Location: Haven City – Kane Estate Archives (Restricted Wing)
The door groaned as it opened—a vault buried beneath generations of secrets. Damien stepped in first, his flashlight slicing through the dust and shadows. Nora followed, eyes sharp.
"This was your grandfather's private archive?" she asked.
Damien nodded. "And his father's before him. No one's accessed this place in over thirty years. Not even my father."
The walls were lined with steel cabinets, antique safes, and data cores. In the center stood a glass pedestal sealed by biometric and encrypted locks. Damien placed his palm on the reader. It scanned, beeped—then glitched. For a second, the room went pitch black.
Nora's fingers curled. "That wasn't supposed to happen."
"It's fine," Damien said. "It's just… sensitive."
The pedestal hissed open, revealing a bundle of yellowed documents bound in aged velvet. Beneath them was a silver data chip.
He passed the chip to Nora. "This is what we need."
She slid it into her tablet. The screen lit up.
[PROJECT: VORTEX INITIATIVE – DECLASSIFIED LEVEL 9]
Codename: Silent Watch | Origin: Kane Consortium | Status: Terminated (Hidden Protocol Active)
Nora's breath caught. "Your family started the Silent Watch?"
"Not entirely," Damien said grimly. "They were one of the founders."
Images unfolded: Black-and-white footage of Damien's grandfather, alongside three other powerful men. One was Lucien's father. Another… was Nora's uncle.
She stepped back, shaken. "No. That can't be right."
"Your family was part of it too, Nora. That's why they've always tried to control you."
Her eyes flared. "And the Red Fang?"
"Was designed as a failsafe. If any of the founders' bloodlines turned against the Watch… they'd be hunted."
Nora closed her eyes, connecting the pieces. Her survival, her skills, her secrets—they weren't random. She was a legacy threat.
A sharp ping broke the silence.
Vesper's voice crackled through Damien's comms. "They've breached the outer perimeter. Elite strike unit. They're not wasting time."
Damien looked at Nora. "We can still run."
"No," she said fiercely. "We dig deeper. We expose them. If our blood built this system, it's our blood that will break it."
Damien smiled grimly. "Then let's get ready."
---
Location: Haven City – Skies above Blackthorne Estate
A dark aircraft with no official insignia hovered silently in the clouds. Inside, five agents of the Red Fang reviewed mission parameters.
Target: Nora Lancaster
Secondary Target: Damien Kane
Protocol: Silence Without Echo
"Visual acquired," one said, locking onto Nora's coordinates.
"Go dark," the leader commanded. "Initiate descent."
---
Location: Blackthorne Estate – Rooftop Helipad
Vesper waited in her combat suit, wind sweeping her platinum hair as the aircraft appeared in the distance. She drew her blades and glanced at her team.
"They want blood?" she said coldly. "We'll give them war."