Chapter 10: Endgame
Berlin – 23:47 Hours
The rain hadn’t let up. Cold droplets spattered against the cracked pavement, mixing with the glow of streetlights reflecting off the wet asphalt. Jasper Hawke stood in the shadows of a crumbling warehouse, his coat damp, his muscles tense. Across the street, Checkpoint 17 loomed—a forgotten Cold War relic, now a dead drop location for clandestine exchanges.
Beside him, Nadia adjusted the suppressor on her pistol. “Do you trust Bishop?”
Hawke’s gaze didn’t waver from the checkpoint. “I trust him enough to show up. That’s it.”
A black SUV pulled up to the curb. Right on time.
Bishop stepped out, his trench coat billowing in the wind. He carried a small briefcase, his expression unreadable.
Hawke and Nadia stepped forward.
“You’re cutting it close,” Hawke muttered.
Bishop exhaled. “We have bigger problems.”
He opened the briefcase. Inside, a set of forged diplomatic passports, two untraceable phones, and a data drive.
“This gets you out of Europe,” Bishop said. “New names, clean records.” He hesitated. “But there’s one catch.”
Hawke arched a brow. “There’s always a catch.”
Bishop sighed. “They know you’re here. You’ve got maybe fifteen minutes before a full tactical team rolls in.”
Nadia’s fingers tensed around her weapon. “Then we need to move—now.”
Bishop hesitated. “There’s something else.”
He handed Hawke the data drive. “This is the real reason they want you dead. It contains evidence of a rogue faction inside your agency—they orchestrated the mission failure, not the defector.”
Hawke felt a slow, cold anger settle in his chest. “Names?”
Bishop nodded. “Everything’s on there. High-level operatives. Some of the people who gave you orders.”
Hawke clenched his jaw. He had spent years believing he was serving a cause greater than himself. Now, the agency had turned into a breeding ground for corruption and deception.
He pocketed the drive. “Then we settle this.”
Bishop’s face darkened. “Jasper, if you take this fight, there’s no going back.”
Hawke exhaled. “There’s nothing to go back to.”
The Final Standoff
A convoy of black SUVs appeared at the end of the street, headlights piercing through the rain.
Nadia cursed. “They’re here.”
Bishop stepped back. “Get to the train station. I have a contact waiting. Go dark.”
Hawke turned to leave—but something wasn’t right.
Then, he saw it.
One of the SUV’s rear windows rolled down, and a laser dot landed on Bishop’s chest.
Hawke lunged. “Get down!”
The shot rang out.
Bishop staggered, blood blossoming on his coat. He hit the ground hard, gasping.
Hawke fired three shots at the sniper’s position, forcing them to duck. “Nadia, cover me!”
She fired at the approaching SUVs, buying them seconds as Hawke crouched beside Bishop. Blood pooled around him.
Bishop coughed. “They won’t stop.”
Hawke gripped his hand. “I’ll end it.”
Bishop gave a weak smirk. “Then make it count.”
His breath faltered. Then stopped.
Hawke clenched his fists. He had lost allies before. Too many. But this time, it was personal.
Nadia grabbed his arm. “Hawke—we have to go.”
The SUVs came to a stop. Doors flew open. Armed agents poured out, moving fast.
Hawke didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the drive, turned, and ran.
One Last Move
Berlin Hauptbahnhof – 00:09 Hours
The massive train station was a labyrinth of tunnels, platforms, and exits.
Hawke and Nadia moved fast, blending into the late-night crowd. They had minutes before the agency locked down the area.
At Platform 12, a freight train idled, ready to depart.
Nadia scanned the area. “Are you sure about this?”
Hawke checked the drive. “There’s a contact in Zurich. If we get this to them, the agency’s rogue faction burns.”
Nadia nodded. “Then let’s go.”
They climbed onto an empty cargo car as the train lurched forward.
From the shadows of the platform, a lone figure watched them.
Then, he raised a phone to his ear.
“They got away.” A pause. “For now.”
The train disappeared into the night, carrying Hawke and Nadia into the unknown.
But the fight wasn’t over.
Not yet.
