Location: Safehouse 7 – Children's Quarters
Time: 3:41 a.m.
Version Zero knelt, trying not to scare them.
"I know I'm not him," he said softly. "But maybe... maybe I can still be something. A better version. One who never missed birthdays. One who—"
CRASH!
The ceiling above exploded downward as a flash grenade detonated mid-air.
Version Zero's reflexes snapped into action. He grabbed Faith and rolled under the bed just as Ryan Bruce dropped from the roof like a thunderclap wrapped in body armor.
"Get away from my daughters," Ryan snarled, pulse gun raised.
Version Zero peeked out from under the bed, shielding Faith.
"I'm protecting them."
"Then let go," Emily said, landing beside Ryan, weapon trained with military precision.
"Or I will remove parts of you the hard way," Bella added, sliding in from the hallway with her pistol drawn.
Holly blinked, stunned. "Okay, not gonna lie—that entrance was awesome."
"Thanks, sweetie," Ryan said, eyes never leaving his doppelgänger.
Version Zero slowly crawled out from under the bed, hands raised, releasing Faith—who scampered straight into Emily's arms.
"Okay," he said calmly. "No weapons. No tricks. Just listen. I didn't hurt them. I told them a story. I made them laugh. I remembered things you forgot."
"That's not being better," Ryan growled. "That's called copying homework you didn't do."
"You're wasting time," Zero said. "The Glitch Wolf is coming here next. Not just for me—for them. Bella's father has activated something worse than you imagine. He wants them as leverage."
Emily froze. "He what?"
Zero pointed at the wall. "Use the secure line. Watch the last 30 seconds of Castini's backup plan. I intercepted it."
Ryan, torn between throttling and truth, flicked on the room's ONYX console.
A grainy video played.
Don Castini, surrounded by mercenaries, stood in a pasta warehouse-turned-command center. He smirked at the camera. "You want family, Bruce? Then we start with yours. The Glitch Wolf knows where they hide. Let's see how well a man fights with daughters in the crossfire."
The screen cut to black.
Bella whispered, "My father… he gave them orders to take the girls."
Ryan turned to Zero. "Why didn't you just tell us this first?"
Zero looked at Holly. "Because I didn't want to lose the only moment I ever had... where someone called me Daddy."
A long silence.
Then a beep.
The console flashed:
Motion Detected – East Forest Perimeter – Multiple Contacts Approaching
"Welp," Bella muttered. "Looks like we're all out of time for therapy."
Ryan looked at his daughters. Then at Version Zero.
"You want to help?"
Zero nodded.
"Then prove you're better," Ryan said. "Help me defend our girls."
Zero stood tall. "Let's go save your family."
"No," Ryan said. "Our family."
Holly rolled her eyes. "Okay, but if either of you dies, I'm not cleaning it up."
Location: Safehouse 7 – Exterior Perimeter Defense Line
Time: 3:47 a.m.
The woods lit up with flickers of red laser sights and quiet mechanical whirrs. Dozens of Glitch Wolf operatives in stealth armor moved like ghosts.
Inside the safehouse, the defenses hummed to life.
Automated turrets spun.
Ground panels flipped to reveal ONYX auto-cannons.
Ryan turned to Version Zero. "You take west flank. Emily, east window defense. Bella, roof watch."
"What about you?" Emily asked.
Ryan cracked his knuckles. "I'm going full Battle Dad."
He tapped his wrist.
A hidden closet panel opened.
Inside: a custom ONYX exo-rig, painted in cartoonish blue and flame decals, built for high-impact defense.
Faith squealed. "It's the lunchbox armor!"
Ryan grinned. "Some dads pack snacks. I pack firepower."
Location: Safehouse Front Line – Five Minutes Later
Time: 3:52 a.m.
The first enemy operative stepped into the clearing.
Then everything erupted.
Ryan, in his Battle Dad rig, charged like a linebacker on espresso. He swung a pulse gauntlet into a Glitch Wolf helmet, sending it sailing into the treetops.
Emily, sniping from the window, took down two more before flipping back into the hallway and shouting, "Reinforcements coming from the creek path!"
Bella tossed a grenade, cackling, "Hope you like linguine—because this one's spicy!"
Version Zero, calm and calculating, fought like a dancer—nonlethal, efficient, protecting the blind spots Ryan couldn't cover. He shielded the girls, using his body to absorb a shock round that would've hit Holly.
The fight turned into a blur of sparks, fists, and family fury.
Location: Safehouse Interior – Final Sweep
Time: 4:07 a.m.
Smoke cleared.
Bodies groaned.
The Bruce family stood—alive, battered, victorious.
Version Zero collapsed to one knee, systems overclocked.
"I bought you time," he gasped. "More... than I ever had."
Ryan walked over.
And hugged him.
A real one.
The kind that didn't need words.
Then, in his ear, Ryan whispered, "You screw this up, and I will program you to change diapers for eternity."
Zero grinned weakly. "Worth it."
Location: Unknown Terminal – Hacker's Command Room
Time: 4:09 a.m.
A figure in a digital wolf mask watched the live feed glitch and fade.
He turned to Don Castini.
"Phase Two failed."
Don scowled. "Then we go to Phase Three."
He pushed a button on the console.
And deep below a warehouse basement... something began to stir.
A black case opened.
Inside it:
Phoenix Protocol – Initiation Status: ACTIVE
(TO BE CONTINUED...)