Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Breathing Fire
The north safe house was hidden deep in the city's industrial district, nestled between a series of abandoned warehouses. It was the last place anyone would think to look for them, which made it perfect for laying low while they planned their next move. The windows were boarded up, and the walls were covered in years of grime and neglect, but inside, it was secure—at least for now.
Ty was the first to greet Cole and Lina when they slipped through the door. His face was tense, but there was relief in his eyes when he saw them. "Thought you might have run into trouble."
"We did," Cole replied, his voice low. "But we shook them."
Zack stood by the window, peeking out through a crack in the boards. "The whole city's crawling with mercs and bounty hunters. Looks like the underground put out word faster than we thought."
"Yeah," Cole muttered, running a hand through his hair. "It's bad. They've put a price on all of us."
Ty nodded, pacing the room as the weight of the situation sank in. "We're being hunted."
Lina crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "We expected this. It's not a surprise."
"It's one thing to expect it," Ty said, frustration creeping into his voice. "It's another to be staring down every lowlife in the city looking to cash in."
Cole stood in the center of the room, feeling the pressure mounting from every direction. This was the fight he had chosen, but it was becoming clearer with each passing moment that they were in for a brutal war—one that wouldn't end with a clean victory.
"Alright, enough," Cole said, his voice cutting through the tension in the room. "We've dealt with worse than this. They can hunt us all they want, but we're not going down without a fight."
Zack turned away from the window, shaking his head. "It's different this time, Cole. They're not just after you—they're after all of us. The underground's pulling in favors, and from what I heard, they're bringing in some real heavy hitters. People who don't play by the rules."
Cole's eyes narrowed. "What kind of heavy hitters?"
"Specialized," Zack said grimly. "Hired guns. Professionals. They don't care about who you are or what you've done—they're just here to collect the bounty. And they're good at what they do."
"Perfect," Ty muttered under his breath, clearly frustrated.
Lina, however, remained unfazed. "So we stay ahead of them. We've faced worse odds."
"I'm not interested in running forever," Cole said, his voice hardening. "We need to take control of the situation."
"How?" Ty asked, looking at him skeptically. "We're outnumbered, and we've got a target on our backs."
Cole's mind raced, thinking through their options. They couldn't afford to keep running. They needed to hit the underground again, but this time they needed to hit harder, with more precision. And they couldn't just rely on brute force—they had to outthink them.
"We go after their leadership," Cole said, his eyes locking with each member of the crew. "We've been targeting their operations, but that's not enough. We need to go after the people calling the shots. Take them down, and the rest of the underground falls apart."
Ty raised an eyebrow. "You want to go straight for the top? That's risky."
"It's the only way to stop this," Cole replied. "We cripple them at the source. If we keep playing defense, we'll lose. We need to take the fight to them."
Zack let out a low whistle. "You're talking about going after the bosses—the people with real power. They're not just going to roll over and let us take them down."
"They won't see it coming," Lina added, her eyes flashing with determination. "They think we're hiding, licking our wounds. If we strike now, they won't be prepared."
Ty seemed to mull it over, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "It's a gamble. But it could work. We take out the leaders, and the rest of the underground will be too disorganized to come after us."
Cole nodded. "Exactly. We hit them where it hurts, and we keep hitting them until they have nothing left."
"Do we even know where these bosses are?" Zack asked, ever the realist. "They're not exactly easy to find."
"I've got a lead," Lina said, pushing herself off the wall and stepping toward the group. "One of the documents we grabbed from the safe house had information on a meeting place—some kind of high-level gathering for the underground leadership. It's happening soon."
Cole's eyes sharpened. "When and where?"
"Tomorrow night," Lina replied. "An abandoned building in the old financial district. It's isolated, easy to secure. They're expecting privacy, which means they'll be vulnerable."
"That's our chance," Cole said, the fire of determination growing stronger inside him. "We take them out at that meeting, and we send a message to the rest of the underground. They're not untouchable."
Ty exchanged a glance with Zack, both of them clearly weighing the risks. "It's a bold move, Cole. If we screw this up, we might not make it out."
"We won't screw it up," Cole said, his voice steady. "We've come too far to lose now."
Lina looked at him, her expression as hard as ever, but there was something else there too—something that showed she believed in him, in all of them. "We'll need to move fast and hit hard. They'll have security, but if we time it right, we can get in and out before they know what hit them."
Zack sighed, shaking his head. "You know, I didn't sign up for this kind of suicide mission when I joined up with you, Cole."
Cole gave him a small smirk. "You're still here, aren't you?"
Zack grinned back, albeit reluctantly. "Yeah, yeah. I'm in. Just don't expect me to be thrilled about it."
Ty cracked his knuckles, his resolve hardening. "Let's do it. We've got one shot at this."
Cole took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the moment. They were going to war—not just with the underground, but with the system that had kept people like them down for so long. This was more than just survival now. This was about standing up, fighting back, and taking control of their fate.
"Alright," Cole said, looking at each of them in turn. "We're going to show them that we're not running. We're going to show them that we're not scared. Tomorrow night, we take them down."
Lina nodded, her eyes locked on his. "We'll be ready."
The room fell into a tense silence as they all mentally prepared for what was coming. There was no turning back now. Tomorrow night, they would either crush the underground leadership or die trying.
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The next day passed in a blur of preparation. Cole and his crew spent every minute getting ready for the attack, checking their gear, mapping out the building, and going over the plan until they knew it by heart. The tension was thick in the air, but there was also a sense of resolve—a determination that fueled them all.
By the time the sun had set and the city was bathed in shadows, they were ready.
Cole stood at the edge of the rooftop, overlooking the old financial district where the underground bosses would soon gather. The building was a hulking, decaying structure—a relic of the city's past, now abandoned and forgotten by most. But tonight, it was far from forgotten.
Ty, Lina, and Zack stood beside him, each one focused, prepared. They had done this dance before—breaking in, hitting hard, getting out. But this time, the stakes were higher than ever.
"You ready for this?" Cole asked, his voice quiet but firm.
Lina gave a small nod. "Born ready."
Zack checked his gun one last time. "Let's get this over with."
Ty glanced at Cole, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "One more time into the fire, huh?"
Cole smirked. "Let's burn it all down."
With that, they moved out, slipping through the shadows and making their way toward the building. The time for talk was over. Now, it was time to fight.
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