Page 73 of Cold Ignition

Silence settled—focused now, all eyes on the data as it resolved.

Keanu watched it shift, but part of his attention stayed anchored—Rangi at his shoulder, Alexios just within reach.

Luca leaned in slightly, eyes narrowing as the deeper layers came through.

“...that’s fucked up,” he murmured.

Kael’s gaze sharpened. “Explain.”

Luca didn’t look away from the screen.

“This isn’t just a job,” he said. “It’s a kill-chain.”

Rangi straightened. “Explain.”

Luca tapped the display, isolating routes that pulsed red—checkpoints, choke points, handoff nodes.

“Drivers are being run through escalating routes,” he said. “Each leg adds pressure—speed, surveillance, hostile contact. Fail a segment, and you disappear.”

Alexios stepped closer, eyes narrowing. “Selection under duress.”

“Exactly,” Luca said. “They’re not moving cargo.”

A beat. Then, quieter—colder—

“Crucible is building a network of compliant drivers who can run lethal routes without question. High-risk transport. Human trafficking. Weapons. Anything that needs someone expendable at the wheel. Just like you said.”

Keanu’s jaw tightened slightly.

Rangi saw it anyway. “Same pattern?”

Luca nodded once. “Close enough to matter.”

Kael’s expression didn’t change—but the temperature in the room dropped.

“All right,” he said. “Are we all in agreement? This ends with the death of the leadership.”

No hesitation. No debate. Unanimous, decision made.

Rangi cracked his knuckles lightly. “Thought you’d say that. I have to say, as a group of assassins, I do love the way Black Tide works.”

Alexios’s gaze flicked to Keanu. “We take off the head. No one gets a pass.”

“Yeah,” Keanu said. “That’s how we roll. The call is made. It is unanimous.”

Rangi’s hand came down briefly on his shoulder. “Then we go in together.”

Keanu nodded once.

“Together,” Alexios echoed.

Kael looked between them for a fraction of a second—taking it in, recalibrating, accepting it without comment.

“Then get ready,” he said. “We move as soon as Luca finishes mapping the route.”

Luca didn’t look up. “Already ahead of you.”

The room shifted again. Not into chaos but into purposeful intention. Assignments were given and gear gathered, Black Tide rolling into place like it always did.