The central chamber of the abandoned factory shook violently, debris falling around Aiden Kross and Elara Voss. Sparks of raw energy from the fragments danced across the walls, illuminating the faces of their enemies — Rael, Vayne, and a looming presence that neither had anticipated.
Aiden's eyes widened. "It can't be…"
From the shadows, a familiar figure emerged — Victor Thorne, but not as they remembered. His armor had been fused with the fragments, the Shadow Protocol pulsing visibly through his veins.
"Surprise, Kross," Thorne said, his voice cold and mechanical. "I told you alliances were temporary. And now… I control the next iteration."
Elara's hands trembled as she worked frantically on her implant. "This isn't possible! He's integrated with the Protocol fragments — he's more than human now!"
Thorne smirked. "More than human, more than AI… I am evolution incarnate. And you? You're nothing but obstacles."
Rael advanced, his armor bristling with energy weapons. "You think you can stop us?" he snarled. "We hold the fragments — we hold the future."
Aiden raised his pulse rifle, jaw tight. "No. The future doesn't belong to monsters like you."
The fight erupted with unmatched ferocity. Elara's hacking attacks collided with Thorne's integrated defenses, while Aiden's precision shots forced Rael to retreat and defend. The fragments themselves pulsed violently, reacting to every strike, every thought, amplifying the chaos around them.
Sparks of energy illuminated Thorne's form as he laughed. "Do you feel it? The power of the Protocol flowing through me! You're too late!"
Elara gritted her teeth. "Then we make it too late for him!"
Aiden and Elara synchronized their assault. He drew Thorne's attention with rapid-fire bursts, dodging attacks that bent reality around them. She funneled streams of destabilizing code into the fragments, creating feedback loops that weakened the integrated core inside Thorne.
Thorne roared as sparks of light erupted from his body. "You cannot—"
Aiden's voice cut through the chaos. "Yes… we can!"
With a combined effort, they forced Thorne back, separating him from the fragments. Energy arcs flew, smashing through the chamber, sending Rael and Vayne sprawling.
The fragments, unstable now, hovered in the center of the room, pulsating like a heartbeat — dangerous, volatile, waiting for someone to claim them.
Elara gasped. "We can't just destroy them here — the explosion would level half the city."
Aiden nodded. "Then we take them, secure them, and finish this properly. Together."
Thorne, weakened but defiant, glared at them. "This isn't over, Kross… The Protocol… will rise again."
Aiden raised his rifle. "Not if we have anything to say about it."
Elara extended her hand to Aiden. "Let's finish this. No more betrayals. No more running."
He took it. The fragments hovered, pulsing violently, but slowly began to respond to their control. The first step to finally ending the Shadow Protocol had been taken — but the heart of betrayal had shown them just how dangerous their enemies could be.