Chapter 7: The Serpent Unmasked
Katelyn stared at the live feed of Neil’s battered face, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. The Syndicate had played their hand perfectly—force her to choose between vengeance and mercy.
Vincent’s voice cut through the tension. “They’re baiting you. If we walk in there, we’re dead.”
She clenched her jaw. “I know.”
But the masked man on screen tilted his head, as if listening. Then, with deliberate slowness, he reached up and removed his serpentine mask.
Katelyn’s breath stopped.
Dr. Elias Voss.
Her mentor. The man who had vanished years ago—now standing as the Syndicate’s leader.
His voice was chillingly familiar. “Hello, Katelyn. Did you really think I’d let you disappear with my life’s work?”
Vincent stiffened beside her. “You know him?”
“He trained me,” she whispered. “And then he tried to kill me.”
On screen, Voss pressed a gun to Neil’s temple. “Last chance. The code for his life.”
The Trap Springs
Katelyn’s fingers flew across the keyboard, her mind racing. She had one move left—a failsafe buried deep in the stolen weapon.
She typed the command.
> [Eclipse Protocol: Activated]
The screen glitched violently. Voss’s smug expression faltered as alarms blared in the background.
“What did you do?” Vincent demanded.
Katelyn’s smile was razor-thin. “Sent a gift.”
In the live feed, Neil’s restraints clicked open. His eyes widened in shock as the entire compound’s security system short-circuited around him.
Voss whirled, shouting orders—but it was too late.
Neil lunged for the gun.
Vincent’s Secret Move
Vincent grabbed Katelyn’s arm. “We need to go. Now.”
She resisted. “Not without that code!”
“Forget the damn code!” He yanked her toward the vents just as Syndicate operatives stormed the server room. “I didn’t bring you here to die!”
She stumbled after him, her mind reeling. Vincent wasn’t just a billionaire seeking revenge—he had his own agenda.
As they crawled through the vents, she hissed, “What aren’t you telling me?”
His reply was grim. “Voss didn’t just betray you. He murdered my father.”
The pieces clicked.
This was never just about Neil.
This was a war.
Neil’s Redemption
Neil staggered through the chaos of the Syndicate compound, blood dripping from his nose. He didn’t know how Katelyn had freed him, but he wasn’t wasting it.
He snatched a fallen guard’s radio—and froze at the transmission.
“All units, converge on Sector 7. Voss wants Laurent’s head.”
Neil’s grip tightened.
Katelyn was here. And she was in danger.
For the first time in his miserable life, he made a choice for someone else.
He grabbed a gun and ran toward the gunfire.
The Final Stand
Katelyn and Vincent burst onto the rooftop, only to find Voss waiting, flanked by armed men.
“Predictable,” Voss sighed. “Sentimentality was always your weakness.”
Vincent stepped in front of Katelyn, his stance unyielding. “You lost the moment you touched her.”
A gunshot cracked—but not from Voss’s men.
Neil stood in the doorway, weapon raised, his shot taking out the operative beside Voss.
Voss snarled, raising his own gun—
Katelyn moved.
Her knife found his throat before he could pull the trigger.
As Voss crumpled, she whispered, “No. Pride was yours.”