Apocalypse Trade Monopoly
Chapter 71: : The Man in the Shadows

The name flashed in her mind like a warning light. She had expected Angel to come after her. Expected retaliation. But this?

Locke wasn’t supposed to be part of the game.

Lucas stretched lazily beside her, his smirk never fading. "Beauty, you really do attract the most interesting problems."

Ava shot him a glare. "Shut up and focus."

Lucas chuckled. "Oh, I am. You just don’t like that I’m enjoying this."

Ava exhaled sharply. "Locke’s military. Disciplined. Cold. He’s not the type to leave cryptic messages. If he’s reaching out like this, it means he either wants something—"

"Or he’s setting a trap," Lucas finished smoothly.

Ava didn’t disagree.

Her system pulsed again, pulling up the last trace of the data chip’s signal. It had bounced through Angel’s network, but the original transmission?

It came from outside Level One.

Ava frowned. "He’s not in the city."

Lucas raised a brow. "Interesting."

Ava tapped her wrist, adjusting the decryption filters. "He’s covering his tracks, but the signal was routed through old military relays. My system’s scrubbing the location now."

Lucas hummed, stepping closer. "I can already tell you’re thinking too hard about this."

Ava shot him a look. "And what, oh great strategist, do you suggest?"

Lucas grinned, golden eyes gleaming. "Simple. We make him show his hand."

Ava folded her arms. "And how do you suggest we do that?"

Lucas leaned in slightly, voice dropping to something lower, smoother. "We call him out."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "You want me to respond?"

Lucas smirked. "Of course. Let’s see if the good soldier’s brave enough to answer."

Ava hesitated, her system flashing possibilities, risks, contingencies.Contacting Locke meant exposure. But silence?

Silence was a weakness.

Ava exhaled sharply. "Fine. But we do this my way."

Lucas grinned. "Wouldn’t have it any other way."

Ava’s fingers flicked across her wristband, sending out a single message.

[I SEE YOU.][YOUR MOVE.]

The moment it sent, her system pulsed.

[MESSAGE RECEIVED.]

Not sent. Received.

Ava’s pulse jumped.

Lucas tilted his head, catching the shift in her expression. "That fast?"

Ava swallowed.

Locke had been waiting.

Ava’s breath stilled. Her system had barely finished sending the message before it pinged back—

[MESSAGE RECEIVED.]

Not delayed. Not rerouted.

Immediate.

Locke had been waiting for her to respond.

Lucas let out a low chuckle beside her, golden eyes flickering with interest. "Now that’s interesting."

Ava ignored him, her fingers twitching at her side. "Something’s off."

Lucas smirked. "Everything’s off, Beauty. Be more specific."

Ava’s system ran another scan, tracing the message’s return path. It should’ve bounced through multiple dead zones, buried under layers of encrypted channels.

Instead—it had come from inside the city.

Ava’s jaw tightened. "He’s here."

Lucas went still for a fraction of a second—then grinned."Oh, this just keeps getting better."

Ava shot him a look. "We need to move."

Lucas stretched, cracking his knuckles. "Where to?"

Her system pulsed, pulling up the exact coordinates of the incoming transmission. A location flickered into place on her HUD—an abandoned transit station, just beyond the Outer Wards.

Ava exhaled. "He set the meeting point."

Lucas chuckled. "Bold of him to assume we’ll show up."

Ava rolled her shoulders, already heading toward the exit. "We’re going."

Lucas followed, amusement never fading. "Of course we are."

The Outer Wards had a different rhythm at night—quieter, but not safer. Fewer enforcers patrolled here, but that only meant the threats were unregistered, untracked, and unpredictable.

Ava moved fast, her system running continuous scans. Lucas followed easily, too relaxed for someone walking into an ambush.

The transit station loomed ahead—an old, abandoned checkpoint from before the Collapse. The roof sagged, metal rusted at the edges, but the structure still stood.

Ava’s system pinged.

[NO HEAT SIGNATURES DETECTED.][NO ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE.]

Empty.

But Locke was here. Somewhere.

Lucas let out a low hum. "No welcome party? I’m offended."

Ava ignored him, stepping inside. The air smelled like dust, old fuel, and metal left to rot. Her boots scraped against cracked tile as she moved deeper into the station.

Then—a noise.

Ava whipped around, knife drawn.

A figure stepped out from the shadows. Tall. Composed. A soldier’s stance, even when standing still.

Locke.

His dark eyes flicked over her—calculating, precise. Then to Lucas, lingering just long enough to measure the threat.

Lucas smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Nice of you to invite us, Captain."

Locke didn’t smile. "You took your time."

Ava didn’t lower the knife. "You’re the one who left a message. So talk."

Locke exhaled slowly, his voice even. "Angel isn’t the real problem."

Ava’s fingers tightened around the handle."Then who is?"

Locke’s gaze locked onto hers.

"The people she works for."

Ava felt her pulse jump.

Lucas let out a low, amused whistle."Now we’re getting somewhere."

Lucas chuckled, stepping forward with that same lazy confidence, but his golden eyes were sharp—assessing, testing.

"The people she works for?" he echoed, tilting his head. "Careful, Captain. That almost sounds like you’re not on Angel’s side anymore."

Locke didn’t flinch. Didn’t move.

A soldier through and through. Trained not to react.

Ava kept her grip firm on the knife, but her focus was shifting—watching the way Lucas approached Locke, the way Locke measured the distance between them.

This wasn’t the first time they had been in the same room.

Lucas smiled, slow and deliberate. "Tell me, Captain. How long have you been looking for an excuse to get out?"

Locke exhaled. "This isn’t about me."

Lucas laughed. "Oh, but it is. See, I know your type. Loyal to a fault. Disciplined. Willing to get your hands dirty for the greater good." His smirk widened. "But the second you realize your ’greater good’ is just another set of chains, you start looking for an exit."

Locke’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t deny it.

Ava stepped in, voice sharp. "If you have something useful, say it."

Locke’s gaze flicked to her. "Angel isn’t acting alone. She’s answering to someone above her. Someone who isn’t military."

Lucas hummed, intrigued. "And you know this because...?"

Locke was silent for a moment. Then—"Because I was supposed to be part of it."

Ava’s breath stilled.

Lucas’s smirk didn’t fade, but something in his posture shifted.

"Ah," he murmured, golden eyes gleaming. "So they recruited you. And you said no."

Locke’s silence was answer enough.

Ava narrowed her eyes. "And now you’re warning us? Why?"

Locke met her gaze. "Because you’re already in the middle of it. Whether you realize it or not."

Ava’s pulse jumped.