eyes narrowed. His senses — sharpened by the trials — caught the slight glances exchanged, the way Matilda's hands clenched too tightly on her glass, the way Jeff's foot tapped with restless energy.
Elias stood in the corner, arms crossed, saying nothing.
Jayden spoke, voice steady:
"We find the rat. Tonight."
---
Meanwhile… In the Underbelly of the City
Far across the river, in the crumbling remains of an abandoned subway station, a figure in a black coat knelt before a screen.
On it, Jayden's face glowed — a bounty printed below.
A man's voice crackled through an earpiece:
"You know your task. Bring him alive... or bring his corpse."
The figure didn't respond.
Only lowered their head and whispered,
"Forgive me, Jayden."
The mole was closer than anyone imagined.
---
Back at the Safehouse
They set a trap.
Jayden deliberately leaked a false location for a critical meeting: a pier on the east docks. Then they waited, hidden in the shadows, eyes sharp, guns loaded.
An hour later, movements stirred.
A hooded figure crept toward the meeting point.
Jayden signaled.
Jeff and Wendy flanked silently.
They pounced, pinning the figure to the ground.
The hood fell back — and the world tilted.
It was Matilda.
---
Matilda didn't struggle.
Her face was streaked with tears.
"You don't understand," she whispered. "I never wanted to betray you... but they have Sophia."
Sophia.
The name hit Jayden like a bullet to the chest.
"You're lying," Jeff snarled.
But Matilda shook her head desperately.
"They knew it would break you. They used her... and now they're using me."
Jayden stared at her, heart pounding so hard he thought it would crack his ribs.
Memories flooded back — Matilda's loyalty, her sacrifices, the way she had shielded him when no one else dared.
Could it be true?
Or was this another shadow whispering lies?
Elias stepped forward, his voice cold:
"We can't risk it. She must be dealt with."
Jayden raised a hand, stopping him.
"No," he said. "We don't kill family."
Even if that family betrayed you.
Especially then.
---
Jayden made a decision.
"We're going to get Sophia back," he said, locking eyes with Matilda. "And you're going to lead us to her."
Matilda nodded, broken but relieved.
In the distance, thunder rumbled.
The real war was just beginning — not just against enemies outside…
But against the darkness creeping inside them all.
---