Ruger's breathing was heavy, his mind calculating a way to save Nkhensani. He knew his team. He trained with them. He studied them. He could outmaneuver them.
He fired his unrefined energy blast—too powerful, too unstable. It hit the captain square in the chest, sending him crashing through an entire apartment complex before landing in a distant lake. The force was brutal. The betrayal burned in Ruger's chest.
Should he let him die?
A moment of hesitation. Then—
He clenched his jaw, shot forward, and dragged the unconscious captain out of the water before launching back into the sky.
Nkhensani was struggling against Lethabo's grip. Ruger dove like a missile, tackling Lethabo mid-air. The two tumbled across the rooftop. Lethabo growled, throwing a punch enhanced with kinetic force. Ruger caught it, twisted his arm, and threw him off balance. With a quick energy burst, Lethabo was sent skidding backward.
"We were supposed to be a team," Ruger said coldly. "And you sold me out."
Lethabo spat blood. "You were getting too powerful. The higher-ups knew they couldn't control you."
"Damn right they can't."
With one last blast, he sent Lethabo flying. Ruger turned to Nkhensani, who was staring at him with teary eyes.
"Why did you come back? You could've left."
"And let them take you? Hell no."
She exhaled shakily, her emotions unreadable. "I thought you'd hate me."
"I do," he said, voice flat. "But I'm not leaving you."
He grabbed her, took off into the night, and flew straight toward the Black Officials' base.
The Showdown
By morning, the entire organization was in chaos. Every high-ranking official had been summoned. The betrayal had been exposed, and now Ruger held all the cards.
He stormed into the meeting chamber, the captain barely conscious beside him. His suit's design had been restored, the security systems now unbreakable unless he allowed it.
"You tried to control me. You failed. Now we do things my way."
The officials remained silent, their faces unreadable.
"I hold the key to the warping machine," he continued, voice deadly calm. "You want it? Then here's the deal: I go public. We tell the world about Luka Industries, an African company pushing humanity beyond its limits. We sell our technology to the world. We prepare for war."
The room stirred.
"And if we don't?" one official challenged.
Ruger smirked. "Then I expose everything. Every. Last. Secret. Let's see how the public reacts when they find out their government sold them out."
They had no choice. They agreed.
But Ruger wasn't done.
That night, he took his mother and disappeared. He kidnapped his father and locked him in a chamber for interrogation. His father smirked, unshaken.
"You think you're in control, boy? You're just a pawn in a much bigger game."
Ruger's fists clenched. "Then I'll burn the whole board."
The Public Reveal
Two weeks later, Ruger stood before the world's cameras.
"There are aliens among us. The government won't tell you. But I will."
Gasps. Camera flashes. Murmurs turned to chaos.
"I designed this suit to protect humanity, but the government tried to control me. No more secrets. No more lies. We are Luka Industries, and we will protect this planet."
The world held its breath. The government was at his mercy.
Then, he called his suit, stepped into the sky, and vanished.
The war for Earth had begun.