Chapter 12: Breaking Point
Pain spread through Kieran’s ribs as he struggled to stand. His body protested, his muscles burned, but he refused to stay down. He couldn’t.
Elias watched him with a look Kieran couldn’t place—somewhere between amusement and expectation.
“Not bad,” Elias muttered, crossing his arms. “Most people would’ve stayed down after that.”
Kieran swallowed back the bitterness rising in his throat. His hands curled into fists. Most people weren’t being hunted like an animal.
The alley was silent, save for the faint hum of the city beyond the abandoned underground tunnel. It was cold, damp, and smelled of rust. This wasn’t where he was supposed to be. A week ago, he was just some nobody. Now?
Now he had a corrupted system, a body that didn’t feel like his own, and a man who used to hunt people like him testing him like a lab experiment.
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Kieran exhaled slowly. “You keep saying I’m weak,” he muttered. “But if I’m so worthless, why bother with me?”
Elias’s smirk faded slightly.
“There’s potential in you,” he said. “And I want to see how far you’ll go before you break.”
Kieran’s stomach twisted at his tone. Not if. When.
He looked away, his gaze landing on the ID tag Elias had tossed him earlier. Taskforce Omega. They weren’t just bounty hunters or law enforcement. They were something worse.
His fingers traced the metal. The name Elias Vance stared back at him.
“How did you get out?” Kieran asked, his voice quieter now. “Taskforce Omega doesn’t just… let people leave.”
Elias’s expression darkened—just for a moment. Then, just as quickly, the smirk returned.
“You ask a lot of questions,” Elias said. “Good. That means you’re not an idiot.”
Kieran’s jaw clenched, frustration building. He was sick of being kept in the dark.
“You want answers?” Elias took a step closer, his voice lowering. “Then survive long enough to find them.”
Kieran met his gaze.
Fine. If this was a game, he’d play it.
But he wouldn’t just survive.
He’d win.