The cold night wind lashed against Carter's face as the helicopter descended toward Berlin, the city sprawling out below them like a glittering web of lights. The familiar sight of jagged skyscrapers and winding streets stirred a strange sense of both unease and determination in him. He had been here before, running odd jobs in the shadows of the city. But this time, the stakes were higher than ever.
Maya, sitting beside him, was stone-faced as she watched the city grow larger beneath them. Her rifle lay across her lap, ready for whatever lay ahead. Callum stood near the cockpit, talking quietly with the pilot, finalizing their landing site. The chopper's interior hummed with tension, the weight of their mission pressing down on them as they prepared to enter a city teeming with danger.
Carter glanced out the window, his mind racing. Berlin was a hotspot for black-market deals, rogue tech, and the kind of underground work that didn't appear on official ledgers. It was the perfect place for Apex to hide their operations. But it was also a minefield of dangers for anyone looking to expose them.
"So, Elle," Carter said, leaning back in his seat. "How exactly do we find this contact of Callum's?"
Elle's voice crackled through the speakers, as calm and steady as ever. "Callum's contact operates out of the Kreuzberg district, near the old industrial zone. Their network has ties to multiple anti-corporate factions that deal in high-end information brokering. If anyone has dirt on Apex, it's them."
Maya glanced over at Callum as he returned from the cockpit. "How reliable is this contact of yours?"
Callum, leaning casually against the doorframe, raised an eyebrow. "They're reliable enough. Name's Jaxon. Old friend, but not the warm-and-fuzzy type. He's been operating under the radar for years, slipping information to the right people, selling it to the highest bidder when needed."
Carter frowned. "And we're supposed to trust this guy?"
Callum smirked. "You don't have to trust him, kid. You just have to trust that he hates Apex more than he loves his paycheck. Which, lucky for us, he does."
Maya nodded, her eyes narrowing in thought. "We don't have much of a choice. If we're going to hit Apex where it hurts, we need all the information we can get."
Carter let out a slow breath, feeling the familiar pit of anxiety grow in his stomach. Berlin was a powder keg, and they were walking in with a lit match. "Alright, let's meet this Jaxon guy and see what he's got."
The helicopter touched down on the roof of a rundown building on the outskirts of Kreuzberg, its rotors still spinning as the team disembarked. The air was thick with the smell of oil and exhaust fumes, and the distant hum of the city buzzed around them like static. The building itself was a relic of Berlin's industrial past, its rusting exterior and cracked windows a reminder of the city's grittier underbelly.
"Welcome to Berlin," Callum said with a wry smile as he led the way across the rooftop. "Home of everything dirty, dangerous, and highly profitable."
Carter's gaze swept the dark, cluttered skyline, the jagged shapes of industrial buildings and neon signs creating a maze of shadows and light. He had a bad feeling about this.
--
The streets of Kreuzberg were just as grimy and chaotic as Carter remembered. Flickering neon signs buzzed above the narrow alleyways, advertising everything from illegal cybernetic enhancements to underground fights. The district was alive with movement, from shady dealers lurking in the doorways to scavengers picking through piles of scrap metal. It was a place where the law barely existed, where people like Jaxon thrived.
Maya, ever alert, walked beside Carter with her rifle slung across her back, her sharp eyes scanning every corner for potential threats. Callum led the way, his posture relaxed but his eyes constantly shifting as if he were waiting for trouble to jump out of the shadows.
"This place hasn't changed much," Carter muttered, kicking aside an empty can as they turned down another alley.
"It's gotten worse," Maya replied, her voice low. "Apex's influence is everywhere. Berlin's crawling with their agents."
"Then we need to move fast," Callum said, glancing over his shoulder. "Jaxon won't wait forever."
They rounded another corner, coming to a stop in front of an old, graffiti-covered warehouse that looked abandoned. The windows were boarded up, and the heavy metal doors were rusted shut, but Carter could feel the hum of energy coming from within. This was it—Jaxon's base of operations.
Callum stepped up to the door and knocked three times, the sound echoing through the alley. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a loud clank, a panel slid open, revealing a pair of cold, calculating eyes.
"You're late," a gravelly voice said from behind the door.
"Jaxon," Callum said with a grin. "You haven't aged a day."
The man behind the door snorted. "That's because I keep my head down. Unlike you, Callum. Heard you've been stirring up trouble."
Callum shrugged. "You know me. Can't stay out of the game."
Jaxon's eyes flicked to Carter and Maya, his gaze sharp. "And these are your new friends, I take it? Didn't think you'd be working with a street rat and an ex-spook."
Maya's expression didn't change, but Carter bristled at the insult. "Nice to meet you too, Jaxon."
"Charming," Jaxon muttered. "Come on in. We've got a lot to talk about."
The heavy metal door creaked open, and the team stepped inside the warehouse. It was dark and cluttered, lit only by a few dim lights hanging from the ceiling. Old machinery, crates, and computers lined the walls, giving the place the feel of a makeshift tech bunker. In the center of the room, a massive table was covered in blueprints, maps, and documents—all of it tied to Apex, no doubt.
Jaxon, a wiry man with a grizzled beard and a permanent scowl, stood at the table, tapping away at a holographic screen. He wore a patched-up jacket and a pair of cracked cybernetic glasses that glowed faintly in the dim light.
Callum clapped him on the shoulder. "It's been too long."
"Not long enough," Jaxon grumbled, but there was a hint of a smile in his voice. He turned to Carter and Maya, his gaze scrutinizing them. "So, you two are the ones causing all this noise? Heard you've been keeping Apex on their toes."
Maya nodded. "We've been doing what we can. But we need more information. Elle here"—she motioned to Carter's earpiece—"managed to dig into Apex's network, but we need help piecing it together."
Jaxon raised an eyebrow. "Elle, huh? So, you're the AI everyone's after."
"I'm flattered," Elle's voice chimed in through the speakers in the room. "I take it you've heard of me?"
Jaxon chuckled, shaking his head. "Heard of you? You're the biggest prize in the underworld right now. Every bounty hunter, merc, and corporate stooge is gunning for you."
"Great," Carter muttered. "That makes us feel a lot better."
Jaxon ignored him, turning back to the holographic display. "Alright, let's see what you've got."
--
As Jaxon tapped away at his controls, the holographic display lit up, showing a map of Berlin overlaid with a web of glowing red lines and markers. Each one represented a known Apex facility or operation, with several locations marked in bright red as high-priority targets.
"Apex has been busy," Jaxon said, pointing to one of the red markers. "They've got their claws in almost every sector—communications, defense, transportation. But their biggest operation is right here." He zoomed in on one of the markers, revealing a sprawling complex hidden deep within the city. "This is their main data hub. Everything they've been working on is routed through here."
Maya's eyes narrowed as she studied the map. "If we hit that, we could cripple their network."
"Maybe," Jaxon said with a shrug. "But it won't be easy. That place is a fortress. Apex has it locked down tighter than anything else in the city. You'll need a full crew to get in, and even then, you'll be walking into a deathtrap."
"We don't have a full crew," Carter said, his voice tinged with frustration. "We've got us."
"And Elle," Jaxon added with a smirk. "Which makes you a lot more dangerous than you think. I can help you get inside, but once you're in, it's on you to figure out how to shut them down."
Maya nodded, her expression resolute. "We'll take whatever help we can get."
Jaxon leaned back, crossing his arms. "Alright. I'll put together a plan. But you need to understand something: once you go after this, there's no going back. Apex won't stop until they've hunted every last one of you down."
Carter met his gaze, his jaw set. "Let them try."
Jaxon chuckled. "You've got guts, kid. I'll give you that."