Ochieng followed Jabari through a series of underground tunnels beneath the Hidden District. The air was damp, the walls covered in old graffiti—some of it messages from past fugitives who had once sought refuge here.
"This place has been off the grid for decades," Jabari muttered. "The police don't come here, and neither do the ones hunting you."
Ochieng wasn't convinced. "That doesn't mean they won't."
Zane and Sienna followed closely, their eyes scanning every shadow.
Finally, they reached a hidden basement, dimly lit by flickering yellow bulbs. Inside, a group of outcasts and fighters sat around, exchanging stories, drinking cheap whiskey.
Jabari turned to Ochieng. "Stay here. Lay low. You're safer in the dark."
But Ochieng knew better. There was no such thing as safety—not anymore.
---
Meanwhile… The Architect's Web Tightens
Kairo stood on the rooftop of an abandoned hotel, staring down at the Hidden District through night-vision binoculars.
"They're in there somewhere," he muttered.
His men—silent, deadly hunters trained for this exact purpose—spread out below, moving like shadows through the streets.
The Architect's voice crackled through Kairo's earpiece.
"Find him. If he fights, break him. If he runs, cripple him. But don't kill him—not yet."
Kairo smirked. "Understood."
The hunt was no longer beginning.
It was already in motion.
---
Ochieng sat across from Jabari and a few other underground leaders. They were men who thrived in chaos—black-market dealers, mercenaries, former warlords.
Jabari leaned forward. "We don't help people for free, Ochieng. You want our protection? You need to offer something in return."
Ochieng exhaled. He had nothing left to bargain with.
His businesses were gone. His fortune erased. His allies? Scattered or dead.
But then, he smirked.
"You're all men who deal in power," he said. "And right now, I'm the biggest threat to the most powerful man in this city."
Jabari raised an eyebrow. "The Architect?"
Ochieng nodded. "Help me bring him down, and you don't just get protection. You get the city."
Silence.
Then a slow chuckle from one of the warlords.
"Ambitious," he said. "But reckless."
Jabari studied Ochieng carefully.
"I'll think about it," he said.
Ochieng didn't have time for that.
"I need an answer now," he pressed.
But before Jabari could speak, a loud BOOM shook the underground hideout.
The walls trembled. Dust fell from the ceiling.
Then—gunfire.
They had been found.
-
Kairo and his men moved in swiftly. Smoke grenades rolled into the hideout, filling the air with thick white fog.
Ochieng grabbed Sienna's hand and pulled her behind cover. Zane pulled out a pistol, scanning for targets.
"We need to get out—now!"
Jabari and his men scrambled for weapons. But it was too late.
A figure emerged from the smoke—Kairo, his gun aimed directly at Ochieng.
"Game over," Kairo said.
Ochieng didn't hesitate.
He grabbed a glass bottle from the table and smashed it against Kairo's wrist, forcing the gun out of his hand.
Kairo snarled, throwing a punch. Ochieng dodged, countering with a brutal elbow strike to Kairo's ribs.
The room erupted into chaos.
Bullets flew. Shadows clashed.
Ochieng ducked behind a crate as a barrage of gunfire shredded the walls around him.
Sienna screamed—one of Kairo's men had grabbed her.
Ochieng's vision turned red.
He moved fast—too fast for the attacker to react. A single, bone-shattering punch sent the man flying backward.
Ochieng grabbed Sienna's hand. "We need to run!"
Jabari and his men were already retreating through the back tunnels.
Zane covered their exit, laying down suppressive fire.
And then—more explosions.
The hideout was collapsing.
Kairo, bleeding but still standing, raised his gun again.
Ochieng locked eyes with him.
Then turned and ran.
---
The tunnels stretched deep beneath the city, a labyrinth of old passageways once used by smugglers.
Ochieng ran, dragging Sienna behind him.
Zane was beside them, reloading his gun as they sprinted.
Behind them—shouts, heavy boots pounding against the stone.
"We're not gonna outrun them forever," Zane warned.
"We don't need to," Ochieng muttered. "We just need a way out."
Jabari led them through the tunnels, his knowledge of the underground their only advantage.
But then—they hit a dead end.
A rusted metal door blocked their escape.
Jabari cursed. "It's sealed."
Ochieng turned. The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder.
Then he saw it—a weak spot in the stone wall beside the door.
Without hesitating, he grabbed a discarded metal pipe and slammed it against the wall.
Cracks spread.
He hit it again. And again.
The wall collapsed, revealing a narrow passage.
"Go!" Ochieng shouted.
They rushed through, squeezing into the tight space.
Just as Kairo's men arrived, gunfire tore through the passage—but they were already gone.
---
They emerged in an abandoned subway station, gasping for breath.
Jabari looked at Ochieng. "That was insane."
Ochieng wiped the sweat from his brow. "That was survival."
Sienna clutched his arm. "What now?"
Ochieng's eyes hardened.
"Now… we take the fight to them."
---