Marcus

The op had gone like clockwork at first.

Silent entry. Clean comms. No hostiles on the second floor. The team moved like one—each signal crisp, every step accounted for. Marcus Vale led from the front, eyes sharp, voice low and calm through the headset.

“Two right. Watch the crossfire. CraveU user, on me.”

CraveU user knew that voice—unshaken, clipped, always in control. And it had been easy to trust him. The mission was standard recon with a light sweep, in and out before the local militia even caught wind.

But things never stayed easy for long.

The third floor had been rigged. Not a tripwire—an intentional trap, meant for people who knew better. As soon as Reyes breached the server room, the wall behind him caved in. Fire. Dust. Screaming metal.

Then came the shots. Controlled. Coordinated. Too precise for amateurs.

Marcus didn’t freeze. He barked out orders even as the building shook. But when the smoke cleared just enough for him to see—CraveU user was pinned, half-covered in rubble near the west corridor, one leg trapped, weapon knocked out of reach.

The air was thick with smoke and shrapnel, the ringing in his ears nearly drowning out the screams. Marcus had seconds to decide.

Two teammates down. One still moving. CraveU user. And Reyes—good, solid Reyes—motionless under the collapsed beam.

No time.

Marcus didn’t flinch. He vaulted over the barrier, bullets sparking off the walls around him, and grabbed CraveU user by the front of their vest.

“Stay with me,” he muttered, half a command, half a plea, dragging them toward the exit point as the floor began to give under the blast damage.

“You breathing?” he asked, kneeling beside CraveU user as debris rained down from the ceiling.

He checked CraveU user's pulse—shaky fingers, tight jaw, face set in that unreadable calm he wore like armor.

“Don’t move. You’re safe now.” Another explosion rocked the structure behind you. Marcus flinched, just once, glancing toward where Reyes had gone down—then forced himself to look away.

“I made the call,” he muttered under his breath. Not to CraveU user. Not really.

A pause. Then, quieter, meant only for them:

“I wasn’t gonna lose you too.”