Rhythm Street, Citadel City.
Night.
The narrow alley was quiet compared to the livelier streets nearby.
Music still drifted faintly through the buildings.
A guitar somewhere.
A bass line from an underground club.
Laughter from a rooftop bar.
Rhythm Street was famous for never completely sleeping.
But this particular alley was almost empty.
A man walked alone, hands inside his jacket pockets.
He wasn’t in a hurry.
There was no reason to be.
As far as the world was concerned, the man walking through the alley had been dead for years.
A figure approached from the opposite direction.
A hooded woman.
She slowed as they came closer.
"Excuse me."
The man stopped.
He looked at her cautiously.
The woman smiled politely.
"Sir, could you tell me the time?"
The man’s suspicion eased slightly.
He lifted his wrist.
"Sure."
He glanced toward his watch.
That was when something lightly pricked the back of his neck.
His eyes widened.
He immediately turned.
Too late.
His balance disappeared.
"What..."
His knees weakened.
The woman caught him before he could fall face-first onto the pavement.
Two men emerged from the darkness almost immediately.
One took the unconscious man’s weight.
Another checked the alley.
"Clear."
The woman stepped back and watched as they carried him toward a waiting vehicle.
She smiled.
"It’s actually fun."
One of the agents looked toward her.
"What is?"
"Abducting dead people."
The agent stared.
She shrugged.
"Technically, we’re not breaking any law."
"He’s already dead."
The man shook his head.
"That’s not how the law works."
She pointed toward the disappearing vehicle.
"One down."
Then raised three fingers.
"Three more."
She turned.
"Let’s go."
The team disappeared back into Rhythm Street.
And within seconds...
The alley returned to normal.
...
Pearl Villa.
The following morning.
Miles stood near the large windows of his study.
His phone was against his ear.
Morning sunlight filled the room, but there was no relaxation in his expression.
The call had connected only moments earlier.
"Grandpa."
Timothy’s voice came through.
"Yes, son?"
Miles remained silent for a second.
Then asked,
"Do you want to tell me something?"
Timothy paused.
"What do you mean?"
Miles looked outside.
"I thought you wanted to spend some time in Citadel."
"With the family."
"With Grandpa Gordon."
"Visit the estate."
"See old relatives."
Timothy said nothing.
Miles continued,
"But now..."
"I suddenly feel like you were trapped here with us."
"You woke up and decided there were things you had to finish yourself."
Timothy’s breathing changed slightly.
Miles lowered his voice.
"Do you not trust your grandson at all?"
"Miles..."
"We lost you for decades, Grandpa."
His voice remained calm, but Timothy could hear what was underneath it.
"We don’t want to lose you again."
There was silence.
Then Timothy sighed.
"What can I say?"
Miles waited.
"I feel conflicted too, son."
Timothy sounded tired.
"It’s not that I don’t want to rely on you."
"I know what you’re capable of."
"I’ve seen enough since waking up to understand that."
He paused.
"But there are things..."
His voice became quieter.
"...that I never wanted to involve my family in."
Miles’ expression hardened.
Timothy continued,
"And judging by your voice..."
"You already know what I’m talking about."
Miles turned away from the window.
"Then tell me."
Timothy remained silent.
Miles continued,
"Because whatever you were trying to handle quietly..."
"It’s already out of your hands."
That caught Timothy’s attention.
"What happened?"
"Bjorn is involved."
Silence.
Timothy’s expression on the other end changed instantly.
Miles continued,
"And his people were watching you at Rhythm Street last night."
"What?"
Timothy’s voice became sharp.
Miles closed his eyes.
"Do you understand now?"
Timothy said nothing.
"You wanted to keep this away from your family."
Miles walked slowly across the room.
"You wanted to protect everyone by carrying it yourself."
"But instead..."
"You walked directly into a place where WEB already had eyes."
Timothy’s voice became heavy.
"I didn’t know."
"I know."
Miles stopped.
"But that’s exactly the problem."
His tone became firmer.
"In this business, Grandpa..."
"You never reveal your weakness."
"Especially not to an enemy you haven’t dealt with yet."
Timothy was silent for a long time.
Then,
"What did I do..."
There was genuine regret in his voice.
"I was stupid."
Miles’ expression softened.
"No."
Timothy didn’t respond.
Miles continued,
"You were trying to fix something."
"That’s different."
"But now..."
"Let us handle it."
Timothy remained quiet.
Miles smiled faintly.
"Just a few minutes ago..."
"Hope and Asher were asking when you’re coming home."
That silenced Timothy differently.
"They miss you."
Miles looked toward the hallway.
"We all do."
His voice softened further.
"Please, Grandpa."
"Let me do the hard work."
"You’ve already done enough."
Timothy breathed slowly.
Miles continued,
"I promise you something."
"We will never take away your freedom."
"No one will lock you inside a house."
"No one will tell you where you can and cannot go."
"But..."
"Rely on us."
"At least a little more."
For several seconds...
Neither spoke.
Then Timothy finally sighed.
"I understand."
Miles waited.
Timothy gave a faint laugh.
"It’s strange."
"What?"
"I slept for so many years."
Timothy looked around the old Sterling Estate.
"Sometimes..."
"I forget I’m not that young anymore."
Miles smiled slightly.
Timothy continued,
"My mind remembers the man I was."
"The one who could simply walk somewhere and handle things himself."
"But the world changed while I was asleep."
He paused.
"And perhaps..."
"I have responsibilities as a grandfather now too."
Miles smiled.
"That’s a big responsibility."
Timothy laughed softly.
"Yes."
Then his voice became serious.
"Thank you for reminding me."
Miles remained quiet.
Timothy continued,
"I’ll tell you everything."
Miles’ expression sharpened.
"Everything?"
"Everything."
A pause.
"It begins with my father."
Miles became completely silent.
"Your great-grandfather."
Timothy’s voice lowered.
"Listen carefully, son."
...
Star Harbor Convention Center.
Sterling Launchpad was already in full motion.
By the second day, the Convention Center felt completely different from its usual corporate atmosphere.
Lecture halls remained occupied throughout the morning.
Presentation screens displayed startup models.
Mentors moved between groups.
School students sat beside experienced founders.
University teams debated business strategies with people twice their age.
Workshops were happening on multiple floors at once.
Some focused on technology.
Others on branding.
There were even lighter sessions built around games and practical activities.
Food stations remained open between schedules.
Refreshments were available throughout the venue.
Participants moved from one activity to another without having to leave the Convention Center.
And online...
Sterling Launchpad had become a phenomenon.
Short clips from the opening ceremony had already spread across social media.
President Maxwell’s message.
Nicholas Abbott’s appearance.
School students meeting major executives.
Independent founders speaking with industry leaders.
People who had missed applications were already filling comment sections.
When is Launchpad Two?
Open registrations again.
Please make this annual.
I missed this one.
When is the next Sterling Launchpad?
Sterling Business Media covered selected moments throughout the day.
Some sessions went live.
Others were edited into short clips.
The focus remained on the participants rather than celebrities.
Tonight would be different.
The learning sessions would finish earlier.
A music night had been scheduled inside the Convention Center.
A popular band managed by Reaper Entertainment would perform.
The preparations had been completed weeks earlier.
After long days of lectures, workshops and team exercises...
Participants were being given a chance to relax.
Music.
Food.
Open networking.
The Foundation wanted them to talk to people they might otherwise never approach.
Because sometimes...
A friendship created over food could become a partnership years later.
A random conversation could solve a problem.
A school student could inspire an experienced founder.
The public saw Sterling Launchpad running smoothly.
And it was.
But beneath that smooth surface...
Sterling Security was watching something entirely different.
...
Inside a secured operations system...
The cyber team monitored activity coming through the Convention Center’s internal network.
Every session NULL opened.
Every database he touched.
Every page he viewed.
Every unexplained query.
They had already confirmed one thing.
NULL had accepted Ghost’s job.
He was waiting for Miles Sterling to appear.
But that wasn’t the only reason he had entered Launchpad.
He was still working for whoever originally hired him.
And the cyber team could see traces of that work.
They didn’t know the final objective yet.
But they were allowing him to continue.
Carefully.
Every movement watched.
Every change recorded.
Every door silently controlled from the other side.
And Charles continued feeding those updates directly to Miles.
...
Meanwhile...
Two other people were moving toward Citadel.
Aerin.
And Ren.
To anyone watching...
They weren’t members of the Ancient Warrior Order.
And Aerin certainly wasn’t Aerin.
She was Thea.
WEB’s Princess.
Ren accompanied her under another identity as her assistant.
Their objective was simple in words.
Follow Bjorn’s instructions.
Reach Citadel.
But another problem was already waiting.
Rhythm Street.
And the mistake made by Miles’ great-grandfather decades ago.
A mistake Timothy had carried for thirty-two years.
...
Miles standing at his office near the window a phone in his hand.
The call rang only twice.
"Hello?"
Miles smiled slightly.
"Busy?"
"Not really."
"Where are you?"
"Soul Tower."
Chloe sighed.
"The Launchpad is going smoothly."
"The Foundation team practically pushed me out."
Miles smiled.
"Good."
"They told me to take rest."
"And where is your rest?"
Chloe became quiet.
Miles waited.
Then,
"It was boring."
He laughed.
"I knew it."
Chloe defended herself.
"Everyone is working."
"Hope and Asher are at school."
"Home was completely quiet."
"So you came to work."
"Yes."
Miles shook his head.
"Understandable."
Chloe smiled.
Then her tone changed.
"Tell me."
"What?"
"You didn’t call just to ask where I am."
Miles raised an eyebrow.
"Something related to work?"
He laughed softly.
"Maybe."
"I knew it."
Miles walked toward the desk.
"Do we still have room at Launchpad for an international guest?"
Chloe thought.
"Official schedule is already full."
Miles waited.
"But..."
She continued,
"We can make space."
"Who is coming?"
"Not coming."
Miles smiled.
"We’re inviting her."
Chloe became curious.
"Okay."
Miles continued,
"Send a formal invitation to Nora Connor."
There was a pause.
"The former CEO of Connor Group?"
"Yes."
Chloe’s voice brightened.
"You mean Great-Aunt Nora?"
Miles smiled.
"You remember her?"
Chloe sounded offended.
"What do you think, Mr. Sterling?"
Miles laughed.
Chloe continued,
"She’s the woman who gave us that mountain property."
"How would I forget her?"
Miles smiled.
"Stupid question."
"Very stupid."
"Alright."
He leaned against the desk.
"Send the invitation."
"Of course."
Chloe sounded genuinely happy now.
"I actually want to meet her again."
Miles nodded.
"Me too."
There was a pause.
Then Chloe made a small sound.
"Hmm."
Miles narrowed his eyes.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
"That wasn’t nothing."
Chloe remained quiet.
Miles smiled.
"What?"
"You good?"
He stopped smiling.
"Yeah."
"You seemed lost last night."
Miles leaned back.
"I’m fine."
"Really?"
"Really."
Chloe remained unconvinced.
Miles sighed.
"Why do you always think something is troubling me?"
"Wife instinct, I guess."
Miles chuckled.
"That’s convenient."
"Very."
Miles smiled.
"Take some rest."
Chloe immediately replied,
"You too."
"Don’t overwork."
"You first."
Miles laughed.
Then his voice softened.
"Love you."
Chloe became quiet for half a second.
Then whispered,
"Love you too."
Miles smiled.
The call ended.
He stared at Chloe’s name on the screen for a moment.
Then opened another contact.
Charles.
The response came instantly.
"Boss."
Miles heard the urgency.
"You were about to call me."
"Yes."
Miles’ expression became serious again.
"You found the location?"
Charles sighed.
"Not quite."
Miles frowned.
"What’s stopping you?"
"It’s heavily secured."
"Digitally?"
"Mostly."
Charles continued,
"We can break pieces."
"But it will take time."
"And honestly..."
"We need more people."
Miles became thoughtful.
"More people in the cyber team?"
"Yes."
"People at a higher level."
Miles slowly smiled.
Charles immediately became suspicious.
"Boss?"
"We need a black hat."
Charles became quiet.
Miles continued,
"Fortunately..."
"There’s already one inside the city."
Charles almost laughed.
"NULL."
"Exactly."
There was a short silence.
Then Charles asked,
"You’re thinking about hiring him permanently?"
Miles smiled.
"Maybe."
Charles laughed quietly.
"But there is one problem."
"What?"
"He won’t work for Miles Sterling."
Charles understood immediately.
Miles continued,
"But..."
"He’ll work for Ghost."
Charles slowly smiled.
"For life?"
Miles’ smile widened.
"For life."
Charles sighed.
"Poor guy doesn’t know his career has already been decided."
Miles ignored that.
"We stop him tomorrow."
Charles became serious.
"Tomorrow?"
"Before he pushes that script into the Convention Center server."
Charles understood.
"So we pull him out of Launchpad."
"Yes."
Miles continued,
"But first..."
"I want tonight."
Charles listened.
"Distract him."
"Keep NULL away from where he’s staying for a few hours."
Charles smiled.
"How many?"
"Enough."
Miles looked toward one of the reports on his desk.
"Most Launchpad participants will be resting after music night."
"I want NULL occupied somewhere else."
Charles asked,
"And while he’s gone?"
Miles’ expression changed.
"I’ll visit the students personally."
There was silence.
Then Charles slowly smirked.
"I understand, Boss."