The underground hideout felt suffocating, the air thick with unspoken accusations. Dim neon lights flickered along the ceiling, casting jagged shadows over the crew. They had been through close calls before, but this was different.
Nikk sat at the old metal, fingers drumming against the surface. The crew was scattered around the room, but no one spoke. They knew what was at stake now. Tia wasn't just a fugitive anymore. She was a walking revolution.
And all revolutions had a cost.
Ace stood by the entrance, arms crossed, scanning the room. His usual confidence was tinged with something else - distrust. Kaya sat in the corner, her hands balled into fists, her knee bouncing anxiously.
Bria and Pryce huddle over the terminal, whispering about the files they had just uncovered. Ray checked the security feed, but their movements were distracted.
Tia sat quietly against the wall, knees drawn to her chest. She wasn't crying - not anymore. But her eyes had a hollow look, as if she knew something they didn't.
Then, the comms buzzed.
Ray's voice came through, tense. "We have a problem."
Nikk grabbed the receiver. "What kind of problem?"
"A big one," Ray breathed. "The government just cleared an entire district. No civilians, No resistance groups. Just them. That doesn't happen. Not unless they're preparing something big."
Silence fell over the room.
"How do you know that?" Ace asked slowly.
Ray hesitated. Then - "Because I'm watching them move. And they're headed straight for us. Enforcer units, Drones, Transport carriers. They know exactly where we are."
Silence stretched across the room like a blade pressed against the skin.
Bria's fingers stretched across the keyboard, scanning for breaches. "I don't get it. The system still shows us as undetected."
"They don't need the system," Ray shot back. "They know because someone told them."
Nikk's blood ran cold. "We need to move. Now."
Ace's hand went straight to his weapon. His eyes scanned the room, moving from face to face like he was seeing ghosts. "We need to figure out who it was."
Kaya cursed. "There's no time for this!"
"There's no time not to," Ace shot back. "Someone in this room gave us up. We're not walking into an ambush blind."
No one moved.
But the unspoken truth had settled into their bones.
They had always been careful. Always moved in the shadows. NO outsider could have tracked them so precisely. This had to be an inside job.
Nikk took a breath. "We don't turn on each other," he said, voice calm but firm. "Not until we're sure."
"And what if we don't have time to be sure?" Ace snapped.
Kaya stepped forward. "This isn't helping."
"Neither is blind trust," Ace shot back. His eyes darkened. "You're awfully defensive. Kaya."
She tensed. "And you are awfully eager to point fingers."
Before Ace could retort, Tia spoke.
"It doesn't matter."
Her voice was quiet, but it carried. The tension in the room shifted as all eyes landed on her. She was still seated against the wall, knees drawn to her chest, watching them with an expression that was both resigned and unreadable.
"They're coming," she said simply. "Whether we argue or not. Whether we know who betrayed us or not."
Nikk watched her closely. She looked… tired. Not afraid, not panicked - just tired. As if she had already accepted something the rest of them hadn't.
She knew this wasn't going to end well.
Nikk clenched his jaw. "Everyone gear up. We'll deal with this later."
But in the back of his mind, the question burned.
Who was it? And what had they traded in return?
Hours earlier.
A private comm channel. A distorted voice - calm, efficient, without emotion.
"We are willing to make a deal."
A pause.
"Give us the girl. And you can walk away."
The response had been immediate. "No."
A soft hum, almost amused. "Are you sure? You're smart enough to know what's coming. You've seen what happens to people who stand in our way."
A beat of silence.
"We're offering you something rare. A future. A way out. Your life for hers. It's a fair trade."
And in that moment, a choice was made.
A choice that couldn't be undone.
The first explosion hit just as the crew reached the exit.
The world shook as a wall of fire and debris erupted, throwing them backward. Sirens howled in the distance. Enforcers dropped from above - black armored, rifles raised.
"GO!" Nitesh roared, grabbing Tia and shoving toward the emergency exit.
Kaya pulled Bria into cover. Kaya and Bria opened fire. Ray searched for an alternate escape.
But the government had planned for this.
They had cut every way out.
Then came the sound no one wanted to hear.
The hiss of a stun pulse.
Tia's body jerked violently. Her knees buckled.
And standing over a distance - was one of her own.
Weapon raised.
Expression unreadable.
"Don't fight." The betrayer's voice was quiet. "It's already over."
The world seemed to stop.
Ace's gun was already raised, fury written all across his face. "YOU!!!! HOW COULD —"
The enforcers surrounded them now, weapons primed.
Tia was on the ground, struggling to move.
Nikk couldn't breathe.
This was someone they had trusted. A friend. A crewmate.
And now?
Now they have sold them out.
"You don't have to do this," Nikk said, voice sharp, edged with someone raw.
They didn't answer.
But in their eyes - there was regret.
And then the gunfire began.