📍 Location: Abandoned Warehouse, Lagos Outskirts
🕗 Time: 4:21 AM
(The world came back slowly—like a bad dream dissolving into reality. Pain. Darkness. Then a stinging jolt in his chest.)
(Ghost gasped, his lungs burning as air rushed in. His vision blurred, his ears ringing. He blinked, struggling to make sense of where he was. A dim fluorescent light buzzed above. He tried to move but couldn't—strapped to a cold metal table.)
Ghost: "What the hell…"
(A man leaned over him, wearing surgical gloves and a blood-streaked apron. His face was calm, almost amused.)
Dr. Etim: "Welcome back to the living, Nathan."
(Ghost's muscles tensed. Dr. Etim—The Black Mamba Society's personal doctor, known for stitching assassins back together. If he was here, it meant only one thing: the Society wasn't done with him yet.)
Ghost: "Where… where am I?"
Dr. Etim: "Safe. For now. But you don't have much time before they come for you. You're a loose end, Nathan. They don't leave loose ends."
(Ghost's mind raced. The ambush. Chief Donatus. The snipers. How was he alive?)
Ghost: "Why save me if they want me dead?"
Dr. Etim: (smirking) "Let's just say not everyone agrees with the Chief's decision. Some of us think you're still useful."
(The doctor pulled a syringe from his tray and injected Ghost's arm. Fire spread through his veins. He gritted his teeth as his strength returned.)
Dr. Etim: "Adrenaline. You'll need it."
(Suddenly, the sound of tires screeching outside. Headlights flashed through the boarded windows. The faint hum of a drone in the distance.)
🔊 "This is Squad Alpha. Target is inside. Move in."
(Dr. Etim's face darkened. He quickly unlocked Ghost's restraints.)
Dr. Etim: "They're here. You need to go. Now."
(Ghost sat up, his body aching but functional. He grabbed a black duffel bag the doctor slid to him. Inside—a pistol, ammo, a burner phone, and a map.)
Dr. Etim: "Head to the red marker. You'll find someone waiting for you. Trust no one but her."
Ghost: "Her? Who?"
(The doctor didn't answer. He pushed Ghost toward a hidden exit as the warehouse door burst open. Armed operatives flooded the space, their laser sights slicing through the darkness.)
💥 (Gunfire erupted. Ghost sprinted through the alleyway, bullets whizzing past him. A drone buzzed overhead, tracking his every move.)
(Ghost ducked into a side street, his mind sharp despite the chaos. He needed a plan, fast. He checked the map and saw the red marker—an old mechanic's shop near Ajah. Whoever this "her" was, she was his only shot at survival.)
---
📍 Location: Mechanic's Shop, Ajah
🕖 Time: 6:03 AM
(Ghost slipped inside, his pistol drawn. The shop was dark, the smell of oil and metal thick in the air. He heard movement—a faint shuffle.)
Ghost: "Who's there?"
(A figure stepped out of the shadows. Tall, confident, with piercing eyes and a rifle slung over her shoulder.)
Viper: "Took you long enough."
(Ghost froze. Viper. Alive. He hadn't seen her since the ambush. She had blood on her hands and fire in her eyes.)
Ghost: "Viper? You're the contact?"
Viper: "Who else? We've got work to do, Nathan. The Society's declared war on both of us. And if we don't hit back, we're as good as dead."
(She tossed him a backpack loaded with gear.)
Viper: "Welcome to the losing team. Hope you're ready to fight."
(Ghost smirked, despite himself.)
Ghost: "Always."
(Outside, the sound of engines roaring grew louder. The Society wasn't far behind. Ghost and Viper exchanged a glance—no words needed. It was time to move.)
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To Be Continued...