The echo of Elias's broken voice from the recording lingered in the air long after the screen had gone dark. Mara stood frozen, her hands clenched into fists so tightly her knuckles were white. Her mind was spinning, trying to process what she had just witnessed. Every breath felt like a struggle, as though the weight of the truth had collapsed the very air around her.
Her brother. Experimented on. Tortured.
Cassian broke the silence first, his voice quiet but steady. "Mara… we don't know if he's still alive. There's no timestamp on the video. He could still be—"
"I know." Her voice was cold, sharper than she had intended. She didn't want sympathy. She didn't want reassurances. She wanted action.
Cassian's eyes searched her face, but he didn't press her further. He seemed to understand the storm brewing inside her, the cold fury that was now twisting in her chest like a blade. But there was something else behind his eyes too—concern, and maybe even doubt.
Mara couldn't stand still anymore. The room felt too small, too claustrophobic, and her thoughts were too loud. She stepped away from the terminal and began to pace, her boots echoing softly on the concrete floor. Her mind raced through possibilities, each one more dangerous than the last. They had to strike now. They had to expose the Syndicate for what they were. They couldn't wait.
Cassian leaned against the edge of the terminal, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched her pace, his face unreadable. "Mara, slow down for a second. We need to think this through."
"We don't have time to think," she snapped. "You saw what they did to Elias. What they're doing to all those people. We have to act. Now."
"I get it. I'm angry too," Cassian said, his voice calm but firm. "But charging in without a plan is a quick way to get both of us killed."
Mara stopped pacing, her heart pounding in her chest. She glared at him, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "So, what then? We just sit here and wait while more people die? While they keep experimenting on innocent people?"
Cassian's jaw tightened. "No, but we need to be smart about this. The Syndicate isn't just some street gang. They control everything. If we don't play this right, we're going to get crushed."
Mara's anger flared, but deep down she knew he was right. The Syndicate's reach was vast, its influence woven into every corner of the city. If they made a move too soon, or too recklessly, they could lose everything. But the thought of waiting, of doing nothing while the Syndicate continued its atrocities, was unbearable.
She turned away from him, her eyes staring at the dimly lit walls of the hideout. She couldn't bear to look at him, not right now. She couldn't handle his calm, his logic. Not when everything inside her felt like it was unraveling.
"I can't lose him again," she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them.
The admission hung in the air, raw and unfiltered. Mara had spent years building walls around her emotions, keeping the pain of Elias's disappearance locked away in the darkest corners of her mind. But now, those walls were crumbling, and the grief she had tried so hard to suppress was crashing over her like a tidal wave.
Cassian didn't respond immediately. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer. "We won't lose him. But rushing into this won't help him either. We need to be smart. We need allies."
"Allies?" Mara spun around to face him, her frustration flaring again. "Who? The city's under the Syndicate's thumb. There's no one we can trust."
Cassian pushed off the terminal, his expression hardening. "There are people out there who've been hurt by the Syndicate just like we have. People who want to see them fall. You think we're the only ones who've lost something to them?"
Mara hesitated, her mind swirling with doubt. She had spent so long feeling like she was alone in this fight, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. The idea that there might be others out there, people who could help, felt foreign. Dangerous, even. Trusting people had never been easy for her, and after everything she had seen, it felt impossible.
"I don't trust anyone," she said, her voice cold.
Cassian sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know. But if we're going to take the Syndicate down, we can't do it alone. We need information, resources, and people who know how to fight them. We need to be strategic."
Mara's chest tightened. He was right. She hated that he was right. As much as she wanted to charge headfirst into the Syndicate's headquarters and tear them apart, she knew it wasn't that simple. They couldn't win this fight alone.
But that didn't make the waiting any easier.
Cassian's voice softened again, more cautious this time. "Mara… you don't have to carry this alone. You're not the only one who's lost something to them."
Mara looked at him sharply. It was the first time she had heard him speak about his own pain, his own losses. Cassian rarely opened up, and when he did, it was usually laced with sarcasm or cynicism. But now, his face was serious, his eyes heavy with memories he hadn't shared.
She didn't ask what he had lost. She didn't need to. The Syndicate had taken from everyone. They had twisted the city into a place where hope felt like a distant dream. Cassian was right—there were others out there who had been hurt, others who were looking for a way to fight back.
Mara clenched her fists, her mind churning with possibilities. She couldn't let her emotions drive her to recklessness. She had to think clearly, strategically, just like Cassian had said. If they were going to take down the Syndicate, they needed to do it from the inside. They needed to find the cracks in the Syndicate's armor, the weak spots where they could strike.
"We need to find them," Mara said finally, her voice steadier now. "The people who want to fight back."
Cassian nodded, a glimmer of relief in his eyes. "I know a few places we can start. Underground groups, old contacts who've been burned by the Syndicate. It won't be easy, but if we can rally them, we might have a chance."
Mara's mind was already spinning with ideas. They would need to be careful, to move in the shadows and stay one step ahead of the Syndicate. But it could be done. They could build a resistance, gather allies, and strike where the Syndicate least expected it.
But even as the plan began to form in her mind, a dark thought lingered at the edges of her consciousness. What if Elias wasn't alive? What if, after everything, she was fighting for a ghost? The thought made her chest tighten, a hollow ache spreading through her. She couldn't let herself go there. Not yet.
"We'll start tomorrow," Mara said, her voice firm. "We find these people, and we plan our next move."
Cassian gave a short nod. "We'll make them pay, Mara. For Elias, for everything."
Mara turned to face him fully, her resolve hardening. "We will. And we'll tear the Syndicate apart."
The fire in her chest burned brighter now, fueled by anger, loss, and determination. The Syndicate had taken everything from her. But now, she was ready to fight back—and this time, she wasn't going to stop until they were brought to their knees.