January 2, 2026 – Chicago South Side – Abandoned Train Depot Time: 9:30 a.m.
The sound of helicopter blades overhead was like a pulse beating in my head. The FBI and National Guard had descended on the street. This was no longer a crime operation; it was a "cleanup" operation. Luca and Asher had pushed me so deep into this shit that there was no reason any cop in Chicago wouldn't pull the trigger the moment they saw me. Ivy was sweating over her laptop in the minivan. "Michael, all the main roads are blocked.
Facial recognition systems are active on every corner. If you try to get into that fucking headquarters, they'll sift you like a sieve before you even get through the door." Ivy's voice was trembling. Michael moved closer to the woman. He could feel the tension in Ivy's neck. Ivy flinched when she felt Michael's hand on her shoulder, but she didn't pull away.
Instead, she leaned back slightly, as if seeking comfort in that cold touch.
"Listen to me, Ivy," Michael said, his voice as low as a whisper but as firm as a command. "Fear is the most expensive luxury you can afford right now. Put it aside. I want you to infiltrate Natalia's secret channel. I need to talk to her alone. She knows there's a mole among the Feds."
Ivy turned her head and looked into Michael's eyes. In that moment, she felt herself lost in those dark, emotionless eyes. "Why her, Michael? Why do you always go to her? She couldn't protect you. She was the one who put you in that cell."
Michael grabbed Ivy's chin roughly. Ivy's breath caught. "Look at me, Ivy. Natalia isn't a salvation for me, she's a tool. Just like you are. If you don't stop this emotional nonsense, I'll leave you alone in the middle of this hell. Do you understand me?"
Ivy's eyes filled with tears, but she nodded. Michael's brutal honesty only fueled the sickening admiration within her. Michael was using her like an object, and Ivy, strangely, was willing to be an object in this man's hands.
Time: 11:00
FBI Temporary Command Center – Chicago Loop
Natalia Reyes was weighed down by the weight of her bulletproof vest. Dozens of federal agents surrounded her, scanning maps on their tablets.
"Detective Reyes!"
Natalia turned around and saw Special Agent Carter. Carter was a man with a "I know everything" look on his face, wearing a crisp suit, his soul sold.
"We know about your history with Hale, Reyes," Carter said, standing directly in front of Natalia. "If you contact him and don't tell us, I'll have you arrested for obstruction of justice. That man is a terrorist. Is that clear?"
"Agent Carter," Natalia said through clenched teeth. "That man is not a terrorist. That man is a victim of those scumbags who have been robbing this city for years. But you snobs from Washington love to pass judgment without even opening a file. Fuck off and mind your own business."
When Natalia sat down at her desk, a coded message popped up on her phone. There was no sender, but the code was familiar:"Cognitive Dissonance."
The message continued with a set of coordinates:Old Navy Pier, Lower Level, Warehouse 22.
Time: 2:00 PM
Old Navy Pier – Abandoned Warehouses
Natalia slipped into the dark warehouse, gun in hand. She scanned every corner. "Michael? If you're here, come out, or I'll blow your head off!"
"Your gun's safety's off, Natalia, and your finger's tense on the trigger."
Michael emerged from the shadow of a container. Natalia spun around quickly, pressing the barrel against Michael's chest. Michael didn't flinch.
"I have to shoot you, Michael," Natalia said, her voice trembling. "Carter is after me. The feds are everywhere. Chicago is burning because of you."
Michael slowly reached for the gun in Natalia's hand and gently lowered the barrel. "Chicago isn't burning because of me, Natalia. Chicago is burning because it's a rusty piece in Asher Burke's collection. Luca is just a pawn. The real target is tomorrow night's 'charity gala' at Sterling's memorial service. All the city's money and all its filth will be in that room."
"What are you going to do, Michael?"
"I'm going in. But not as Adrian Vane. I'm going in as an executioner, with that last card my father left me."
Natalia saw the change in Michael's face. She understood then that the man she loved was truly dead. What stood before her was the cold-blooded killing machine Richard Hale had painstakingly built over the years.
"I can't help you," Natalia said.
"You won't," Michael said, slipping a small voice recorder into Natalia's pocket. "You'll just leave the recording of Miller's conversation with Luca on Carter's desk. Turn the feds against each other, Natalia. Let the snakes eat each other. Meanwhile, I'll be closing my jaws around Asher's throat."
As Michael walked into the darkness, Natalia called after him: "Michael! Ivy... Watch out for Ivy. That woman isn't just a journalist. She has a very dirty connection to Sterling in her past."
Michael paused but didn't look back. "In my world, no one is just what they seem, Natalia. Especially me."