Chapter Three: The Ghost of the Past

Scene One — The Name That Was Buried

Maintenance Tunnel Exit — Metro Station — Night

The elegant man stood beneath the faint glow of a yellow streetlamp as snowflakes drifted around him.

His smile was calm...

Yet strangely irritating.

He looked directly at Soukania.

Man: “Welcome... Captain Nova.”

Silence.

Adam slowly turned toward Soukania.

Adam: “Captain... Nova?”

She didn't answer.

Her eyes remained fixed on the man.

She took a step forward.

Soukania: “Who sent you?”

The man smiled.

Man: “You still prefer asking questions instead of answering them.”

Her voice turned cold.

Soukania: “This is the last time I'll ask.”

He gave a quiet laugh.

Then he reached into his coat and pulled out an old wristwatch.

He placed it carefully on a nearby concrete wall.

Soukania froze.

For the first time, Adam noticed her fingers trembling.

Adam: “Do you know that watch?”

She said nothing.

The man stepped closer to it and gently tapped the watch with his finger.

Man: “Your father used to wear it all the time.”

Soukania's eyes widened.

Soukania: “...That's impossible.”

Man: “Is it?”

He took out his phone.

With a single tap, he opened a video.

Then he turned the screen toward her.

The video lasted only five seconds.

A man in his sixties sat with his hands bound, staring directly into the camera.

His face looked exhausted.

But Soukania recognized him instantly.

Her voice trembled for the first time since the beginning of their ordeal.

Soukania: “Dad...”

Adam instinctively reached for the phone.

But the man quickly pulled it away.

Man: “The file you're looking for... isn't important.”

He paused.

Then continued:

Man: “What's important is that your father is still alive.”

At that exact moment—

A powerful explosion echoed from the end of the street.

All three turned toward the sound.

The man used the distraction.

And disappeared.

Adam immediately ran to the corner.

Nothing.

No one.

He returned to Soukania.

She was still staring at the spot where the man had been standing.

Slowly, she lowered her head.

Her voice was barely audible.

Soukania: “If my father is alive... then everything I've believed for the past seven years was a lie.”

Before Adam could answer, her phone vibrated.

A new message had arrived.

> “Don't tell the police... and don't trust anyone.”

Beneath the message was a photograph of Adam.

It had been taken only minutes earlier.

---

Scene Two — The White Chase

Back Street Behind the Metro Station — Night

Soukania slowly lowered her phone.

The photograph was still displayed on the screen.

Adam looked around.

Adam: “If that picture was taken just now... then they're watching us from somewhere nearby.”

Soukania didn't answer.

She was scanning the rooftops surrounding them.

Then she whispered:

Soukania: “Not one person...”

She paused.

Soukania: “There are several.”

At that exact moment, the sound of footsteps running across the roof of the building opposite them reached her ears.

She looked up.

Three men dressed in black were jumping from one rooftop to another.

Soukania's voice sharpened.

Soukania: “Run!”

Adam didn't ask why.

They sprinted through the narrow alleys as the snowfall grew heavier.

One of the pursuers pulled out a small communication device.

Man: “The targets are heading north... Don't let them reach the bridge.”

Adam caught part of the transmission.

Adam: “Sounds like they have a plan.”

Soukania kept running.

Soukania: “Then we'll ruin it.”

They turned onto a wider street.

But—

Soukania suddenly stopped.

A large black truck had stopped in the middle of the road.

Four armed men jumped out.

Behind them, another black car blocked the way they had come.

Adam looked left.

Then right.

Adam: “We're trapped.”

A small smile appeared on Soukania's face.

It was the first truly confident smile she had shown that night.

Soukania: “I don't like easy roads.”

She removed her heavy coat and tossed it to Adam.

Then she pointed toward a metal ladder attached to the side of a building.

Soukania: “Climb.”

Adam stared at her.

Adam: “And you?”

She stepped toward the armed men.

Soukania: “I'll catch up.”

The leader raised his gun.

Leader: “The game is over, Captain Nova.”

Soukania's expression remained calm.

Soukania: “You just don't know the rules.”

Before he could pull the trigger—

She kicked the lid of a metal dumpster with all her strength.

The lid flew upward and slammed into the gunman's arm.

The shot went harmlessly into the sky.

At the same moment, Adam climbed the ladder and leaped onto one of the men.

Soukania engaged two others.

Snow flew beneath their feet as punches echoed through the narrow alley.

Adam delivered a powerful blow to the last attacker—

Then he heard Soukania scream for the first time.

Soukania: “Adam... watch out!”

He turned.

A red laser dot was fixed directly over his chest.

A sniper.

---

Scene Three — The Sniper

Adam froze.

The red dot from the sniper's scope remained perfectly still on his chest.

He had less than a second.

Soukania screamed:

Soukania: “Adam! Move!”

The shot rang out.

But before the bullet could reach him, Soukania threw herself at him with all her strength.

She slammed into Adam, knocking him to the ground.

The bullet passed directly over them and shattered the glass front of a nearby shop.

Fragments rained across the street.

They rolled through the snow until they reached the cover of a parked car.

Adam was breathing heavily.

He looked at Soukania.

Adam: “I think I owe you my life... for the second time.”

She kept her eyes on the rooftops.

Soukania: “Don't start counting.”

Another shot struck the car.

Metal fragments scattered from the impact.

Adam glanced toward the rooftop.

Adam: “Looks like a professional sniper.”

Soukania nodded.

Soukania: “Which means he won't stay in one place for long.”

She pulled a small folding mirror from her pocket.

Adam stared at it.

Adam: “Are you going to fix your makeup?”

She shot him a sharp look.

Soukania: “I'm going to find out where he's hiding.”

She carefully raised the mirror above the car.

A bullet instantly tore through it, shattering the glass.

Soukania smiled faintly.

Adam stared at the broken mirror.

Adam: “Why are you smiling? He just broke it.”

Soukania: “Because he just gave away his position.”

She pointed toward an old building across the street.

On the fifth floor—

A brief reflection of the sniper's scope flashed in the darkness.

Adam picked up a small stone and threw it in the opposite direction.

The moment the sniper turned toward the sound—

Adam and Soukania ran.

Adam shoved metal barriers out of their way with sheer strength while Soukania guided him through the narrow alleys she seemed to know remarkably well.

They reached the building entrance.

Then rushed upstairs.

First floor.

Second.

Third.

Their breathing mixed with the sound of footsteps above them.

The sniper was escaping across the rooftop.

Adam: “He's running!”

Soukania shook her head.

Soukania: “No... He's leading us somewhere.”

Adam stopped.

Adam: “You mean this whole thing is a trap?”

Before she could answer—

The fourth-floor door exploded inward.

Two masked men emerged carrying electric batons.

Man: “Get them!”

Adam charged the first attacker.

The man struck his shoulder with the baton, but Adam grabbed his arm and hurled him violently against the wall.

At the same time, Soukania faced the second man.

He tried to grab her.

She spun around, drove her elbow into his chest, then kicked his legs out from beneath him.

He crashed onto the floor.

Silence.

But it didn't last long.

They reached the rooftop.

The sniper was gone.

There was only a black bag sitting in the middle of the roof.

Adam cautiously approached it.

Soukania's voice immediately stopped him.

Soukania: “Don't touch it.”

Adam noticed a piece of paper attached to the top of the bag.

He read it aloud.

> “If you want the truth... open the bag.”

He looked at Soukania.

She looked back at him.

Then slowly reached toward the bag.

---

Scene Four — The Black Bag

Rooftop — Night

Adam and Soukania stood before the black bag.

The cold wind swept across the rooftop as snow accumulated on its leather surface.

The only sound was the distant whistle of a train.

Adam approached cautiously.

Adam: “If it's rigged with explosives...”

Soukania interrupted him as she pulled a small device from her pocket.

Adam looked at it in surprise.

Adam: “What's that?”

Soukania: “An explosive detector.”

He smiled.

Adam: “You carry some strange things.”

Without looking up, she answered:

Soukania: “That's why I'm still alive.”

She slowly passed the device over the bag.

The screen remained silent.

No explosives.

Soukania took a deep breath.

Then opened the bag.

But—

There was no money.

No weapons.

No documents.

Inside was an old doll resembling the one stolen from the shop.

Except this doll's dress was torn, and burn marks covered its face.

Beneath the doll was a sealed white envelope.

Soukania picked up the envelope while Adam lifted the doll.

Something caught his attention.

Adam: “This doll...”

He held it up toward the light.

Adam: “It's not just old.”

He turned it over.

A message had been carved into the wood on its back.

> “To Nova... If you find this doll, trust no one.”

A chill ran through Soukania.

She whispered:

Soukania: “That's my father's handwriting...”

Adam opened the envelope.

Inside was an old photograph.

Soukania stepped closer.

And the moment she saw it—

She froze.

Four people stood in front of a military cargo plane.

The first was her father.

The second was an unfamiliar man.

The third was a woman she had never seen before.

And the fourth...

Was a young boy who couldn't have been more than twelve years old.

Adam stared at the photograph for several seconds.

Then his eyes widened.

Adam: “...That's impossible.”

Soukania looked at him.

Soukania: “What?”

He pointed at the boy.

His voice dropped to a whisper.

Adam: “That's me...”

Silence.

Soukania stared at the photograph again.

Then at Adam.

Then back at the photograph.

Soukania: “But... how?”

Before either of them could process what they were seeing—

A faint metallic click came from inside the bag.

Soukania's head snapped toward it.

A tiny red light had begun blinking.

Her eyes widened.

Soukania: “Get away!”

---

Scene Five — The Trap

Soukania stared at the blinking red light inside the bag.

She immediately crouched down and pulled out a small electronic device, no larger than a coin.

She examined it for several seconds.

Then released a short breath.

Adam stared at her.

Adam: “A bomb?”

She shook her head.

Soukania: “Worse.”

His eyebrows rose.

Adam: “Worse than a bomb?”

She smashed the device against a nearby stone.

Soukania: “A tracker.”

Silence.

Adam finally understood.

Adam: “So they know where we are now.”

Soukania looked at him.

Soukania: “They've known where we are since the moment we touched the bag.”

Before she could finish—

The roar of engines filled the sky.

Adam looked up.

A drone equipped with a camera was hovering above the building, slowly circling the rooftop.

Adam stared at it.

Adam: “Is this their new trick?”

Soukania drew her gun.

One shot.

The bullet struck the drone.

It crashed onto the rooftop, scattering pieces across the snow.

But before its lights went out completely—

The elegant man's voice came through its speaker.

Man: “Well done, Captain Nova... You're still as fast as you used to be.”

Adam stared at the damaged drone.

The voice continued.

Man: “But your speed won't save your father this time.”

Soukania clenched her fist.

The man continued:

Man: “Tomorrow... eight o'clock in the evening... Warehouse 17 at the Port of Saint Petersburg.”

A brief pause.

Then his voice became slower.

Man: “Come alone... or you'll never see your father alive again.”

The recording ended.

Heavy silence settled over the rooftop.

Adam looked at Soukania.

She stared at the remains of the drone without blinking.

Adam: “You're not going alone.”

She answered without looking at him.

Soukania: “If you come with me... he'll die.”

Adam stepped closer.

Adam: “And if you go alone... you might not come back.”

For the first time, Soukania lowered her head.

She looked torn between her desperate need to save her father and her fear of dragging Adam deeper into the danger.

Then she spoke softly.

Soukania: “I don't want to lose someone else because of me.”

Adam stared at her for a long moment.

Then, despite the danger surrounding them, he gave her his familiar smile.

Adam: “I think you still haven't understood something about boxers...”

Soukania raised her head.

Adam's expression softened.

Adam: “We don't walk away from a fight... especially when there's someone we care about in it.”

She stared at him silently.

For once, she had no answer.

At that exact moment, Adam's phone vibrated.

A message from an unknown number.

He opened it.

A live photograph of the front of his home appeared on the screen.

His older brother, Victor, stood at the gate, completely unaware that someone was watching him from inside a black car.

Beneath the photograph was a single sentence:

> “Your family is next.”

Adam's expression changed completely.

The fight was no longer just about Soukania.

It had become his war too.

End of Chapter Three