10:41 p.m. – Downtown New Orleans – The 2nd Street Federal Reserve (and way under it)
Ryan Bruce crouched behind a trash dumpster, dressed in what ONYX CORE field ops officially called "Urban Shadow Stealthwear." Emily had called it "That ridiculous ninja-pajama outfit" when she saw it last week.
She wasn't wrong.
His earpiece crackled. "Veltrix, you're two minutes from breach. Confirm target: the VAULT."
Ryan rolled his eyes. "It's always a vault. Why can't villains ever hide their secrets in a frozen yogurt shop?"
"Because yogurt machines don't come with biometric scanners and underground death corridors," replied his handler, Reese, from ONYX CORE HQ. "Now quit stalling."
Ryan peeked around the corner. The entrance to the 2nd Street Federal Reserve loomed like a monument to taxes and broken dreams. Armed guards patrolled the front—but Ryan wasn't going in the front.
He had a better plan.
Well, a plan.
—
11:03 p.m. – Utility Tunnel Beneath the Reserve
"This map is useless," Ryan muttered, flipping the ancient ONYX CORE schematic upside down. "Who draws a secret passage map with crayon?"
"You're not supposed to need it," Reese replied over comms. "That site was decommissioned after Larsen went rogue. You're looking for Sub-Level 6. There should be a biometric lock. Use your eye."
"Mine?" Ryan blinked. "Or the one in the cooler?"
Reese didn't laugh.
He finally found the entrance to an old elevator shaft—rusted, partially sealed, and plastered with a sign that read: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. EVERYONE ELSE GETS SHOCKED. It was charming.
Ryan slid the panel open with a screwdriver and descended via cable—landing with a thud on a platform covered in dust, mold, and the distinct smell of "hey, maybe you shouldn't breathe this in."
The vault loomed before him: a thick blast door with the ONYX CORE insignia faintly etched into the steel. It had clearly been sealed shut for years. But Ryan wasn't worried.
He had C4. And a sarcastic sense of timing.
—
11:27 p.m. – Inside the Vault
After a very gentle explosion that only triggered two motion sensors, Ryan stepped into the vault.
It wasn't gold bars or priceless diamonds.
It was worse: old ONYX CORE black site files. Paper. Boxes. Microfiche.
And... mannequins?
Ryan aimed his gun at one of them, which was dressed in outdated tactical gear. "Why are there training dummies in here?"
Then he saw the writing on the walls—literally. Red spray paint, wild handwriting, words scrawled across whiteboards and crates:
"They left me here."
"The Wolf watches."
"Buried lies. I will burn their truth."
Ryan took a deep breath. This was where it happened. The betrayal. The place where ONYX CORE left Larsen to die during an unsanctioned op. He walked slowly, his flashlight cutting across documents and photos.
A security recording flickered to life. Larsen's face appeared—scarred, bitter, alive.
"Hello, Veltrix. If you've made it here, congrats. You followed my little treasure trail. Welcome to the graveyard where ONYX CORE buried me. But ghosts don't stay dead forever, do they?"
The screen cut to black.
Ryan's pulse quickened. A map was pinned on the wall—New Orleans with red circles marking power substations, news studios... and his daughter's school.
He didn't wait to process it. He grabbed the files, snapped shots of the map, and bolted out—just as a secondary charge detonated behind him.
The vault collapsed.
Of course it did.
—
1:12 a.m. – Ryan's Car – Speeding Back Across the City
Reese buzzed in. "What did you find?"
Ryan stared at the photo of the map. "I found Larsen's revenge plan. And it's not about taking down ONYX CORE."
He paused.
"It's about taking down me."
[To be continued...]