The Damned Path: Chronicles of Damien

If Marcus was the brawn, I needed brains—and there was only one person for that job: Lena.

She was a hacker, a genius with a keyboard, and just dangerous enough to make governments nervous. Last I heard, she was hiding out in a rundown apartment, staying off the radar after Kross burned her last safehouse to the ground.

I made my way across town, through back alleys and streets where the light didn't reach. This part of the city was a graveyard of forgotten lives, and Lena fit right in.

Her building was a rotting brick structure with boarded-up windows. I climbed the stairs, each creaking under my weight, and stopped at her door—no number, just a dent from when someone tried to kick it in.

I knocked twice, waited, then once more. Our old signal.

The door creaked open an inch, and sharp eyes stared out at me.

"Damien?" she whispered, like she wasn't sure if I was real.

"In the flesh," I said.

The door swung open fully, and she yanked me inside before locking three bolts behind me.

"You've got some nerve showing up here," she said, glaring. "Last time I saw you, you told me to run and never look back."

"I know," I said, raising my hands. "But I need your help."

She folded her arms, studying me. "You look worse than I remember."

"Thanks."

She sighed and motioned to a chair. "Sit. Talk."

Her apartment was a hacker's paradise—monitors stacked on top of each other, cables everywhere, and walls covered in notes, maps, and photos—many of them with Kross's face circled in red.

"You're still tracking him," I said, nodding toward the wall.

Her jaw tightened. "I never stopped."

"Good. Because I'm planning to take him down. And I need you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why now? After all this time?"

"Because I'm done running. And I'm done letting him win."

For a moment, she said nothing. Just stared at me, as if trying to figure out if I was serious.

Finally, she asked, "What's the plan?"

I filled her in—about Evelyn, the shipment hub, Marcus, everything.

When I finished, Lena sat back, arms crossed. "You're insane."

"Probably," I agreed.

"But… if you're serious, I'm in," she said, eyes glinting. "I've got blueprints, access to his security feeds, and a few surprises he won't see coming."

"That's what I need."

She stood and offered her hand, much like Evelyn had.

"Partners?"

I took her hand and smiled. "Partners."

As I left her apartment later that night, I knew the crew was coming together.

But something still gnawed at me—the feeling that Kross was already watching, waiting for me to make a move.

And when I did,All hell would break loose.