Chapter 10: The Final Move
Hawke’s blood ran cold as he stared at Katerina, the woman who had betrayed him. His mind scrambled to process the overwhelming truth, but the more he thought about it, the clearer it became. Katerina was the mastermind. She was the one pulling the strings, orchestrating the chaos, and using him as a pawn in a game that he could never have fathomed.
“You’re with them,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. His breath caught in his chest as he tried to steady his pulse, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins made every breath feel like a jagged blade.
Katerina didn’t respond with words. Instead, she leveled her gun at him with the precision of someone who had done it a hundred times before. The barrel gleamed in the moonlight, and for a moment, everything else in the world faded to nothing.
Hawke didn’t have time to think. Every instinct screamed at him to move, to act before she could pull the trigger.
But he knew, in that instant, that it was already too late.
He had been the one who had miscalculated. He had underestimated Katerina, trusted her too much. And now, the consequences of his mistake were staring him in the face.
No.
There was still one last play he could make.
With a burst of movement, Hawke dove to the side, rolling into the darkness just as the first shot rang out. The bullet sliced through the air where he had been standing only moments before. The force of the impact left a sharp ringing in his ears, but he didn’t stop. He scrambled behind a tree, gasping for air as his body fought against exhaustion. His heart was thundering in his chest, but there was no room for fear. There was only the mission.
Only survival.
“Hawke!” Katerina’s voice rang out, cool and confident. “This game is over. Don’t make it harder on yourself.”
She moved with precision, stalking toward his position, but Hawke’s mind was already working, calculating his next move. He couldn’t let her win. He couldn’t let her control the narrative. Not after everything they’d been through.
The truth was clear now. The cyber attacks, the crashes in global markets, the war games—everything had been a setup. And Katerina had been the one pulling the strings behind the scenes. It had all been part of a larger plan, a plot to manipulate power on a scale the world had never seen.
But now, it was Hawke’s turn to make the final move.
Katerina stepped closer, the barrel of her gun still aimed in his direction, but as she stepped into the clearing, Hawke sprang into action. With the speed of someone trained in shadow operations, he lunged from his hiding spot, knocking the gun from her hand and sending it skidding across the ground.
She tried to fight back, but Hawke was faster. His hand shot out, grabbing her by the wrist and twisting it, forcing her to the ground with a vicious crack.
“You betrayed me,” he said, his voice cold, devoid of any emotion. “You betrayed everything we fought for.”
Katerina gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing with the familiar fire he had once admired. “I did what had to be done,” she spat. “You were never going to see the bigger picture. But now, you will.”
Hawke looked down at her, and for a fleeting moment, he saw the woman he had trusted—the one he thought he had known. But now, there was nothing left of her. She had become just another part of the system he had spent his life dismantling.
Hawke raised his gun, his hand steady despite the rage boiling inside of him. He could feel the weight of the moment pressing on his chest. This was it—the final decision.
“Who’s behind all of this?” he demanded, his voice like ice. “Who’s the one pulling the strings?”
Katerina smirked, her lips curling in defiance. “You’ll never know,” she said with a twisted laugh. “But you were never meant to. You’re just a piece on the board.”
Before Hawke could react, there was a sudden movement—a figure in the distance, stepping into the moonlight. A shadow, tall and imposing. A familiar face.
It was Bishop.
The shock hit Hawke like a punch to the gut. He had suspected Bishop might be involved, but he never imagined this level of betrayal. Bishop had been with him through everything—trusted him, trained him, and fought by his side.
“Bishop?” Hawke’s voice cracked, disbelief flooding his mind.
Bishop stepped forward, his eyes cold and calculating. “You were never supposed to find out, Hawke,” he said, his voice flat. “You were supposed to clean up the mess, and then you were supposed to disappear. But you’re too good at this game. You’re too dangerous.”
It all clicked into place. Bishop had been the one pulling the strings all along. The one who had orchestrated Hawke’s path, guiding him into every trap, every mission, every betrayal. Hawke had been played, from the very beginning.
“Why?” Hawke asked, his voice barely a whisper, the weight of the betrayal sinking in.
“Because it had to be this way,” Bishop replied, his eyes never leaving Hawke’s. “The world needs control, Hawke. It needs order. And I’m the one who’s going to bring it.”
Katerina struggled against the ground beneath her, her eyes shifting between the two men. “You can’t—” she began, but Bishop silenced her with a single motion.
Hawke’s mind was racing. His options were few, and the reality of the situation was dawning on him. There was no way out. No way to stop them. They had already won.
But then, as his gaze flicked from Bishop to Katerina, he saw something—a tiny, almost imperceptible flicker in her eyes. She wasn’t completely aligned with Bishop. There was doubt there. A crack in her armor.
It was his last chance.
Without thinking, Hawke lunged at Katerina, grabbing her by the collar and pulling her close. He whispered into her ear, his voice barely audible. “If you want to stop this, you need to help me.”
For a moment, it seemed like she was going to betray him again, but then her hand shot out, grabbing a hidden gun from her waistband and shoving it into his hand.
“Do it,” she said. “Before it’s too late.”
In that split second, Hawke made the choice. With one swift motion, he turned the gun on Bishop, firing without hesitation.
Bishop’s eyes widened in shock as he crumpled to the ground, his body collapsing in an instant.
The game was over.
Katerina scrambled to her feet, looking around in disbelief as the weight of the situation came crashing down on her. She had played her part, but in the end, Hawke had come out on top.
Hawke’s heart raced, but there was no joy in victory. No relief. Just an overwhelming sense of exhaustion and loss.
The battle was over, but the war? That was just beginning.
