City-73 never felt louder.
Sirens screamed across the polluted sky as armored drones swarmed through the narrow streets, hunting ghosts. Their red scanners swept over crowds, analyzing heat signatures, searching for one person.
Zen Deskan.
He watched from the shadow of a rusted billboard, hoodie pulled low, breath tight in his chest. His pulse hammered so violently he could barely hear the world around him.
His family was gone.
Not missing.Not hiding.
Taken.
Avalon didn't leave messages. They didn't negotiate. They erased people.
Zen's hands trembled, not from fear, but from rage squeezing his veins into fire.
He replayed the moment again—the voicemail he wasn't supposed to hear.
"Your mother and brother have been relocated for evaluation. Comply, and they live."
He nearly smashed the communicator in his hands.
Avalon thought they owned everything.Even him.
A shadow approached from behind.
"Boss?"
Zen turned sharply. It was Karron—his closest mafia brother, wide-shouldered, face rough but loyal.
"You vanished from the meeting," Karron whispered. "Then drones hit the block. What the hell is happening?"
Zen swallowed the burn in his throat. "Avalon took them…"
Karron's eyes widened. "Your family? Why? You been clean. You didn't cross them."
"No," Zen said through clenched teeth. "They asked me to join their program last week. Some… experiment connected to Aydren."He looked away. "I refused."
Karron stared like the world cracked open. "Zen… Aydren? The Aydren? The man who ended World War III?"
Zen didn't answer. His silence was confirmation.
Karron cursed under his breath. "Avalon won't let a man with that bloodline go. They'll chain you before they kill you."
Zen stepped closer. "I need to find where they took them. Avalon won't tell me. Anyone in the syndicate know their hidden routes? Black vans. South Sector. No plates."
Karron hesitated. "Zen… listen to me."His voice cracked—rare for a man like him."You're family to us. But going against Avalon? That's suicide."
Zen grabbed his collar, eyes blazing. "I'm not asking them to fight. I'm asking for information."
Karron held his gaze. After a long moment, he nodded.
"I'll ask the old contacts. Cargo handlers, smugglers, underground watchers."He lowered his voice. "But Zen… if Avalon learns the mafia helped you even once—"
"They'll wipe the syndicate out," Zen finished. His fists tightened. "I know."
Avalon Headquarters — Same Hour
The boardroom glowed red with alerts. Walls of holograms displayed maps, simulations, captured DNA, and the recorded energy pulse of a stone
Director Varya stood at the center, arms crossed behind her back.
"Subject R-73 is confirmed," the operator said. "Zen Deskan. Blood of Aydren. High compatibility probability."
Another officer added, "Eclipse cells are increasing attacks. If we don't activate the Bracelet Program soon, Avalon's perimeter defenses will collapse."
Varya's expression sharpened."The kid brother—Rey. He will be transferred to the Harmony Facility for memory preparation."
"And the mother?"
"She is leverage."
A red holo-image of Zen flickered in the air—hood up, moving through crowds, hunted.
"We can't lose him," Varya said. "Increase the drone coverage. And send the extraction squad to the syndicate. They will interfere."
Back in City-73
Zen followed Karron through abandoned industrial tunnels. Water dripped from broken pipes. Machinery hummed like dying beasts.
At the end of the tunnel, a metal door groaned open.
Inside, the rest of the mafia family waited—eight hardened men and women who treated Zen like a brother.
"Zen," Mira whispered, stepping forward. Her eyes were soft but afraid. "We heard about your family. Tell us how to help."
Zen looked at all of them—these criminals who cooked for him, laughed with him, patched him up when Avalon agents beat him in alleys, who treated Rey like a mascot.
He wanted to tell them to run.To not get involved.To live.
But he couldn't save his family alone.
"Find me the route," Zen said quietly. "Where Avalon moves their special cargo."
Mira nodded. "We'll dig into every port, every under-street. We'll find something."
Zen exhaled slowly. The weight in his chest loosened slightly.
Karron placed a hand on his shoulder. "We stand with you. No matter what."
Zen didn't smile. His eyes were cold steel.
"If Avalon wants a war…I'll give them one."
But none of them noticed the small hovering drone outside the tunnel's cracked ventilation shaft—silently recording.
Avalon knew exactly where he was.
And they were already coming