“Coda, locate the breach in the holowall and sever it—now! Get that barrier back online! Viper, lock down the perimeter! Cut off the head! Echo, work your contacts—”
His head spins mid-order. Static floods his display while his ears ring. With a shake of his head, Kane regains control. “I need intel. Find out where the hell they’re getting this firepower.”
The channel erupts again. Kane doesn’t let anyone finish. “Just follow my orders!”
A second blast rips through the street. The shockwave slamsinto him, and he grabs a streetlight to stay upright, eyes squeezing shut against the glare.
When his vision clears, the world is smoke and static. Enforcers rush past toward a crater splitting the pavement. He doesn’t need a second look. The pattern’s too clean. This was mortar fire.
Which means Natural Order’s moved past homemade weapons. Whoever’s leading them now is more organized—and far more dangerous—than Kane thought.
No time to dwell. Another shell could land any second.
He glances at Rafael, crouched beside a crumbling bench and coughing. Someone needs to get him out—now. He taps the side of his visor. “Wren!”
“Yes, sir!” Her voice comes in breaths.
“Escort duty. Rafael, back to Midtown.”
Gunfire erupts overhead before she can respond. Kane’s grip strengthens around the streetlight. “Split your team!” he shouts over the channel. “Half checking for civilians, half searching for straggling Natural Order members. If you catch any, bring them to me. I need answers.”
He ends the call and turns. Rafael’s watching him, face pale beneath the dust. “I guess this is goodbye, then?” he says, voice somehow steady.
Except that calm isn’t real. His pulse jumps sporadically in Kane’s HUD while his fingers twitch against his jacket. Rafael is barely holding together. That persistent strength again.
“Yes.” Kane’s voice comes out sharper than intended. His gaze flicks toward the medtruck where Dr. Hayashi and Pixie are stationed. He catches Pixie’s eye, signalling her over. “Pixie will stay with you until Wren gets back.”
Rafael gives a tight nod.
For a moment, an instinct surges in Kane to ask him what’s wrong—until an update blinks across his overlay.
>HOLOWALL 4: REPAIR 40%
He swallows hard, forcing everything down with it. This has to be done. For everyone’s sake.
“Take care.” The words sound flat even to him. Still, Kane turns away, already relaying new tactical positions via his wristlink.
“Goodbye, Kane.”
Rafael’s voice barely rises above the chaos. Kane doesn’t turn around. With the border down and Natural Order’s numbers climbing, this could spiral into a full-scale invasion any minute.
Fists clenched, Kane rushes ahead for the breached holowall, where white-robed enforcers clash against matte black armor. The clang of weapons and bursts of gunfire rattle in his skull, but it’s the surge of overlapping shouts in his ear that finally forces him to slow.
“Baron, we’ve spotted a pattern in their—” Viper starts.
Coda interjects. “The wall’s cycling shows—”
“Enough!” Kane snaps, ducking behind an abandoned HOV as debris sprays over the pavement. “One at a time. I can’t—”
“There’s been another breach,” Coda interrupts, the new coordinates flashing red across his HUD.
“They knew exactly where to hit,” Viper warns.
“Send your team in!” Kane barks, pivoting to the pulsing marker. “Tell them to hold position until I give the command!”
“But sir, Wren’s team is closer—”
“I said, wait for me,” Kane hisses.