The intelligence came from an unexpected source—a Council communications officer who had grown sick of watching orbital bombardments reduce cities to ash. Her name was Lieutenant Sarah Chen, and she carried information that would change the course of the war.
"High-value target," she whispered to Kael in the abandoned subway station that served as their meeting point. "Colonel Marcus Vex, second-in-command of the Crimson Serpents. He's conducting a personal inspection of Council facilities in the Eastern Territories."
Kael felt his pulse quicken. Vex was one of Thorne's most trusted lieutenants, a woman whose reputation for psychological warfare and interrogation techniques had made her legendary among Council operatives. More importantly, she was the first high-ranking Crimson Serpent to operate outside their usual security protocols.
"Why is she traveling with reduced security?" Elena asked, studying the intelligence files that Chen had provided.
"Arrogance," Chen replied. "The Serpents believe their reputation makes them untouchable. Vex is traveling with only a small escort because she doesn't think anyone would dare attack her."
"She's wrong," Kael said quietly.
The opportunity was unprecedented—a chance to strike directly at the Crimson Serpents' command structure and prove that even the Council's most elite operatives were vulnerable. But it was also incredibly dangerous, requiring them to operate deep in Council territory against an enemy who specialized in exactly the kind of warfare they were planning.
"What's the timeline?" Vera asked, her professional interest evident.
"Vex will be at the Meridian Research Facility for six hours, conducting security assessments and personnel reviews. She arrives at 1400 hours tomorrow, departs at 2000 hours."
"Security?"
"Standard Council garrison plus her personal escort—maybe fifty troops total. But they're expecting routine operations, not a direct assault."
Kael studied the facility schematics that Chen had provided. The Meridian Research Facility was a sprawling complex of laboratories and administrative buildings, surrounded by defensive perimeters but not designed to withstand a determined attack.
"We can do this," he decided. "But it has to be perfect. No mistakes, no survivors who can report what happened."
"You're talking about assassinating one of the most dangerous people in the Council hierarchy," Webb pointed out. "Even if we succeed, the retaliation will be enormous."
"Good. Let them retaliate. Every overreaction, every atrocity they commit in response, turns more people against them."
The plan that emerged from their tactical session was elegant in its simplicity. A small strike team would infiltrate the facility during Vex's visit, eliminate her and her escort, then disappear before reinforcements could arrive.
"Team composition?" Elena asked.
"Six operatives. You, me, Vera, Torres, and two specialists from Sarah's technical team. Small enough to avoid detection, large enough to handle unexpected complications."
"Equipment?"
"Advanced stealth gear, EMP weapons, and enough explosives to level the facility if necessary. We go in quiet, but we're prepared for loud."
"Extraction?"
"Fast boats on the Meridian River. If everything goes according to plan, we'll be fifty kilometers away before they even know Vex is dead."
The infiltration began at midnight, when the facility's security was at its most relaxed. The strike team approached through the river system, using submersible vehicles to avoid the sensor networks that monitored the land approaches.
"Perimeter sensors are down," Sarah reported from her position with the technical team. "EMP pulse disabled their surveillance network."
"Guard patrols?" Kael asked.
"Predictable patterns, standard Council doctrine. They're not expecting trouble."
The team moved through the facility like ghosts, using their knowledge of Council security procedures to avoid detection. The laboratories were empty at this hour, their advanced equipment humming quietly in standby mode.
"Target located," Vera whispered from her position near the administrative building. "Vex is in Conference Room Alpha, conducting interviews with facility personnel."
"Security?"
"Four guards outside the room, two more in the corridor. Her personal escort is maintaining a perimeter around the building."
Kael studied the tactical situation through his scope. Vex was exactly where the intelligence had predicted, but the security was tighter than expected. Taking her out would require precise coordination and perfect timing.
"Elena, can you reach the building's power systems?"
"Affirmative. I can cut power to the entire complex on your signal."
"Torres, what's your position on the escort team?"
"I have clear shots on three targets. The fourth is in cover, but I can flush him out with a grenade."
"Vera?"
"Ready to breach the conference room. But once we start shooting, we'll have maybe two minutes before reinforcements arrive."
"Then we make those two minutes count. Elena, cut the power in thirty seconds. Everyone else, execute on my mark."
The facility plunged into darkness as Elena severed the main power lines. Emergency lighting flickered on, casting eerie shadows throughout the complex. In the confusion that followed, the strike team moved with lethal precision.
Torres's shots eliminated three of Vex's escort guards before they could react. His grenade flushed the fourth from cover, where Vera's rifle finished the job. The guards outside the conference room died without ever seeing their attackers.
"Breach, breach, breach!" Kael called as they stormed into the conference room.
Colonel Vex was exactly as he'd imagined her—a woman in her forties with the cold eyes and predatory grace that marked her as a professional killer. She was reaching for her sidearm when Kael's shot took her center mass, the EMP round disabling her advanced armor before the kinetic impact drove her to the ground.
"Target down," he reported, but Vera was already moving to confirm the kill.
"She's still alive," Vera announced, kneeling beside the fallen Serpent. "Wounded, but conscious."
Kael approached the dying woman, studying the face that had haunted the nightmares of countless resistance fighters. Vex looked up at him with eyes that showed no fear, only professional curiosity.
"Kael Shadowborn," she whispered, blood frothing at her lips. "I was wondering when we'd finally meet."
"Any last words?"
Vex's smile was sharp despite her pain. "You think killing me changes anything? The Serpents have been hunting your kind for decades. We know how you think, how you fight, how you die."
"Maybe. But now you know how you die too."
"This won't end with me. Thorne will come for you personally now. And when he does, you'll discover that your father's death was merciful compared to what awaits you."
Kael's second shot silenced her forever.
"Facility sweep complete," Torres reported. "All targets eliminated, no survivors."
"Evidence?"
"Planted. It'll look like an internal Council power struggle—Vex was eliminated by rivals within their own organization."
"Extraction?"
"Boats are standing by. We can be clear of the area in ten minutes."
As they made their way back to the river, Kael felt a mixture of satisfaction and unease. They had achieved their objective—the first successful assassination of a high-ranking Crimson Serpent operative. But Vex's final words echoed in his mind, a reminder that every victory came with a price.
"How do you feel?" Elena asked as their boat raced down the Meridian River toward safety.
"Like we just kicked a hornet's nest," Kael replied. "Vex was right about one thing—this will bring Thorne out of hiding."
"Is that what you want?"
"It's what's necessary. The Serpents have been shadows for too long, operating from the darkness while their victims never see them coming. Time to drag them into the light."
"And if Thorne proves to be more than we can handle?"
"Then we die fighting. But at least we'll have shown the world that the Council's champions aren't invincible."
The news of Vex's death spread through both Council and resistance networks with lightning speed. For the Council, it was a shocking reminder that even their most elite operatives were vulnerable. For the resistance, it was proof that the seemingly untouchable Crimson Serpents could be hunted and killed.
"Reaction from Council territory?" Webb asked during their post-mission briefing.
"Panic in some quarters, rage in others. They're implementing new security protocols for all high-ranking personnel."
"And the resistance?"
"Celebration. Recruitment is up three hundred percent in the last forty-eight hours. Everyone wants to join the organization that killed a Crimson Serpent."
"What about Thorne?"
Webb's expression grew serious. "Radio silence. But intelligence suggests he's mobilizing the entire Serpent organization for a major operation."
"Against us?"
"Against everyone. Word is that the Council has given him carte blanche to eliminate the resistance by any means necessary."
Kael nodded, having expected as much. Vex's death had been a declaration of war against the Crimson Serpents, and they would respond with overwhelming force.
"Then we better be ready for them."
"Are we? Ready, I mean?"
Kael thought about the question, considering their resources and capabilities against the most elite military unit in human history. The mathematics were daunting, but not impossible.
"We're as ready as we can be. The question is whether ready is enough."
The first kill had been achieved, but it was only the beginning. The Crimson Serpents would come for them now with everything they had, and the final confrontation between Kael Shadowborn and Commander Thorne was no longer a distant possibility—it was an inevitable reality.
The boy who had hidden in his father's workshop was gone, replaced by a man who had learned to kill with precision and purpose. But the most important lesson was yet to come—that sometimes, the hunter becomes the hunted, and survival depends on being ready for both roles.
The war had entered a new phase, and Kael Shadowborn intended to see it through to the end, whatever that might bring.