al ghost, their most reliable weapon. No firewall could stop me, no encryption could hold me, I moved through the global network like a pha

side my chest, had only one

my senior, a brilliant strategist with eyes that held the cold, distant light of a dying star. She was a single mother to an eight-year-ol

offering, hoping one day she would see me, not just the asset, but the man. She never did, she alw

ssion that would

nglomerate, Thorne Industries. Their demand was simple, almost elegant in its cruelty. M

no choic

rector had said, his face grim. "It's to

le as her," I answe

de my decision. I walked into the med-bay and h

ordered. "The on

terface directly with my neural implants and rip Ghost from my mind. The proces

ssolved into blackness. I was sacrificing my greatest creation, a part of my very soul, f

Ghost used to be. But Sarah was safe. That's all that mattered. I pulled on my clothes and made my way b

an's low chuckle and Sarah's familiar, melodic laugh. A wave of relief washed over me.

e froze

's lead bio-engineer. His hands were on her waist, and he was leaning in, their faces just inches

with a casual dismissiveness th

ot his big mo

in, a sound that

' ve never seen anyone so desperate for validation! If he wasn

sefulness just paid off big time for us. Thorne has Ghost, and

. "A lonely, love-sick puppy. You just have to pat hi

g the five-year-long fantasy I had built my life around. My sacrifice wasn't a heroic gesture, it was the punchline to a jok

was the

. The strength left my legs, and I staggered back, my hand hitt

arah' s expression shifted from amusement to annoyance when s

her voice clipped,

code for her, every time I brought Lily her favorite ice cream, every hopeful look I gave Sarah that was met

ble to breathe. My vision started to blur at the edges, dark spots dancing

rt attack," Ben said, a note of

rld fading to black for the second time in twenty-four hours. My last conscio

-