A Dangerous Bargain

The storm drains were a nightmare of sludge and darkness, but they led us directly beneath the estate's wine cellar. We emerged smelling like death, but undetected. Felix hacked the electronic lock on the cellar door, and we slipped into the house.

The gala was in full swing above us. The thrum of bass and the clinking of glasses vibrated through the floorboards.

"We need to get to the ballroom," I whispered, checking my weapon. "Lucius will be on the main stage."

"Security will be tightest there," Felix said. "We should split up. I'll disable the perimeter alarms. You get the key."

"No splitting up," I said. "We stick together. If Dante is compromised, he'll know our protocols. He'll expect a pincer move."

We moved through the service corridors, blending in with the staff. I swiped a champagne flute from a passing tray to look the part, though my combat boots and tactical vest were a dead giveaway. We stuck to the shadows, moving from pillar to pillar.

We reached the ballroom. It was a sea of diamonds and tuxedos. And there, in the center, was Lucius. He was holding court, surrounded by sycophants.

And standing next to him, looking bored and dangerous, was Dante.

He wasn't in cuffs. He wasn't being held at gunpoint. He was holding a drink.

"He's turned," Felix hissed, raising his gun.

"Wait," I said, putting a hand on his arm. "Look at his hand."

Dante was holding a whiskey glass. But he was tapping his index finger against the crystal. *Tap. Tap. Pause. Tap.*

Morse code.

*T-R-A-P.*

"He's signaling," I whispered. "It's a trap."

"For who?"

"For Lucius," I realized. "He's not handing over the intel. He's delivering a virus."

Suddenly, the lights cut out. The music died.

Screams erupted from the crowd.

"Now!" I shouted.

We burst into the room. Felix fired a flare into the ceiling, illuminating the chaos in stark red light.

"Get down!" Dante roared, shoving Lucius to the floor.

But he didn't cover him. He pinned him.

Dante pulled a knife from his sleeve and held it to Lucius's throat.

"Nobody move!" Dante yelled. "Or the Director dies!"

The security guards froze, their weapons trained on Dante.

"Aria!" Dante shouted, spotting me in the crowd. "The server room! Upload the key!"

"What?"

"The key isn't a list of agents!" he yelled. "It's the override code for their financial network! Upload it, and we bankrupt them all!"

He hadn't betrayed us. He had played the long game.

"Go!" Felix shouted, pushing me toward the service exit. "I'll cover you!"

I ran. I didn't look back. I sprinted for the server room, the encryption key burning a hole in my pocket.

I reached the server room door. It was locked. I shot the keypad. The door slid open.

I ran to the main console. I plugged in the drive.

*Upload Initiated.*

*20%... 40%...*

The door behind me opened.

I spun around, my gun raised.

It wasn't a guard.

It was Dante.

He was bleeding from a cut on his forehead. He looked wild, exhilarating.

"Did you do it?" he gasped.

"It's uploading," I said. "But Felix... where is Felix?"

Dante’s face fell.

"He stayed behind," Dante said. "He bought us time."

A massive explosion rocked the building. The floor shook. Dust rained down from the ceiling.

"That was the ballroom," Dante whispered.

"Felix," I said, my voice breaking.

"He knew the cost," Dante said, grabbing my hand. "We have to go. Now."

We ran for the roof. The extraction point.

But as we burst onto the helipad, we stopped.

The helicopter was there. But it wasn't empty.

A man was standing by the open door. He was wearing a grey suit. He was holding a gun.

It was Lucius.

He wasn't dead. He wasn't captured.

He was smiling.

"Did you really think you could outsmart me, children?" he asked. "I built this game."

He raised the gun.

"And now, I'm going to finish it."

He fired.

Dante shoved me aside.

The bullet hit him in the chest.

He fell.

"No!" I screamed.

I raised my own gun. I didn't aim. I just pulled the trigger. Again and again.

Lucius staggered back, hit in the shoulder, the leg. He fell into the helicopter.

"Go!" he shouted to the pilot.

The helicopter lifted off, leaving me alone on the roof with a dying man.

I crawled to Dante. Blood was pooling beneath him, dark and slick.

"Aria," he whispered. "The key... did it finish?"

I looked at my phone.

*Upload Complete.*

"Yes," I sobbed. "We won."

He smiled. A weak, fading smile.

"Good," he said. "Then it was worth it."

His eyes closed. His hand went limp in mine.

"Dante?"

I shook him.

"Dante!"

He didn't move.

I screamed his name into the night, but the only answer was the fading beat of the helicopter blades.