Brick, Raven, and Tara hid in the warehouse shadows. Their graphene armor soaked up the faint neon glow. Brick's EMP rifle hung low, his scarred knuckles tight on the grip. Raven holstered her pulse pistol and strapped her knife to her thigh, its blade eager for blood. Tara clutched an EMP grenade launcher, her tic steady, eyes scanning the fog. Eddie and Doc stayed back, watching through encrypted comms. They saw Jace and Simon zip-tied in the safehouse's cell.
Tara's coded message brought them here. Marco "Silk" was meeting Jade "The Wraith" at midnight. He was a traitor in Viktor's ranks. Brick planned to grab Marco, get intel from him, and weaken Viktor's syndicate. The data center hit had damaged Simon's servers. However, Viktor hid the real betting ledgers in his arena. Eddie's dead laptop still held the syndicate's secrets. It showed payouts to Elena, Harlan, and others, pushing them to hunt in person.
"Marco's late," Raven whispered, her breath misting in the chill. "Jade's out there, too. Smells like a trap."
Brick nodded, his jaw tight. "We spring it, then flip it. Stay sharp." Tara's launcher clicked as she checked its load. "Marco's a snake, but he knows Viktor's moves. We get him, we're closer to the heart."
A low rumble shattered the silence. Two syndicate vans screeched onto the docks, their tires spitting gravel. Marco stepped out, his scar-laced jaw catching the light, a silenced pistol in hand. Beside him, Nico, his twin, scanned the piers, pistol ready. Jade stepped out of the fog. Her black coat billowed behind her. A silenced pistol gleamed in her hand. Two fighters from her faction flanked her. They were lean and armed with blades, ready for action.
"Silk's selling out," Jade said, voice smooth. "Viktor's weak. Join us, Marco."
Marco's grin was sly. "Show me the cash, Wraith."
Brick signaled. He fired his EMP rifle. A shockwave hit the vans' electronics. Sparks exploded like fireworks, and the tires hissed flat. Raven leapt from a crate, her pulse pistol arcing blue, and shot a goon in the chest. The goon convulsed. His rifle clattered as he fell. The pier shook beneath him. Tara's launcher thumped as an EMP grenade hit a van. It exploded, metal buckled, and glass shattered in a sparkling rain.
Marco ducked behind a barrel. His pistol fired, sending bullets bouncing off Brick's armor. The graphene glowed bright, like a match struck in the dark. Brick charged, crowbar in hand, and swung at a goon who lunged with a chain. The chain whipped past, grazing Brick's shoulder, pain flaring. Brick's crowbar hit the goon's chest hard. Ribs cracked like dry branches. Blood sprayed as the man fell, the chain slipping away.
Raven faced Nico, who rushed at her with a knife, its blade glinting. She ducked as the knife cut through the air. Then, she spun her Gravedigger and punched Nico in the jaw. His teeth shattered, blood gushing like a burst pipe, and he staggered, the knife dropping. "Stay down!" Raven hissed, kicking his knee, cartilage popping, Nico collapsing with a guttural moan.
Jade's fighters attacked Tara, their blades flashing. One slashed at her arm, but Tara sidestepped, her launcher too bulky – she dropped it, drew her pistol, and fired. The bullet hit the fighter's shoulder. Blood sprayed as he fell, screaming. The blade clattered to the ground. The second fighter lunged. Tara grabbed a dock rope and swung it hard. The knot hit his skull, cracking it. Bone splintered, and his body slumped into the water with a splash.
Brick saw Marco dash for a warehouse, so he ran after him, boots thudding on the broken planks. A goon blocked him, swinging a machete. Brick ducked, the blade embedding in a crate, wood exploding. His crowbar swung hard, smashing the goon's wrist. Bones broke, and the machete flew away. The goon screamed, his cry cutting through the fog. Brick's fist followed, crushing the goon's nose, blood erupting, the man dropping like a sack.
Inside the warehouse, shadows danced across rusted cranes and oil drums. Marco fired, a bullet grazing Brick's armor, sparks showering. Brick dove behind a drum, oil leaks slick under his boots. He threw the crowbar. It spun and hit Marco's hand. His pistol flew away, and his fingers broke with a sickening crunch. Marco howled, clutching his hand, blood dripping. Brick tackled him, pinning him to the concrete, knee on his chest, fist raised. "Talk, Silk!" he growled. "What's Viktor's next move?"
Marco gasped, pain twisting his face. "You're dead, Jones! Viktor's got plans – the arena's wired, traps everywhere."
Raven burst in, dragging a wounded goon, her knife red. "Spill, Marco, or I'll carve you!" The goon groaned, blood pooling from a thigh wound. Jade slipped inside, gun ready. Then, Tara fired. The bullet hit a crane, forcing Jade back.
"Viktor's meeting Lena at the arena tomorrow," Marco panted. "Security's tight – drones, AI, and Boris. You won't get close."
Brick tightened his grip. "Why betray him?"
"Jade's faction pays better," Marco spat. "Viktor's slipping."
Raven's knife pressed against Marco's throat, a bead of blood forming. "Where's Jade's base?"
Marco's eyes flicked to Jade, vanishing into the fog. "Unknown. She's a ghost."
Tara shot a goon sneaking in. The bullet hit his chest, blood sprayed, and his body fell with a clang onto a drum. "We're done here," she said, launcher back in hand. Brick zip-tied Marco, hauling him up. They sprinted to the bike and a stolen van and zoomed off.
Back at the safehouse, Marco joined Jace and Simon in the cell, his hand bandaged by Doc, who grumbled, "This place is a zoo." Eddie hacked Marco's burner, pulling texts with Jade. "She's at the old refinery, east side," Eddie said, screens glowing. "Could be a trap."
Brick leaned against a wall, sweat drying. "We hit the refinery, then Lena at the arena. Keep cutting their legs." Raven cleaned her knife, eyes fierce. "Jade's playing both sides. If we take her out, we own the board."
Tara's tic twitched. "There's more. ShadowNet's buzzing – someone's leaking our moves. Not Marco, not Jade. Someone closer." Her eyes scanned the room, suspicion sharp.
Doc snorted, packing his kit. "Great. Traitors, ghosts, and us in the middle."
Brick's fists clenched, Neon City's pulse urging him forward. "We check the leak after Jade. The refinery's next." Raven nodded, her knife ready. The monitors flickered. #PhantomStrikes was trending. Then, a new ShadowNet post caught Eddie's eye: Phantom hunted. Viper strikes soon. The city watched, and Viktor's shadow loomed larger.
In a penthouse across town, Viktor paced, his console dark, Simon's servers dead. Lena reported via secure line: "Marco's gone, boss. Jade's moving. Jones and Raven hit us again." Viktor's snarl was venomous. "Find them, Lena. Or I burn this city myself."
A new figure entered – Kira "Knives," her fists bruised from training, eyes cold. "Let me hunt them," she said. Viktor nodded, his grin a blade. "Take Boris. Bring me their heads."
The docks' blood hadn't dried, but Neon City's war was escalating, and Brick's hunt was far from over.