Location: Downtown New York – 2:45 AM
The engine roared through the darkness.
Vincent stared out into the dimly lit alley. Black SUVs rolled slowly down the street, packed with armed government agents.
"Damn. They're not letting this go,"Aiden muttered, clenching his fists.
"There's no way out. Not this time."
Vincent exhaled through his nose.
"We're surrounded."
The government wasn't treating them like fugitives anymore.This felt like a cleanup operation.
"Getting caught like this? Kinda embarrassing,"Gabriel muttered.
Suddenly, a cold voice echoed through a nearby speaker:
"Vincent Kang. This is the end."
A man in a sleek black suit stepped out of one of the SUVs, smiling faintly.
"Surrender quietly. It's the only way you walk out alive."
Vincent looked into the man's eyes—He wasn't offering mercy. He was promising extinction.
He glanced down at his weapon.
Would fighting even matter?
No—this wasn't a fight of strength.It was a fight about choices.
Location: Undisclosed Government Meeting Room – 30 Minutes Earlier
"Wanna hear the deal?"Angie crossed her legs, her tone casual.
Across the table, a government agent in a pristine suit spoke coldly:
"Your team is already surrounded. This is over."
Angie smiled.
"That so? Funny. You're still here negotiating."
The agent frowned.
"This isn't a negotiation, Angie. It's a warning. We have every reason to eliminate you."
Angie tilted her head.
"And what about everything we know? All the data we've collected? You really willing to toss that away?"
A pause.
Angie tapped the table with her fingers.
"You could kill us, sure. But it'll cost you. Wouldn't it be smarter to use us instead?"
The agent's face shifted.
"You trust the government now?"
Angie laughed.
"No. I trust survival."
She glanced at her watch.
"They'll be moving in any minute."
She stood slowly.
"If I hadn't helped you, you wouldn't have even gotten this close."
The agent narrowed his eyes.
Angie smiled wider.
"So. Shall we deal?"
**
"New Allies"
[Interrogation Room – Vincent vs. the Government Agent]
Vincent sat on a cold metal chair.
Across from him, a suited government agent rested calmly in his seat.
"We must be pretty dangerous, huh,"Vincent muttered.
The agent nodded.
"Judging from your track record—yeah. You're a threat."
He tossed a folder onto the table.
"We'll give you credit for dismantling Dominic Scott. But after that? You kept moving. Too much. The government can't allow loose cannons like you anymore."
Vincent crossed his arms.
"So, what, you're gonna kill us?"
The agent smiled.
"Not if we can use your talents."
Just then, the door opened.
Angie stepped in.
Vincent raised an eyebrow.
"Finally decided to show up, huh."
Angie smirked.
"You never were good at trust."
She sat beside the agent.
"Let's just get to it, shall we?"
The agent tapped the file.
"Dominic may be gone. But his network isn't."
"We've been tracking it for years. There's more—bigger players, deeper ties. We need to move now."
Vincent stared at him.
"And you want us to do the cleanup?"
The agent nodded.
"In exchange, full amnesty. No more manhunt."
Angie chuckled.
"So we're back in the field. Figures."
The agent stood.
"You can say no. But if you do…"
He gestured to the door.
"You'll never see freedom again."
Vincent exhaled.
Then answered quietly—
"Guess I don't have much of a choice."
***
"New Pieces"Location: Undisclosed Facility – Government Debrief Complete
Time: 1:30 PM
The room was gray, colorless.Scattered across the table were the remnants of a long interrogation—files, transcripts, nothing but tired repetition.
The door opened with a mechanical hiss.A government agent in a black suit stepped inside, his voice cold and efficient.
"Alright. The deal's done. You're free."
Aiden gave a dry laugh.
"Free? You mean free to live under surveillance."
The agent smirked, tossing a folder onto the table.
"Your next assignments. The government won't intervene directly—but in return, don't make us your enemy."
Vincent flipped through the documents without much care.
"Not much of a guarantee we won't be."
The agent nodded.
"We're using each other. Nothing more, nothing less."
As he gathered the papers, he added—
"Good luck. You'll need it."
Location: Private Negotiation Room – Angie's Debrief
Angie sat alone at the negotiation table.Across from her, a man in a crisp suit skimmed through a stack of papers.
"You understand your team is considered a national threat. It's only natural we monitor you."
Angie chuckled softly.
"Yet you still can't bring yourselves to let us go."
The man nodded.
"So? Will you keep working with us?"
She tapped the table with her fingers, thinking.
"I already know what I need to do."
She smiled faintly.
"Help Vincent."
Location: New York Back Alley – Secret Meeting Point
"We need to find Gabriel."
Vincent set a half-empty beer bottle on the table with a dull thud.
Feynman gave him a skeptical look.
"Think he'll even help you again?"
Vincent exhaled.
"No idea. But I have to try."
He pulled out his phone and typed a message.
"We need to talk. I need your help."
Location: Abandoned Warehouse, Outskirts
Gabriel stood by a broken window, arms crossed.Next to him sat Emily.
She gave a short laugh.
"You're really dragging me back into this mess?"
Gabriel shrugged with a grin.
"We're already in the same boat."
Emily stared at him for a moment, then sighed.
"I figured. From the moment you came back for me."
She tapped the table absently.
"You thought I was dead, didn't you?"
Gabriel hesitated, looking away.
"…Yeah."
Emily slowly took his hand.
"But I didn't die. And we both know what we have to do now."
Gabriel's phone buzzed.He read the message.
"We need to talk. I need your help."
He smirked.
"Think Vincent saw this coming?"
Emily gave a wry smile.
"He always does. Even you."
Location: Secret Meeting Room – New York
The door creaked open. Gabriel walked in, with Emily quietly behind him.Vincent and Feynman turned to look.
"Been a while," Gabriel said first.
Vincent gave a faint smile.
"You ready to fight again?"
Gabriel shrugged.
"Still not sure. But…"
He motioned toward Emily.
"She'll be useful."
Vincent looked at her.Emily crossed her arms, face unreadable.
"I don't get emotional. I'll help if it's worth it—but don't expect trust."
Vincent nodded.
"Trust isn't required. Just results."
Feynman raised an eyebrow, gesturing between the two.
"So, what's your story?"
Emily chuckled lightly.
"Worked together. Long time ago."
Gabriel added coolly—
"Still do."
Feynman looked intrigued.
Vincent glanced between the two of them and gave a nod.
"Good enough. We need a team."
Just then, the door opened again.
Angie stepped inside, casually claiming a seat.
"Missing someone?"
She locked eyes with Vincent.
"Wouldn't you miss me?"
Vincent smiled faintly.
"I never assumed you wouldn't show."
Angie returned a cryptic smile.Like Gabriel and Emily, she and Vincent shared a quiet tension—not hostile, but always charged.