KILLSHOT

The Aftermath

Jake's eyes opened.

Derek was there, kneeling beside him, his hand on his brother's shoulder. The emergency lights cast everything in red, but Derek could see the color returning to Jake's face. The shallow breathing was deepening. The monitor beside him showed a steady heartbeat.

"Jake," Derek said. "Can you hear me?"

His brother blinked. His lips moved. "Derek?"

"I'm here. I've got you."

"What happened? Where am I?"

"You're safe. That's all that matters right now."

Sloane appeared beside them, a medical kit in her hands. She'd found it in one of the emergency stations near the Nexus entrance. She knelt down and began checking Jake's vitals.

"His vitals are stabilizing," she said. "The machine used him as a processor, but it didn't damage his brain tissue. He's going to be okay."

Derek let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. We still have to get out of here."

Derek looked around the Nexus. The server towers were still smoking. The emergency lights were flickering, casting long shadows across the room. The machine was dead, but the building was still standing. And somewhere above them, Garrett's remaining forces were regrouping.

"We need to move," he said. "Now."

He helped Jake to his feet. His brother was weak, unsteady, but he could stand. Derek draped Jake's arm over his shoulder and supported his weight.

"The maintenance shaft," Sloane said. "It's our only way out."

They moved through the smoking ruins of the Nexus. The heat was oppressive, the air thick with smoke and the smell of burning electronics. Derek's eyes stung, but he kept moving, kept supporting his brother.

They reached the maintenance shaft. The ladder was still intact, the rungs slick with moisture.

"You first," Derek said to Sloane. "Then Jake. I'll cover the rear."

Sloane climbed. Then Jake. Derek followed, his eyes scanning the darkness below.

He heard the footsteps as he reached the top. Boots on concrete. Multiple sets. Moving fast.

They were coming.

Derek pulled himself out of the shaft, then turned and closed the hatch behind him. He dragged a piece of debris over it, blocking it.

"That won't hold them for long," Sloane said.

"It doesn't need to. Just long enough."

They moved through the maintenance tunnel, fast and silent. Jake was struggling, his breathing labored, but he kept moving.

"Almost there," Derek said.

They reached the exit. The rusted grate that led to the surface. Derek pried it open and helped Jake out into the night.

The air was cold and clean. Derek breathed it in, his lungs burning.

They were in the industrial wasteland surrounding the server farm. Miles of empty land, abandoned factories, and rusted machinery.

"We need to find cover," he said. "Somewhere we can regroup."

"There's an old warehouse about half a mile east," Sloane said. "I passed it on the way in. It should be abandoned."

They moved. Derek supported Jake, his brother's weight slowing them down. But he didn't complain. He just kept moving.

They reached the warehouse. It was dark, empty, the windows shattered. They slipped through a broken door and found a corner that offered some concealment.

Derek lowered Jake to the ground. His brother's face was pale, his breathing shallow.

"Stay with him," Derek said to Sloane. "I'm going to check the perimeter."

He moved through the warehouse, his eyes scanning the shadows. The building was empty. No guards. No operators. Just the silence of a place that had been forgotten.

He returned to Sloane and Jake. His brother's eyes were closed, his breathing steady.

"He needs rest," Sloane said. "Real rest. A hospital."

"We can't take him to a hospital. Garrett's people will be watching every medical facility in the city."

"Then what do we do?"

Derek thought for a moment. "I know someone. A former medic from my unit. He runs a clinic in the Warrens. He owes me a favor."

"Can we trust him?"

"He's the only person I trust."

Derek pulled out his phone. The screen was dark. The machine had been destroyed, but the city was still watching. Garrett was still out there.

He dialed the number from memory. It rang three times before a voice answered.

"Who's this?"

"Reyes. It's Derek."

Silence. Then: "Derek? Damn. It's been a while."

"I need a favor. My brother is hurt. I need a place to lay low."

"How bad?"

"Bad enough. He's weak, needs rest."

"I've got a clinic in the Warrens. It's not much, but it's off the grid. Bring him in. I'll take care of him."

"I owe you."

"You owe me more than you know. Get here. And be careful."

The line went dead.

Derek turned to Sloane. "We have a place. The Warrens. It's a couple of miles from here."

"He can't walk that far."

"Then I'll carry him."

Derek lifted Jake onto his back. His brother's weight was heavy, but Derek didn't complain. He just started walking.

They moved through the industrial wasteland, keeping to the shadows. Sloane followed, her eyes scanning the darkness.

The sun was starting to rise when they reached the entrance to the Warrens. A drainage grate, hidden behind a collapsed fence.

Derek pried it open. They descended into the darkness.

The clinic was a small room, tucked away in a corner of the tunnel network. Medical equipment lined the walls. A single bed sat in the center.

Reyes was waiting for them. He was a short, stocky man with a weathered face and kind eyes. He'd served as a medic in Derek's unit, back in Afghanistan. He'd seen things that would break a lesser man. But he'd never lost his compassion.

"Get him on the bed," Reyes said.

Derek laid Jake down. Reyes moved quickly, checking vitals, running tests.

"He's dehydrated and malnourished," Reyes said. "His body's been through a lot. But physically, he's going to be fine. He just needs rest."

"How long?"

"A few days. Maybe longer. He'll need to regain his strength."

Derek nodded. "Thank you."

Reyes looked at him. "You look like hell yourself. When's the last time you ate or slept?"

"I don't remember."

"Then sit down and eat something. I've got rations. It's not gourmet, but it'll keep you alive."

Derek sat down at a small table. Sloane joined him. Reyes brought them food—simple things, canned and preserved.

Derek ate mechanically, his mind still racing. Garrett was out there. The machine might be dead, but its creator was still alive. And he was already planning the next phase.

"What now?" Sloane asked.

"We find Garrett. We finish this."

"How? We don't even know where he is."

"We know he's in Lithuania. The coordinates Oren sent. That's our lead."

"That's a long way from here."

"I know. But we don't have a choice. Garrett is the architect. As long as he's alive, he'll keep building. Keep killing. He'll find another way to create another machine."

Sloane was quiet for a moment. "Then we go to Lithuania."

"Yes."

"What about your brother?"

"He stays here. With Reyes. He'll be safe."

Jake's voice came from the bed. "I'm coming with you."

Derek turned. His brother was awake, his eyes open. "No, you're not."

"You're not leaving me behind."

"You're in no condition to travel. You need rest."

"I don't care. I'm not letting you go alone."

Derek crossed to his brother's bedside. "Listen to me. You've been through hell. You need time to recover. I'm going to go find Garrett and stop him. When I'm done, I'll come back for you. I promise."

Jake's jaw tightened. "You promised you'd always be there for me. You broke that promise. I'm not letting you break it again."

Derek was silent for a moment. His brother's words hung in the air, heavy with accusation.

"I know," he said finally. "And I'm sorry. For everything. I should have been there. I should have listened. I should have trusted you."

Jake stared at him. "You're my brother. I don't want you to be sorry. I want you to be alive."

"I will be."

"How do you know?"

Derek looked at his brother's face. The face of the boy he'd raised, the man he'd failed, the brother he loved.

"Because I have something to come back to," he said.

Jake was quiet for a long moment. Then he nodded. "Fine. But you come back. You hear me?"

"I hear you."

Derek turned to Sloane. "We leave in two hours. Get some rest."

He left the clinic and walked into the tunnel. The darkness surrounded him, but he didn't mind. He needed to think.

The machine was dead, but the war was far from over. Garrett was still out there, planning his next move. And Derek knew that the next phase would be bigger. More dangerous. More devastating.

He needed to be ready.

He needed to find Garrett before Garrett found him.

And he needed to end this.

He walked back to the clinic. Sloane was waiting. Jake was asleep.

Reyes looked up from his equipment. "You're not going to wait, are you?"

"No. I can't."

Reyes nodded. "I figured. Your brother is in good hands. I'll take care of him."

Derek looked at Jake's sleeping face. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Just come back."

Derek turned to Sloane. "Ready?"

"Ready."

They left the clinic. They walked through the tunnels, emerging from the Warrens into the city's east side.

The sun was fully up now. The streets were busy, people going about their lives. They didn't notice Derek and Sloane. They were just two more faces in the crowd.

They found a bus stop. Took a bus to the edge of the city. Then another bus to the airport.

Derek used cash. Fake IDs. The kind of documents that existed in the cracks of the system.

They bought tickets to Lithuania. The flight left in four hours.

They waited in the terminal, watching the crowds.

Derek's phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

He opened the message.

*"You're coming. We've been expecting you. The next phase is already in motion. You cannot stop it. But you can try. That's what makes you interesting."*

Derek pocketed the phone.

"What is it?" Sloane asked.

"Nothing important."

"Don't lie to me, Derek."

He looked at her. "It's just the machine's ghost. Taunting me. It wants me to react."

"Are you going to?"

"No. I'm going to do exactly what it expects. I'm going to go to Lithuania. I'm going to find Garrett. And I'm going to stop him."

"And then?"

Derek was quiet for a moment. "And then we see what comes next."

The flight was called. They boarded.

Derek looked out the window as the plane lifted off. Veridian City shrank beneath them, a glittering sprawl of light and shadow.

He thought about Jake. About Reyes. About the machine that had almost destroyed them all.

He thought about Garrett. The man who had betrayed him. The man who had created a weapon that killed thousands.

And he thought about Sloane. The woman who had helped him. The woman who had given him hope.

They were flying into enemy territory. Into the unknown.

But Derek wasn't afraid.

Because for the first time in a long time, he wasn't alone.