The trio rushed through the quiet streets, the weight of the bounty hanging over them like a dark cloud. Every shadow felt like it could be hiding another attacker, and the adrenaline from the fight still pumped through Nico’s veins. His mind raced, trying to piece together what had just happened. A bounty—$10,000 for his head. But why? And who could have placed it?

Danny led them swiftly to his house, a large, modern home tucked away in a gated neighborhood. His parents were both influential figures, deeply involved in the government, which meant they were often away at high-profile meetings. Today was one of those days, and that gave them the perfect opportunity to plan without any interruptions.

They slipped inside and locked the door behind them. Danny's house was immaculate, with clean, minimalist decor. It looked more like a show home than a place someone actually lived in. Danny led them upstairs to his room, where he immediately went to his desk, turning on his computer and opening up a series of encrypted programs.

“Alright,” Danny said, his fingers flying over the keyboard. “We need to figure out who put that bounty on you, Nico, and fast. I’ve got access to some government databases, but this isn’t going to be easy. Whoever placed this hit on you has some serious connections.”

Nico collapsed into a chair, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand. Why me? I’ve stayed under the radar for the most part. Sure, I’ve been in a few fights, but nothing that would make someone want me dead.”

Jenna sat beside him, her face pale with worry. “It has to be related to the underground fights, right? I mean, that’s where things started going wrong.”

Danny shook his head. “Maybe. But I don’t think that’s it. The underground fights are illegal, sure, but they’re just a small piece of something bigger. Someone with real influence set this bounty, and I don’t think it’s just because you’ve been winning a few fights.”

Nico frowned. “So what, then?”

Danny tapped a few keys, bringing up a map of their city. He zoomed in on various sections, running surveillance footage through facial recognition software. “There are too many possibilities. You’ve been in the valley, fighting against dangerous people, some of them with connections to criminal networks. Or it could be related to your power. Your copy ability is rare, Nico, and someone might see you as a threat.”

Nico hadn’t thought of that. His ability to copy others’ powers was something he’d always seen as more of a burden than a gift. But now… now it was starting to make sense. If people knew about his ability and its potential, it would make him a target for those who wanted to control or eliminate him.

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Jenna leaned forward, her voice quiet. “So how do we stop it? How do we get rid of the bounty?”

Danny paused, glancing over at Nico. “There’s no easy way to remove a bounty. Once it’s placed, it’s usually only taken down if the person who put it up is satisfied—either they get what they want, or they decide to cancel it.”

Nico’s jaw tightened. “And what do they want? To see me dead?”

“Not necessarily,” Danny replied. “Whoever set this bounty might want you out of the way, but there’s always a chance they want something else. Control over you, maybe. Your ability is powerful, Nico. In the wrong hands, it could change everything.”

Nico felt a chill run down his spine. He had always been cautious with his power, never letting anyone fully understand what he could do. But if someone had figured it out—if someone knew just how dangerous his ability could be in the right hands—it would explain why they wanted him silenced.

“So what do we do?” Nico asked, his voice tense. “I can’t just sit here and wait for the next group of power bearers to come after me.”

Danny’s eyes flashed with determination. “First, we need to track down the source of the bounty. I can hack into some of the lower-level criminal networks, see if there’s any chatter about who’s behind it. Once we know who set it, we’ll have a better idea of how to approach this.”

Nico nodded, his mind racing. “And then what? We go after them?”

“We may not have to,” Danny said, still typing rapidly. “Once we know who it is, we might be able to negotiate, or at least figure out a way to make them call it off.”

Nico clenched his fists. Negotiating didn’t sit well with him, but right now, they didn’t have a lot of options. His power had limits—he could only copy someone’s ability for five minutes, and after that, his body paid the price. He was still recovering from the strain of the last few fights, and he couldn’t afford to keep fighting off hitmen every day.

“Alright,” Nico said, standing up. “Do whatever you need to, Danny. I’m not going to sit back and wait for someone else to come after me.”

Danny nodded, his eyes focused on the screen. “Give me a few hours. I’ll find something.”

As Danny worked, Jenna leaned closer to Nico, her voice soft. “You don’t have to do this alone, you know. We’re here to help.”

Nico forced a small smile. “I know. I just didn’t expect any of this. One minute I’m some powerless fat kid, and now I’ve got people trying to kill me.”

Jenna touched his arm gently. “You’re not powerless anymore, Nico. You just need to learn how to control what you have. And we’ll figure this out together.”

Nico nodded, grateful for her support. But deep down, he knew this was only the beginning. Whoever had put this bounty on him wasn’t going to stop until they got what they wanted, and the only way to survive was to get stronger—fast.

Hours passed as Danny hacked deeper into the criminal networks. Jenna and Nico sat in silence, the tension in the room thick. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Danny spoke up, his voice low.

“I found something.”

Nico and Jenna rushed over to the screen, where Danny had pulled up a series of encrypted messages. “These are connected to a shadow group that deals in illegal contracts. Bounties, assassinations, kidnappings—anything for the right price. And it looks like they’ve been getting orders from someone high up. Someone connected to one of the Sacred Commandments.”

Nico’s eyes widened. “The Sacred Commandments? You mean one of the ten ranking power bearers at our school?”

Danny nodded grimly. “Yeah. It looks like one of them is behind this bounty. And if that’s true, we’ve got a much bigger problem on our hands.”

Nico’s stomach sank. The Sacred Commandments were untouchable, their power immense and their influence unmatched. If one of them wanted him dead, then escaping this wasn’t going to be easy.

“Which one?” Jenna asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Danny clicked on the encrypted file. “That’s the thing… I don’t know yet. The order was placed anonymously, but all signs point to someone in their circle. We need more information, and we don’t have much time.”

Nico’s mind raced. One of the Sacred Commandments had put a bounty on him. And now, it was a race against time to figure out who—and why.

There was no turning back now. Nico knew that if he wanted to survive, he would have to take on powers and people far beyond his current limits.