Kira's footsteps echoed off the narrow hallway as she headed for the back of the cabin, her mind still swirling from Reed's manipulative words. She had come outside to clear her head, but it hadn't helped. The doubt was still there, clawing at her every thought. What if Reed wasn't lying? What if there really was someone on the inside, feeding him information?
As she approached the door to Reed's makeshift cell, she hesitated. Reed was the type who thrived on psychological warfare, always twisting the truth just enough to make it believable. But the question that haunted her was: What if this time he wasn't twisting anything at all?
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door slowly. Reed was sitting on the edge of the bed, his cuffs still on, looking relaxed as ever. He looked up when she entered, that ever-present smirk tugging at his lips.
"Back so soon, Kira? Couldn't stay away?"
Kira ignored his taunt, leaning against the doorframe. "Why don't you just tell us the truth? If you want to take someone down with you, why not be upfront about it?"
Reed chuckled softly. "Oh, Kira. The truth? It's all about perspective, isn't it? Your truth, my truth—they're different stories. But I will say this: I've been upfront. You just don't want to hear it."
"Enough games," she snapped. "You're not walking out of here without giving us something solid."
Reed's smile widened as he leaned forward, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "The truth, Kira, is that you've already lost. The mole? They've been working with me from the start, and you've been blind to it. I don't need to give you names. You'll figure it out soon enough—when it's too late."
Kira felt a chill run down her spine, but she refused to let him see how deeply his words were cutting. "You're bluffing," she said, though her voice sounded less certain than she'd intended. "There's no mole. You're just trying to stir up trouble because it's the only weapon you have left."
Reed tilted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "Believe what you want. But think about it—how do I keep slipping through your fingers? How do I always know exactly where you'll be? You really think I've done all this on my own?"
Kira's mind raced. She wanted to call him a liar, to dismiss everything he was saying. But his confidence—his calm, unshakable confidence—was getting to her. What if he was right? What if someone had been feeding him information from the start?
She pushed away from the doorframe, clenching her fists. "You won't break us, Reed. Whatever game you're playing, it ends here."
Reed stood up slowly, his chains clinking softly as he moved. "Oh, I'm not trying to break you, Kira. You're already broken. All I'm doing is making sure the cracks show."
With that, he turned and sat back down on the bed, folding his hands behind his head. He looked completely at ease, as if he had all the time in the world.
Kira watched him for a moment longer, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. Then, without another word, she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her with a heavy thud.
Back in the main room, Hayes and Wallace were going over a map, plotting out their next move. The atmosphere was tense, but they were focused, trying to regain control of the situation.
Kira walked in, her face unreadable as she sat down across from them. Hayes glanced up briefly. "Anything new from Reed?"
Kira shook her head. "More of the same. He's just trying to get in our heads."
"Yeah, well, it's working," Wallace muttered. He traced a line on the map with his finger. "He mentioned something about a warehouse on the east side. Could be another dead end, but it's the only lead we've got."
Hayes nodded, but their expression was grim. "We'll check it out. But we need to be careful. Reed's playing us, and I'm not sure how much longer we can keep going without something concrete."
Kira leaned forward, her voice low. "We have to be on guard. Reed's getting bolder. He's convinced there's someone on the inside helping him."
Wallace scoffed, but there was an edge to his voice. "He's trying to turn us against each other. That's his game."
"I know," Kira said, though the doubt lingered in her mind. "But we can't ignore the possibility. Someone's been feeding him information—whether they know it or not."
The room fell into an uneasy silence as the three of them processed the weight of her words. The trust they had once shared felt fragile now, hanging by a thread. Reed had planted the seed of doubt, and it was growing, threatening to tear them apart.
"We'll deal with that after the warehouse," Hayes said finally, their voice firm. "Right now, we need to stay focused. We hit the warehouse tonight. In and out, quick and clean. No mistakes."
Wallace nodded, though his jaw was clenched tightly. Kira glanced between them, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a knife.
They were unraveling, and they all knew it. But they had to hold on, if only for a little longer.
Later that night, the team gathered in silence, preparing for the raid on the warehouse. The air was crisp, the darkness of the city closing in around them as they moved through the backstreets.
Hayes led the way, their mind sharp and focused. They had to stay ahead of Reed, had to prove him wrong. There was no mole. There couldn't be.
But as they approached the warehouse, something didn't feel right. The building loomed in the distance, its windows dark, the entrance eerily quiet. Too quiet.
Hayes raised a hand, signaling the team to stop. "Something's off," they whispered.
Wallace frowned, peering through the darkness. "Could be a trap."
Kira's heart raced as she scanned the area. She could feel it too. Something wasn't right.
"Let's circle around," Hayes said, their voice low but urgent. "Stay sharp. Reed's always a step ahead, and we can't afford to fall into another one of his traps."
They split up, moving cautiously through the shadows. Kira's pulse quickened as she crept along the side of the building, her senses on high alert. Every sound, every movement felt amplified.
As she neared a side entrance, she paused, listening for any signs of life inside. The door was slightly ajar, a faint sliver of light seeping through the crack.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she reached for the handle. This was it. The moment of truth.
With a deep breath, she pushed the door open, stepping into the unknown.