The wind howled through the narrow streets of downtown Detroit, a city that had long since given up on the promise of prosperity. Beneath the towering ruins of factories and empty skyscrapers, the air tasted of rust and forgotten dreams. Neon lights flickered above grimy alleyways, casting fleeting shadows that seemed to whisper of stories better left untold. The year was 2029, and the world was in the grip of turmoil. The United States, once a superpower, had fractured into city-states, each vying for control in an era where democracy was little more than a fading memory.
Aaron Cross, a former soldier turned mercenary, moved like a shadow through the streets, his eyes constantly scanning for threats. His past, much like the city around him, was fragmented and broken. Once, he had been a hero, a decorated officer in the U.S. Army. Now, he was just another gun for hire, trying to survive in a world where loyalty was as fleeting as the neon glow.
Tonight was different. Tonight, Aaron had been hired for a job that smelled of danger from the start. His client, a mysterious figure known only as “The Broker,” had promised him a fortune—enough to buy a small piece of peace in a world that offered none. The job was simple: retrieve a hard drive from a tech firm that had defected from the Union, the largest and most powerful of the remaining city-states. The Union wanted the drive back, and The Broker was willing to pay handsomely for it.
But there were no simple jobs anymore.
As Aaron approached the meeting point—a dilapidated building near the river—he felt the familiar weight of a decision pressing down on him. His mind flashed to the times he had betrayed his own principles for money, for survival. He’d crossed lines, made deals with people who would burn him the moment it suited them. But tonight, the stakes were higher. Tonight, he wasn’t just risking his own life; he was playing a part in something much larger.
Inside the building, The Broker awaited him. A thin man in a tailored suit, his face obscured by shadows, the only sign of his age a pair of silver-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. The room smelled of stale coffee and cigarettes, the only illumination coming from a single, flickering light above them.
“Cross,” The Broker said, his voice smooth and dispassionate. “I trust you understand the gravity of this mission.”
Aaron nodded, though his gut twisted with suspicion. “I understand,” he said. “What’s on the drive?”
The Broker smiled thinly. “The future of the Union. A new weapon, capable of turning the tide of war.”
That was all the information Aaron needed. He didn’t care what was on the drive—he was just here for the money. But there was something in The Broker’s eyes, a subtle shift that suggested there was more at play than Aaron had been told. Still, he kept his thoughts to himself.
“You’ll be in and out,” The Broker continued. “The tech firm’s headquarters are heavily guarded, but we’ve arranged for a breach in security. You’ll have access to the building for precisely thirty minutes. After that, the window closes.”
Aaron’s eyes narrowed. Thirty minutes wasn’t much time, but he had pulled off harder jobs before. He was just about to ask for more details when a voice interrupted the conversation.
“Don’t trust him.”
The voice came from the shadows, and Aaron’s hand instinctively went to his holster. Out of the darkness stepped a woman, her long black hair cascading over a leather jacket, her eyes sharp and calculating. She was tall, with a lithe, athletic build that suggested someone who could handle herself in a fight.
Aaron didn’t need to ask who she was. He knew her well—Olivia Kane, a former CIA operative turned freelance hacker. She had a reputation for being a ghost in the system, someone who could slip through digital cracks without leaving a trace. And she was here, in Detroit, of all places.
“Olivia,” Aaron said, his voice low. “What the hell are you doing here?”
She gave him a tight smile. “Same thing you are. Making money. But unlike you, I don’t blindly follow orders.”
The Broker chuckled, a sound devoid of warmth. “Olivia here has her own… agenda. But she’s right about one thing. You should be careful, Cross.”
Aaron’s gaze flicked between the two of them. Something wasn’t right. The job had gone from simple to complicated in the span of a few moments. He trusted neither of them, but he knew that if he wanted to get out of this alive, he needed to play their game.
“Why should I trust you, Olivia?” Aaron asked.
Olivia met his gaze, her expression unreadable. “Because I’ve seen the Union’s plans. They’re not just after the weapon on that drive. They want something bigger—something that could change everything. And The Broker is in on it.”
The words hung in the air, heavy with implications. The Broker’s smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.
“You’re mistaken,” he said. “The Union only wants the drive. You’re both imagining conspiracies.”
Olivia’s eyes never left The Broker. “You’re lying.”
Aaron’s mind raced. A weapon. A new world order. It sounded like the kind of thing that could bring the United States to its knees. But what was The Broker’s role in all of this? And why had he brought Olivia into the mix?
“I don’t care what the Union wants,” Aaron said, his voice hardening. “I just want my pay.”
The Broker’s smile returned, but it was colder now, more predatory. “You’ll get your money. But understand this, Cross: Once you take that drive, you’re in it. Whether you want to be or not.”
The weight of those words settled on Aaron’s shoulders like a physical burden. But he had no choice. He needed the money. He needed out of this hellhole. And so, against his better judgment, he nodded.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll do it.”
The heist itself was deceptively easy. With Olivia’s hacking skills, Aaron was able to bypass security systems and gain access to the building. He moved through the corridors like a phantom, his every step calculated, his every breath controlled. The hard drive was located in a secure vault on the top floor, but with Olivia’s guidance, he reached it in record time.
But when he retrieved the drive and turned to leave, everything went wrong.
A group of armed soldiers appeared, emerging from hidden alcoves like ghosts. Aaron’s heart skipped a beat. They were faster than he had anticipated, and their uniforms were unmistakable—the insignia of the Union.
“Drop the drive,” one of them ordered, his voice cold and authoritative.
Aaron’s mind raced. He didn’t know how they had tracked him, but he knew one thing: he wasn’t going to surrender without a fight. He reached for his weapon, but before he could draw, a bullet grazed his shoulder, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Through the haze of pain, he heard Olivia’s voice in his earpiece. “Get out of there, Aaron! Now!”
But it was too late. The soldiers had surrounded him. The Broker had set him up. This wasn’t a simple job—it was a trap. And now, Aaron was caught in the web of lies and betrayal that had been spun long before he ever stepped foot in Detroit.
The last thing Aaron saw before the darkness overtook him was Olivia, standing at the edge of the rooftop, watching as the Union soldiers closed in. She had been the only one who had ever cared. The only one who had told him the truth.
And now, she was gone.
Hours later, Aaron woke up in a dimly lit cell, the weight of his failure pressing down on him. He didn’t know if Olivia was alive. He didn’t know if anyone would come to save him.
All he knew was that the game had changed. And now, he was playing a part in something much larger than he had ever imagined.
The Union’s war had only just begun.
