The screen flickered once.
Then...
A secure interface came to life, casting a cold blue glow across the room.
Three figures stood before it, no longer just girls laughing in a living room.
Here, they were something else.
Something dangerous.
VEX. SPECTER. BLITZ.
Those were the names the organization gave them.
Names that erased who they once were.
Names that turned them into weapons.
VEX stood at the center: calm, composed, and in control.
Behind that name was RANIA.
To her right, SPECTER remained silent, her sharp eyes scanning every detail.
ALISA, the observer who always saw more than she revealed.
And leaning casually against the wall...
BLITZ.
ZARA.
Restless. Impatient. Always ready to strike.
The system beeped.
A file dropped onto the screen.
MISSION: ELIMINATE TARGET
The air shifted instantly.
Blitz let out a low whistle. "Straight to the point. I like it."
Specter frowned slightly. "No briefing… no intel package. That's unusual."
Vex didn't respond.
Her fingers moved across the keyboard, unlocking the encrypted file with practiced ease.
The image loaded.
And everything went still.
Blitz straightened.
Specter's eyes widened, just slightly.
Because the man on the screen…
was not a stranger.
AIDEN KHALIS.
Even without the name, they would have known.
"This isn't right," Specter murmured.
Vex's voice followed, steady but colder than before.
"Codename: PHANTOM."
The word hung in the air like a death sentence.
Blitz scoffed lightly. "Phantom? What kind of name is that?"
But no one laughed.
Because deep down...
they understood.
"You've heard of him," Specter said quietly.
Blitz frowned. "Should I?"
Specter didn't look away from the screen.
"You have. We all have."
A pause.
Then...
"He used to be one of us."
Silence crashed over the room.
Blitz pushed herself off the wall.
"…You're joking."
Vex's gaze darkened.
"Explain."
Specter hesitated, but only for a moment.
"He disappeared three years ago. No trace. No body." Her voice lowered. "The organization declared him dead."
Her eyes hardened.
"But ghosts don't stay buried."
The system updated again.
STATUS: HIGH PRIORITY TARGET
AUTHORIZATION: VEX ONLY
Blitz blinked.
"Hold on, why is your codename there?"
Specter turned slowly.
"Why are you the only one authorized?"
Vex didn't answer immediately.
And that silence...
felt wrong.
"Because this mission requires precision," Vex said finally.
Blitz let out a dry laugh. "We're a team. Since when do you go solo?"
Vex turned to face them.
Her expression unreadable.
Her voice colder than before.
"Since now."
The shift was instant.
Not Rania.
Not their friend.
Just...
Vex.
"This is an order."
Specter felt it then.
That line.
The one between loyalty… and obedience.
"Are you hiding something?" Specter asked softly.
For a split second...
Vex's eyes flickered.
Blitz caught it.
"Wait," she said slowly. "Don't tell me… you know him too?"
Vex didn't deny it.
That was answer enough.
Blitz ran a hand through her hair, pacing.
"This is insane."
Specter exhaled slowly, trying to stay grounded.
"If he really was one of us…" she said, her voice steady but low,
"then this isn't just an elimination mission."
She looked directly at Vex. "It's a cleanup."
Vex's jaw tightened.
"Which means," Specter continued, "someone doesn't want the truth to come out."
The screen flickered again.
TIME LIMIT: 24 HOURS
Blitz cursed.
"Wow. They're not even trying to hide it."
She looked at Vex.
"So what's the plan?"
A long pause.
Vex stepped forward.
And shut the screen off.
Darkness swallowed the room.
"We finish the mission."
Blitz let out a bitter laugh.
"Of course you'd say that."
She grabbed her jacket, brushing past Vex roughly.
"Do whatever you want."
Specter didn't move.
Not yet.
"Vex," she called softly.
No response.
"If this goes wrong…" Specter continued, her voice barely above a whisper,
"we won't come back the same."
For a moment...
Vex closed her eyes.
Then opened them again.
Cold. Focused. Distant.
"Then don't get in my way."
That was it.
The moment their bond began to fracture.
Because this mission...
was never just about Phantom.
It was about the past they buried.
The truth they were never meant to remember.
And the ghost…
who was coming back for all of them.
TBC