Page 15— The Storm
The city didn't sleep that night. Lightning carved the sky open, thunder roaring through the veins of glass towers as if the heavens themselves were at war. Inside the penthouse, the silence was deafening. Only the soft hum of rain against the window filled the space between them — Adrian, Eli, and the ghost of everything that had just fallen apart.
Eli stood near the glass wall, staring at the skyline, his reflection pale and fractured by each flash of light. Behind him, Adrian lingered in the shadows, tie undone, sleeves rolled up, his chest rising with uneven breaths. Rylan's name still echoed in the air, sharp and poisonous.
"You knew him," Eli said finally, voice trembling. "You knew Rylan long before tonight."
Adrian didn't answer at first. He took a slow sip of whiskey, his eyes locked on the golden liquid as if it might burn the truth away. "Knowing him was a mistake I've been paying for ever since," he murmured.
Eli turned, his eyes dark with disbelief. "You lied to me. You said the Division was gone — that he was gone."
Adrian's gaze flicked up, fierce, guarded. "Because I wanted to protect you."
"Protect me?" Eli's laugh was hollow. "You mean control me. Keep me in your perfect little cage while you played hero and monster at the same time."
The words cut deeper than Eli knew. Adrian set the glass down, his jaw tightening as lightning lit his face. "You think I wanted any of this? You think I enjoy watching everything I touch fall apart?" He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a growl. "I told you once — there are parts of me you don't want to see."
Eli didn't back away this time. "Then show me, Adrian. Because I'm done living in your shadow."
---
Adrian's control cracked. His breath came sharp, unsteady. "You want the truth?" he said quietly. "Then you'll have it."
He moved to the center of the room and opened the small security console embedded in the wall. His fingers danced across the glass, and a series of holographic files blinked to life. Names. Codes. Missions. Faces.
At the center — Rylan Cross.
"He wasn't just my partner," Adrian said. "He was my handler. My… experiment."
Eli froze. "Experiment?"
"The Division was never just about intelligence," Adrian continued, voice cold and measured now — the way a surgeon speaks before a cut. "It was control. Obedience. They broke people down, rewired them, made them loyal to one person only. Rylan was theirs. And when he couldn't control me…" He looked up, eyes haunted. "He tried to destroy me."
"And you let him live," Eli whispered.
Adrian gave a bitter smile. "I thought I did. Until tonight."
For a moment, neither spoke. The storm outside grew wilder, rain thrashing against the windows like a warning. Then a soft chime cut through the silence — the building's security alert.
Adrian's eyes snapped toward the console. "Motion detected," the system warned.
Eli's heart jumped. "What is it?"
Adrian didn't answer. He reached beneath his jacket, pulled out a sleek black pistol, and loaded a cartridge with mechanical precision. "It's them," he said. "The Division doesn't send warnings."
He turned to Eli. "Stay here. No arguments."
"Adrian—"
But the door exploded inward before he could finish.
---
Gunfire tore through the air, shattering glass and silence alike. Adrian shoved Eli behind the marble counter, firing back in one smooth, practiced motion. The penthouse lights flickered as shadows moved — black uniforms, visors, rifles flashing blue.
"Down!" Adrian shouted, grabbing Eli's arm and dragging him into the hallway.
Eli's pulse thundered in his ears. He'd never seen Adrian like this — not the calm, collected businessman, but a weapon reborn. Every move was precise, brutal, efficient. The hallway filled with smoke and screams, the scent of gunpowder burning the air.
They burst into the private elevator. Adrian slammed his hand on the emergency override, and the doors sealed with a hiss.
"Basement," he ordered.
Eli leaned against the wall, chest heaving. "You… you killed them."
Adrian didn't look up. "They were already dead. The Division doesn't send men they plan to bring back."
The elevator jolted, then stopped abruptly halfway down. Adrian cursed under his breath and pried open the panel. "They cut the power."
A voice crackled through the comm system. Cold. Familiar.
"Always three steps ahead, Adrian," Rylan said. "You really should know better by now."
Eli froze. Adrian's eyes darkened. "Rylan."
"Did you really think you could hide him from me?" Rylan's tone was almost playful. "The boy. Eli. Sweet, loyal Eli. You've gotten attached."
"Stay out of this," Adrian snarled. "Your fight is with me."
"Funny," Rylan said. "It used to be for you."
The line went dead.
---
Adrian ripped the panel open and forced the elevator hatch upward. "We climb," he said.
Eli stared at him, trembling. "Are you insane? We're in a glass tower in the middle of a storm!"
"I don't have time to argue, Eli. Move."
For a moment, Eli wanted to refuse. To scream. But something in Adrian's eyes — fierce, desperate — pulled him forward. They climbed. Metal groaned beneath them, lightning flashing through the open shaft. Below, a low rumble grew louder — the sound of the Division breaching the lower floors.
Eli slipped once, his hand scraping against the metal. Adrian caught him instantly, one hand gripping his wrist, the other braced above.
"Don't look down," Adrian said softly. "I've got you."
For the first time, Eli saw it — not the powerful, distant man the world feared, but someone fighting everything just to hold on. He nodded shakily. "Then don't let go."
"I never do."
They climbed until they reached the emergency hatch near the mechanical floor. Adrian pushed it open, and they rolled onto solid ground. The air smelled of rain and oil, machinery humming beneath the roof. For a brief moment, there was silence again.
Eli looked at him. "You said Rylan wanted to destroy you. Why?"
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Because I broke his programming. And because I loved him once."
Eli's breath caught. "You… loved him?"
Adrian's eyes flickered with pain. "He was the only one who saw me before I became what I am. But love in the Division meant control. When I realized what he'd done — what they were turning me into — I ran. He never forgave that."
Eli took a step closer. "And now he wants to finish what he started."
Adrian nodded. "Unless I finish it first."
---
The rooftop access door burst open, rain slashing through the dark. Rylan stood there — drenched, beautiful, and monstrous all at once. His smile was a wound. "You always did like dramatic exits."
Adrian raised his gun. "Let him go, Rylan."
Rylan's gaze slid to Eli, who stood frozen behind Adrian. "You replaced me with him," he said softly. "A stray you picked up from the storm."
"He's nothing like you," Adrian said.
Rylan tilted his head. "No, he's not broken. Yet."
Adrian fired. Rylan moved — too fast, too fluid — and the bullet grazed his shoulder. In the same motion, he swung his weapon and sent Adrian's gun skidding across the wet roof. They clashed, fists and fury, the storm exploding around them.
Eli screamed as they fought — two men locked in a violent dance that was part rage, part heartbreak. Thunder roared. Adrian slammed Rylan against the wall, but Rylan only laughed, blood dripping from his lip.
"You can't kill me," Rylan hissed. "You made me."
Adrian's punch landed hard. "Then I'll unmake you."
Rylan staggered back — right as lightning struck the steel beam beside them. The flash was blinding. When Eli's vision cleared, Adrian had Rylan pinned to the edge, both soaked and shaking.
"End it," Rylan whispered. "Or he dies next."
Adrian's breath trembled. His hand tightened on the gun. Eli's voice cut through the storm — raw, desperate.
"Don't do it!"
Adrian froze.
Eli stepped closer, rain streaming down his face. "If you kill him, you become him."
Rylan's eyes flicked between them, a cruel smile curving his mouth. "Softness. That's your weakness, Adrian."
Adrian stared down at him — the man who had once been his everything, now the ruin of everything he'd built. Slowly, he lowered the gun.
"No," he said. "It's my strength."
He turned away — but Rylan lunged. The gun fired once.
Silence.
Rylan fell. The rain swallowed his body, vanishing into the dark below.
---
Eli ran to Adrian, clutching his arm. "You're hurt."
Adrian looked down at the blood spreading across his side and smiled faintly. "Just a scratch."
"Don't lie to me."
Adrian exhaled, his strength finally breaking. "You should've left when you had the chance."
"I told you," Eli said, voice breaking. "I'm not leaving you."
Thunder rolled across the horizon, fading slowly as the storm began to die. Adrian sank to his knees, the weight of everything pressing down — the past, the guilt, the blood. Eli knelt beside him, taking his hand.
For once, Adrian didn't pull away.
Outside, dawn began to bleed through the clouds, pale and uncertain. The storm had passed, but its echo lingered — in the rain, in their silence, in the fragile way Adrian finally whispered his truth.
"I've done terrible thing
s, Eli."
Eli looked at him, eyes soft and fierce. "Then let me help you be something else."
Adrian met his gaze — and for the first time, let someone see the man behind the shadow.