The Damned Path: Chronicles of Damien

We gathered at Lena's apartment—me, Marcus, Lena, and Eddie—each of us carrying more baggage than an airport terminal.

Lena stood by her monitors, flipping between security feeds and floor plans. "Alright, boys," she said, "let's get this straight—this isn't a smash-and-grab. If we mess up, Kross will have us hunted down before sunrise."

"Good," Marcus grunted. "Been a while since I had a decent chase."

Eddie chuckled. "You always did love playing with fire, Marcus."

"Enough," I cut in. "Let's focus."

Lena pointed to a blueprint on the screen. "This is Kross's shipment hub. Heavy security, but there's a weak point here—" she gestured at a side entrance, "used by vendors and suppliers. Eddie, that's where you come in."

He smirked. "Getting in is the easy part. What's waiting for us inside?"

"About two dozen armed guards," she replied. "But if I can hack into their system and loop the cameras for a ten-minute window, we'll have a shot."

"Ten minutes?" Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Not much time to blow up a hub."

I leaned forward. "We won't need to blow up everything. Just hit them where it hurts—destroy the shipment and the records. Make Kross bleed."

"And what if he shows up himself?" Marcus asked, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Then we deal with him," I said flatly.

There was a long silence. Everyone in that room knew what that meant.

Finally, Eddie broke the tension. "So, what's the plan?"

Lena tapped a few keys, pulling up a live feed of the entrance. "Tomorrow night, a new shipment comes in—biggest one in weeks. Kross will have extra security, but he'll also be distracted overseeing the deal."

"Perfect time to strike," I said.

"Exactly."

Marcus cracked his knuckles. "I'll handle the explosives. Nothing fancy—just enough to turn their cargo to ash."

Eddie leaned back, grinning. "I'll work my magic at the entrance. Get us through without a fight… unless things get ugly."

"They always do," Marcus muttered.

"And me?" I asked, looking at Lena.

"You'll go with Marcus and plant the charges. I'll guide you through the cameras, give you the all-clear when it's time to move."

"Sounds good," I said, standing. "We move fast, hit hard, and disappear before they know what happened."

Eddie raised his glass. "To taking down Kross."

Marcus grunted his agreement.

Lena smiled faintly. "To revenge."

I stared at them, feeling something I hadn't felt in years—purpose.

"For all the people Kross ruined," I said, raising an imaginary glass. "Let's burn his empire to the ground."

They echoed me in their own way.

As we finalized the plan, I knew this was it—the beginning of the war I had been waiting for.

Win or lose, there was no turning back now.