Zoe sat in the back of Marcus' black BMW, knees pressed so tight together they ached. Her hands were shaking so badly she had to tuck them under her thighs to keep them still. Mascara stains marked her face like war paint, and when she tried to wipe them away with the back of her hand, it just stained them worse. She let out a shaky breath, staring out the window at the silent, waiting city. The rain had stopped, but somehow, everything still felt soaked.
It screamed.bright lights blinked like sirens, flashing across the windows, shouting at her to run.Marcus drove with one hand, thumb twitching on the leather.Rhythmic. Controlled.But everything about him was not calm.Neither was she."Tell me again," she said, voice barely there. Scraped raw from screaming. "Why the hell should I trust you?"He glanced at her.Eyes deep. Empty darkness."Because I'm the only one not lying to you right now."She scoffed. Looked away."You disappeared for five fucking years, Marcus. You let me think you were dead.""I had to," he said, quiet. "If I didn't… you would be."There was silence for the rest of the drive.When he finally turned into a parking garage, the air smelled of rust and something darker, like old secrets and fresh blood.He rolled to a stop in front of a steel door, guarded by two men in black who looked less like people and more like shadows armed to kill.Zoe's pulse hammered against her ribs."What is this?" she whispered, her voice cracking in the cold.He didn't say a word.Just got out. Opened her door."Come on."She followed him down a hallway that felt like it was carved straight into hell.The blinking electric lights vibrated overhead, each blink like a memory she wished she could erase.Goosebumps rose along her arms as the cold trickled into her bones.He stopped at a metal door.Typed in a code.Beep. Then it Clicked.He opened it.Inside,were screens. Dozens.Monitoring footage lit the walls, the city's streets. Rooftops. Alleys.Her apartment building.She staggered."You're spying on me," she whispered."No," he said. "I'm protecting you. There's a difference."She turned, fire behind her eyes. "Don't spin this. You're not a fucking hero, Marcus. You're just a liar with a longer leash."He didn't flinch.Didn't fight.Just turned to the keyboard.A screen flickered.Footage. Old and Grainy.Her, five years younger. Sitting at a desk. Head bowed. Shoulders shaking.Marcus spoke behind her, voice cracked open."That's the day you tried to expose Equinox AI. The day you downloaded the truth."Zoe stepped closer.Her throat locked.On the screenShe stood. A USB in her hand. Tears on her cheeks.ThenThe door opened.Mason walked in.Zoe's knees buckled, and she grabbed the table, clinging to it like it was the only thing keeping her from collapsing.Marcus caught her. Held her at the waist.Onscreen, Mason smiled gentle and fake.He kissed her.She didn't move.She looked like a doll someone forgot to wind up."Finish it," she choked.Marcus typed.The next clip rolled.Zoe's body on a bed naked and till.Mason was sitting and watching.Phone in hand.Taking pictures.Her scream ripped through the room.She dropped.Hands over her face. Sobs that split her ribs.Marcus knelt beside her.Hand on her back."This is why I left," he said, voice shaking. "They tried to kill me for knowing. I couldn't save you then, Zoe. But I will now."She cried harder.Her skin felt like it was burning off."Why didn't you tell me?" she screamed. "Why didn't you tell me?!""Because they made you forget," he said. "They erased it. Buried it in you so deep, you wouldn't find it even if you looked."She shook her head. "No. No no no!""Zoe." His voice cut clean. Sharp. "Look at me."She did."This ends tonight," he said. "You're not their prey anymore. You're the fire. Burn them."Zoe stood.Barely.But she stood.The screens glowed behind her.Mason's penthouse.Ethan's office.She wiped her cheeks."I'm done crying," she said.Marcus smiled, just a little."That's my girl."ThenA burst of electric ripped through the room.Screens flickered like dying stars.And everything went black."What's happening?" she asked.Marcus typed fast. His jaw clenched."They're in the system. Shit. They're breaching us."Lights overhead snapped out.Darkness swallowed them whole."Stay behind me," he said, pulling a gun from his waistband.Footsteps approached.Loud. Heavy. Coming fast.Zoe backed into the wall.The door blew inward.Smoke.Shouts.Red laser dots glowed on Marcus' chest."DROP THE WEAPON!"He raised his hands.Coordinated uniform crowded him. Pinned him. Pressed rifles to his skull.Zoe screamed as one dragged her hair and shoved her down.ThenThrough the smoke, through the chaosA figure stepped in.Dark suit.Soaked in rain.Eyes like knives.Ethan."Let her go," he barked.The men obeyed.Zoe stumbled forward, coughing and crying.Ethan caught her.Held her steady."You okay?" he asked, voice low and tight.She shook her head. Couldn't speak. Could barely stand.Then his eyes found Marcus.Pinned to the floor.Bleeding. Laughing."You," Ethan snapped. "You should've stayed dead."Marcus smiled. Blood on his teeth."Funny. I was gonna say the same thing."Ethan grabbed him by the hair, dragged his head up."You think you get to come back and play savior?" he hissed. "You're a ghost. A virus. You're rot."Marcus just laughed."Better rot than a polished lie."Ethan's fist slammed into his face.Zoe gasped.Silence followed. Thick and tense.Then, Ethan turned to her.Hand out.Voice soft."Come with me."She stepped back. "No. No, Ethan, don't""Zoe," he said, tighter now. "Come. With. Me."She shook her head.Couldn't move.Behind himOne of his men raised a gun.Pointed it at Marcus."NO!" she screamed.ButBang.The shot rang out like a death call.Marcus dropped.Blood spread out beneath him like a dark wing.Zoe's scream shattered the room.She fell. Collapsed.Ethan caught her.Held her as she broke into a thousand pieces.His voice was barely breath."I told you I'd protect you."His tears hit her skin."Even from your past."