The room was thick with tension, the silence broken only by the distant hum of the city outside. The figure before me was someone I never thought I'd have to question—someone I had trusted with my life.
"Why?" I asked, my voice low but trembling with fury.
The betrayer—Sam, one of our longest-standing allies—met my gaze, their expression unreadable.
"You don't understand, Adriana," Sam said, taking a step closer. "This isn't what it looks like."
"What it looks like," I snapped, raising my gun, "is that you sold us out. People died because of you. Our plans, our safe houses—all compromised."
"Put the gun down," Sam said, their tone calm but firm. "You're making a mistake."
The Confession
Lucia moved to my side, her weapon drawn, while Rico stood back, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of a trap.
"This wasn't my choice," Sam continued, raising their hands slowly in a gesture of surrender. "They came to me months ago—Arcanis's people. They threatened my family. My son, Adriana. They have him."
My grip on the gun faltered for a moment. "You should've come to me. We could've protected you, Sam. We could've fought back together."
Sam shook their head. "You don't understand what they're capable of. They knew everything—every move we made, every safe house we used. They're always one step ahead. I thought if I gave them what they wanted, I could keep him safe."
Lucia's voice was ice-cold. "And how many people did you sacrifice for that? How many lives were worth your son's safety?"
"I didn't have a choice!" Sam shouted, their voice cracking. "You think this was easy for me? Every piece of intel I gave them felt like a knife in my gut. But if it was your family—your child—what would you have done?"
Weighing the Truth
For a moment, I hesitated. I knew the kind of power Arcanis wielded—the way they could twist your life into a nightmare and leave you no way out. But the lives Sam had endangered, the trust they had shattered—it couldn't be ignored.
"We can get your son back," I said finally, lowering my gun slightly. "But you have to tell us everything. Every detail you've given them, every deal you've made."
Sam hesitated, their eyes darting to the exit as if calculating their chances of escape.
"Don't even think about it," Rico growled, stepping forward. "You're not walking out of here unless Adriana says so."
"I'll tell you," Sam said quickly, their hands trembling. "I'll tell you everything. Just promise me you'll help him—help my son."
The Enemy's Moves
Back at the safe house, Sam laid it all out. The locations they'd exposed, the names they'd given, and the operations they'd sabotaged. Each revelation was like a punch to the gut, the extent of the damage worse than I'd imagined.
"They're planning something big," Sam said, their voice barely above a whisper. "An attack on your main base. They know where it is. If you don't move now, it'll be too late."
My blood ran cold. The base wasn't just a hub for our operations—it was home to dozens of people who had risked everything to stand against Arcanis.
"When?" I demanded.
"Tomorrow night," Sam replied. "They've been building up forces for weeks. You won't be able to stop them head-on. Your only chance is to evacuate and hit them before they hit you."
A Desperate Gamble
The team gathered in the war room, the map of the city spread out before us. Tension crackled in the air as we planned our next move.
"We can't just abandon the base," Rico argued. "That's exactly what they want—push us out, make us look weak."
"And if we stay, we risk losing everything," Alec countered. "We're not equipped for a siege, Rico. You know that."
I stared at the map, my mind racing. Every option felt like a loss, but we couldn't afford to falter.
"We'll split our forces," I said finally. "Evacuate the civilians and key personnel, but leave a skeleton crew behind to make it look like we're staying. If we time it right, we can ambush them before they realize we've moved."
Lucia frowned. "It's risky. If they figure out what we're doing, we're dead."
"It's always risky," I replied. "But this is our best shot."
The Calm Before the Storm
That night, as the base buzzed with preparations, I found myself alone in my office, staring at a photo on my desk. It was an old picture—me, Rico, Lucia, and a few others, back when we first started this fight. We looked so young, so full of hope.
"Adriana."
I turned to see Rico standing in the doorway, his expression uncharacteristically serious.
"You okay?" he asked.
I nodded, though the weight of what lay ahead was crushing. "We're doing the right thing, aren't we?"
He stepped inside, leaning against the desk. "We don't get to know that until it's over. But I trust you. We all do."
For a moment, I let his words sink in, drawing strength from his unwavering loyalty.
"Thanks, Rico," I said quietly. "Let's make sure this works."