As Aiden drove his car, the sound of gunshots and tires screeching filled the surroundings. He kept his focus very sharp despite the chaos going on around him but the highway was a battlefield.
Leading a small group in the front, Tommy’s gleaming barrier shimred as it protected the families and a few other mbers of the squad while they hurried to safety.
And with their family safety secured, Aiden and his remaining team who were positioned behind held the rear with their weapons blazing as they fought to keep the attackers at bay.
As the bullets flew through the air, so hit their cars and others hit the ground around them. Aiden’s team fired back, and each shot was hit hard and accurately. The convoy moved as a single unit, but the attack was getting stronger with each second that went by.
Then it happened.
One of the cars at the rear, the one carrying Manas, Billy, and a few others, ca under heavy fire. With a hailstorm of bullets pounded the vehicle and the relentless assault shattering windows and denting the fra.
A single shot pierced the windshield, striking Billy square in the head. His lifeless body slumped forward, pressing against the steering wheel. The car veered wildly, out of control.
"Billy!" Aiden shouted with his voice hoarse and desperate.
The car spun very fast and kept flipping over before it finally stopped. The wreckage was filled with smoke, and the car, which had once been solid, was now just a ss of bent tal.There was a deafening silence after that, a strange calm that followed the chaos.
Aiden’s chest tightened as he watched the scene unfold, his hands gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. He wanted to move, to do sothing—anything—but he couldn’t. His body felt frozen, his mind overwheld by the loss.
And then, as if the nightmare wasn’t over, another car ca under fire. More of his team, his friends, falling one by one. He tried to scream, to stop it, but his voice didn’t co.
Suddenly, a sharp voice broke through the fog.
"Aiden!" Tommy’s voice was urgent, filled with concern.
Aiden’s eyes flew open as he bolted upright in his chair. His breaths ca in ragged gasps, his chest heaving as if he had just run a marathon. Sweat dripped down his face, soaking the collar of his shirt, and his hands gripped the armrests of his chair with a vice-like hold.
"Aiden," Tommy called again, his tone softer this ti. A firm hand rested on Aiden’s shoulder, grounding him in reality. "Hey, you good? You look like you’ve seen a ghost—or two."
Aiden blinked, his surroundings coming into focus. The dim light of his office replaced the chaos of the highway. Papers were scattered across his desk, and the faint hum of the air conditioning was the only sound. Slowly, he exhaled, trying to calm the rapid pounding of his heart.
"Yeah," he said after a mont, his voice hoarse. "Yeah… I’m fine. It was just a nightmare."
Tommy pulled up a chair and sat down across from him, studying his face with a mix of concern and curiosity. "Nightmare, huh? Well, judging by the way you looked like you were ready to tear this office apart, I’m guessing it wasn’t about forgetting to file so paperwork."
Aiden shook his head, running a hand through his damp hair. "No. It was… it felt real. Too real."
Tommy raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. "Alright, spill. What happened?"
Aiden hesitated, his jaw tightening as the images from the dream lingered in his mind. He didn’t want to relive it, but he knew Tommy wouldn’t let it go. "We were on a highway," he began slowly. "Everyone—our team, their families—was being attacked. Cars, bullets, chaos everywhere. Billy and Manas… they were in one of the cars. It ca under fire. Billy… he was killed. Manas too. The car flipped. There was nothing left."
Tommy’s face softened, and he leaned back in his chair, letting out a low whistle. "Yeah, that’ll do it," he said. "Look, Aiden, you’ve been through a lot. We all have. Losing this many team mbers—it’s bound to ss with your head. The nightmares? They’re just your brain working through the trauma."
"No," Aiden said firmly, his voice cutting through Tommy’s reassurance. "It wasn’t just a nightmare. It felt… real. Like a warning. A premonition."
Tommy raised an eyebrow, his tone turning playful in an attempt to lighten the mood. "A premonition, huh? What’s next, you going to tell you’ve started seeing the future? Maybe grow so wings while you’re at it?"
Aiden didn’t smile. His serious expression wiped the smirk off Tommy’s face. "I’m not joking, Tommy. Sothing bad is coming. I can feel it."
Tommy sighed, realizing he wasn’t going to win this argunt. "Alright, fine. Let’s shift gears then. Speaking of bad things, I’ve got so news that might actually help take your mind off your nightmares."
Aiden frowned. "What news?"
Tommy leaned forward, his expression darkening. "I’ve gone through the digital chip we recovered. And after interrogating so of the prisoners, we’ve got a na. The architect behind this whole ss."
"Who?" Aiden asked, his tone sharp.
"Cain Rienfeld," Tommy said, his voice dripping with disdain. "Youngest grandson of Vice-Chancellor Henry Rienfeld. He’s the one who pulled the strings, ordered the mission, and orchestrated the slaughter."
Aiden’s eyes narrowed, his hand tightening into a fist. "Cain Rienfeld," he repeated slowly, his tone icy. "I don’t care who his grandfather is, he’s going to pay for this."
Tommy nodded, his smirk returning. "I thought you’d say that. Want to send a team to fetch him?"
Aiden stood, grabbing his coat and slinging it over his shoulder. "Send a team and bring him here. We’ll handle this ourselves."
Tommy asked him, "Where are you going?" as he walked toward the door.
"I need so air," Aiden said as he stopped while putting his hand on the doorknob. "And there’s sothing I’ve been considering for a while now and I’ve made up my mind need you to just trust on this."
Pausing for a mont, Aiden added, "While I’m out, inform the others to prepare and tell them to inform the families too that they need to be ready to reallocate we need."
Tommy studied him for a mont, then nodded. "Fine. But you better not do anything reckless."
Aiden didn’t respond, instead stepping out of the office as the door closed behind him.
Vice-Chancellor Henry’s Manor
A few miles outside the capital, on a cliff overlooking the city, stood a sprawling manor. Inside, in a grand training hall, Vice-Chancellor Henry was locked in a heated sparring session with his eldest grandson, Alaric.
Although Henry was in his seventies, he moved quickly and accurately like he was a lot younger. While sparring his sharp strikes were t with equally sharp counters from Alaric.
When the session was over, both guys took a step back and started breathing heavily. He grabbed a towel to wipe his face, while Alaric leaned against a nearby rack of guns and drank from his water bottle for a long ti.water bottle.
A man who had been waiting silently at the edge of the hall stepped forward, his hesitation obvious. Henry glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Out with it," he said gruffly. "What’s so urgent that you’ve been standing there like a statue?"
The man straightened, his voice trembling slightly. "Sir, there’s a council eting scheduled for this evening. Chancellor Helen wants to discuss the next steps for the federation, now that the capital has stabilized."
Henry waved dismissively. "I expected as much. What else?"
The man hesitated, clearly dreading his next words. "There’s… bad news, sir. About the escort mission."
Henry stilled, his towel frozen mid-motion. His sharp gaze locked onto the man, and even Alaric paused, setting his bottle down and leaning forward slightly. "Go on," Henry said, his voice low and dangerous.
The man swallowed hard and explained everything—the mission given to the Dragon Unit, the ambush at the capital, the massacre of their team, and how Aiden discovered about it as he apprehended everyone involved, and was now holding Major General Karep and the escort team sent by us as prisoner.
By the ti the man finished, Henry’s hand had clenched around the water bottle he was holding, crushing it as though it were made of paper.
Water spilled over his hand, but he didn’t seem to notice. His jaw tightened, and a string of curses escaped his lips. "That damned Cain," he growled, tossing the ruined bottle aside. "How could he be this reckless? What a ss he’s created!"
He turned to Alaric, his eyes blazing. "Why the hell did you assign sothing so delicate to Cain? You know how irresponsible he is."
Alaric, unbothered by the scolding, shrugged casually. "He’s my younger brother. He wanted to prove himself, and I figured it was ti he started handling real responsibilities. Sure, things didn’t go exactly as planned, but he’ll learn from this. It’s good for his growth."
Henry glared at him, his temper barely restrained. "Growth? This isn’t so training exercise, Alaric. He’s put our entire position in jeopardy!"
Alaric t his grandfather’s gaze evenly. "And yet, this might still work in our favor. The Dragon Unit has been a thorn in our side for years. If we play this right, we can turn this into an opportunity to weaken their influence—or even bring them under our control. Sotis sacrifices have to be made."
Henry stared at him, his frustration warring with reluctant agreent. After a long mont, he nodded curtly. "Fine. But first, we need to contain this ss. Fetch Cain imdiately and bring him here. I don’t want him anywhere near the capital when this explodes. Then inform our allies to gather here before the council eting. We need to coordinate our next steps."
The man saluted and left quickly, no doubt relieved to escape Henry’s wrath. As the door closed behind him, Henry turned back to Alaric. "Start preparing. If we’re going to salvage this disaster, we need to be ready for anything."
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