The base still hummed with quiet tension after the last mission. The air was heavy with the memory of the cyber-dogs, their metal jaws, and the razor wings that had nearly ripped ShadowNet apart.
Eve sat forward, her spider-arms folding and unfolding with a metallic hiss.
"We need more muscle," she said, her voice cool but urgent. "The next wave of Project Oblivion won't be something we can finesse with hacks and bullets. If we don't bulk up, we're dead."
Crow tilted her rifle, skeptical.
"Who do you suggest, Eve? Mercs? Street scum? We've already scraped the barrel."
Eve smirked. "The Twins."
Lady Altacora froze, her normally confident posture faltering. She sighed and pressed two fingers to her temple.
"You cannot be serious… them? They're wild, unpredictable. Kai, I'm warning you, if you unleash them, they'll either save us or burn us from the inside out."
Kai only gave a thin smile. "Then let's see which."
That night, Altacora guided them into the Neon Outskirts, where derelict warehouses groaned beneath buzzing neon signs. The air stank of grease, blood, and ozone. Their destination: Iron Haven, an underground fight club whispered about in hushed tones.
Inside, the crowd was a storm of bodies and noise. A cage stood in the center, lit by searing lights, as augmented brawlers slammed fists into steel and bone while gamblers screamed.
It didn't take long to spot them.
Kane, the boy twin, lounged near the back with a pile of glowing chips at his side. Sharp eyes, calm, strategic — he whispered with recruits like a commander assigning missions.
Kyra, the girl twin, leaned casually against the wall, her jacket open to reveal sculpted, cybernetically reinforced muscle. Her eyes burned with restless energy. The aura around her screamed: wild card.
Altacora muttered under her breath. "The boy builds armies. The girl tears them down."
Before Kai could approach, a scarred fighter in the cage spotted Kyra. His lip curled into a sneer.
"Hey! Wild girl! You gonna keep posing, or you got the guts to actually fight? Or are you just hype?"
The crowd jeered, hungry for blood. Kyra didn't flinch. She cracked her knuckles, her lips curling into a wicked grin.
"Sure. Why not? I was getting bored."
The fight began with the scarred brawler charging, cybernetic fists raised. Kyra didn't dodge — she caught his punch in one hand, twisted his arm backward with a sickening crack, and hurled him into the steel bars. The cage shook.
He roared and lunged again. Kyra simply sidestepped, hooked his leg, and sent him face-first into the ground. Then, almost lazily, she stomped — the floor cracked beneath her foot as his head dented the mat. Silence fell.
Kyra dusted off her hands and stepped out of the cage without a scratch, looking like she hadn't even broken a sweat. Her grin widened as the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.
Crow whistled low. "She's insane. I like her."
Kane finally stood, offering Kai a handshake. His tone was cool, almost businesslike.
"I'm Kane. My sister's Kyra. If you're here for muscle, you've found it. But we're not mercs for hire — we build movements. You want us, you get the whole package."
Kai clasped his hand firmly. "That's exactly what I want."
The Twins led them deeper into Iron Haven, past steel corridors and hidden doors, until they reached their underground base. It stretched wide — a cavernous space lit by harsh lamps. Fighters sparred in circles, rookies trained with cybernetic gear, and the sound of gunfire echoed from a shooting range carved into concrete walls.
Kyra leaned against the railing, smirking. "Welcome to our playground. Kane recruits. I break them in. Simple."
Kai studied the room with sharp eyes. For the first time, he could see the potential of ShadowNet as more than just a handful of ghosts in the machine — this could be an army.
He gathered the team in the center. His voice was steady but heavy with meaning.
"Project Oblivion isn't stopping. The government's building war machines that make tonight's fight look like child's play. We need an edge — something that can shut those monsters down. That edge… is an EMP. Not just a pulse grenade. A full-scale device. Enough to fry their hybrids in one burst."
The fighters around them went quiet, listening. Kai's words sank into them like gospel.
"But to build it, we'll need resources. Dangerous ones. And I'll be honest — this could kill us. Which is why we're here. If ShadowNet is to survive… it starts here, with you."
The silence turned to whispers, then nods, then clenched fists. ShadowNet wasn't just a hacker crew anymore. With the Twins, it was something bigger. Something the city wasn't ready .