“Permission?” Tessana’s own voice was a brittle shard against the cavernous medical bay. The word hung, heavy with the implied threat of his colossal power, yet laced with a desperation that clawed at her own frayed composure. Her lungs burned with the effort of holding herself upright, her vision blurring at the edges. Ondrio, however, saw only defiance. His grip tightened, a bruising pressure that threatened to crack bone. “You think this is a negotiation?” he ground out, his gaze unwavering, dissecting her. “You think I will stand by and watch you crumble, after all this time?” He pulled her closer, his head shaking as if to dislodge an impossible thought. “My scientists are already sequencing your blood. Every lab, every algorithm, every medical breakthrough money can buy is now focused on you. You will live, Tessana. You will live for Tassio. And you will live because I command it.” The sheer audacity, the raw possessiveness of his declaration, might have been terrifying if it wasn’t for the tremor beneath his words, the deep, animalistic fear that belied his arrogant front. It was the fear of a man confronting an insurmountable loss. Tessana’s own anger flared, a defensive instinct against the pity she refused to accept. “You can’t just… command someone not to die, Ondrio. It doesn’t work that way. I’ve known this for months. I’ve made my peace.” “Your peace?” He let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh, a sound devoid of humor. “Your peace is a luxury you cannot afford when you have a son who needs you. When you have…” He stopped, his gaze dropping to her lips, then back to her eyes, a confession hanging raw between them. “When you have me.” Before Tessana could respond, a cool, modulated voice cut through the charged air. “Director Vallari, preliminary analysis of external attack vectors complete.” Ondrio’s head snapped up. His eyes, still blazing with a potent mix of fury and anguish, refocused on the source. The voice belonged to the bunker’s automated defense network, emanating from a sleek console embedded in the wall behind them. “Report,” Ondrio barked, releasing Tessana as if her touch suddenly burned him, yet he remained poised, ready to act. “The initial breach at the Istituto Magnate was enabled by a targeted pulse-jamming device, temporarily overwhelming the outer perimeter’s sonic dampeners,” the system stated, its synthetic tone devoid of inflection. “However, the subsequent pinpointing of Tassio Neri’s location within the Istituto, and then later in the penthouse, suggests a continuous, localized tracking beacon was employed. The sniper attack confirms this.” Tessana felt sweat bead along her nape. “How? We were… we moved so fast.” “Director Vallari’s personal security protocols are among the most advanced globally,” the terminal continued. “An external breach of our network at that level is statistically improbable without significant internal assistance. The only possibility is an implanted device that bypassed all conventional scanning.” Ondrio stared at the display, tendons standing rigid along his throat. “Scan for anomalies. Specifically, anything attached to Tassio’s person.” A low hum filled the bay. The console’s sensor ring glowed sapphire. Moments later, a faint, rhythmic *ping* echoed through the room, overlaying the hum. A three-dimensional holographic rendering of Tassio’s small jacket appeared in the air between them, shimmering with a tiny red dot located near the collar. “Localized bio-compatible micro-transmitter, self-powered, emitting a discrete signal on a non-standard frequency,” Cygnus reported. “Activated approximately twelve hours ago, coinciding with Nemiya Corsa’s arrival at the penthouse.” Tessana froze. Nemiya. Her best friend. The one person she trusted implicitly. Her stomach lurched with nauseating weight. “No,” she choked out, her voice barely a whisper. “It can’t be. Nemiya wouldn’t. She would never.” Ondrio’s expression hardened into a mask of pure granite. His eyes, though still clouded with a residual concern for Tessana, now held a dangerous, predatory glint. “Display Nemiya Corsa’s current location and status.” The holographic jacket vanished, replaced by a schematic of the bunker. A small, green icon marked Nemiya’s position within the auxiliary holding cells, where she had been placed for questioning after the initial security sweep. The word ‘DETAINED’ flashed beneath it. “Bring her to interrogation suite Gamma,” Ondrio commanded, his voice devoid of emotion. He turned to Tessana, his gaze piercing. “You’ll be present.” “Present?” Tessana’s voice was sharper than she intended. “I’ll do more than just be present. I’ll make her answer for this.” The thought of Nemiya, her steadfast, loyal Nemiya, committing such an act, twisted a knot of pain and fury in her chest. It was a betrayal far deeper than any bullet. Interrogation suite Gamma was stark, a single table and two chairs against a backdrop of brushed steel. Nemiya sat stiffly in one chair, her usual vibrant energy replaced by a pallor that made her look fragile. Her eyes, red-rimmed and swollen, flickered up as Tessana and Ondrio entered. Tessana’s heart fractured at the sight, but the anger immediately solidified it again. “Nemiya,” Tessana began, her voice tight, formal, nothing like the warm familiarity they usually shared. “Why?” Nemiya flinched, her gaze dropping to her clasped hands. “Tessana, I… I can tell you what happened.” Her voice was barely audible. “Tell me what?” Tessana advanced, her steps deliberate, each one fueling the growing fire within her. “How you put a tracker on my son? How you led the syndicate straight to Tassio? To *us*?” Nemiya finally looked up, tears spilling over her lashes. “They made me. They threatened… they have my sister. Rossa took her. He said if I didn’t… if I didn’t tell them where Tassio was, he’d… he’d kill her.” The confession struck like an iron bar. Betrayal, anger, but also a horrifying understanding. Nemiya’s younger sister was her whole world. “Elaria?” Tessana whispered, the name a raw plea. “He took your sister?” “Yes!” Nemiya cried, finally breaking. Tears streamed down her face. “He kidnapped her last week. He sent me proof. A photo… a video. He said he’d send her back in pieces if I didn’t cooperate. He knew you’d come to me. He knew I was your only confidante.” Tessana stared, her mind reeling. Her best friend, blackmailed into endangering her son. The cold, calculating cruelty of the cartel. Ondrio, silent beside her, radiated a dangerous stillness. “You could have told me,” Tessana finally said, her voice shaking with a fury that was now mixed with profound sorrow. “You could have told *us*. We could have found a way to help Elaria.” “How?” Nemiya sobbed, standing abruptly, her own desperation echoing Tessana’s. “How, Tessana? He watches my every move! He controls everything! If I went to you, he would have known, and she would be dead! He said he just wanted to monitor Tassio, to find out what he knew about his finances. He said he wouldn’t hurt him!” The last lie, the desperate justification, shattered Tessana’s remaining composure. Her hand shot out, a swift, open-palmed strike that connected sharply with Nemiya’s cheek. The sound cracked in the sterile room. Nemiya stumbled back, her hand flying to her face, a stunned gasp escaping her lips. “He tried to *kill* Tassio, Nemiya!” Tessana spat, stepping closer, her chest heaving. “A sniper, in the penthouse! He doesn’t want information, he wants Tassio silenced!” Nemiya recoiled, shaking her head violently. “No, he swore! He said… he said it was just a scare! A message to Ondrio! He said Tassio was just a diversion, that the real target was something else!” Her voice was a terrified wail now, her eyes wide and frantic. “He’s not after Tassio, Tessana! Not really! He’s using this… he’s using all of this to hijack Ondrio’s flagship cargo vessel tonight. He’s going to smuggle a stolen military EMP into Alta-Venza.”

The Judas Ping