C419 We All Have To Decide

Hammer left the coaches resting when he travelled alone to the military base. The security system I had installed alerted us before the car reached the main entrance. A small signal appeared on the monitor in front of me, followed by Hammer's vehicle identification. "We have company," I said. Bighead looked up from where he was sitting. "Company?" "Hammer." Chipmunk immediately stood. "At this hour?" We had just finished dinner, and everyone was still gathered around the common area. Some of us were tired from training, while others were resting. Cipher looked toward me. "What does he want this late?" "Nothing yet."

A few minutes later, the entrance opened and Hammer walked inside. The moment he entered, he looked around the room. "Lions." Everyone turned toward him. Cipher stepped forward. "Hammer." He nodded before looking at each of us. "I think we have a problem." The words immediately changed the mood. Bighead placed his drink aside. "What kind of problem?" Hammer looked toward Kiddo. "Kiddo, how is your shoulder?" Kiddo briefly touched the injured area. "Getting better." Hammer nodded. "You had better make sure it does." Kiddo frowned slightly. "Why?" Hammer glanced at the others before answering. "Your family caused enough trouble last month when you disappeared without their permission. I do not want them discovering that you were involved in a shooting as well." Kiddo froze. For a second, nobody spoke. Her family already believed she had left without permission. If they learned that she had been shot during training, they would almost certainly demand answers. Kiddo slowly nodded. "I understand."

Hammer then turned toward Alicia. "Cipher, I have information." Cipher's expression became serious. "What happened?" "Hanna has returned to the army." Cipher raised an eyebrow. "Already?" "Yes. She could be preparing something larger, so you need to remain ready for anything." Cipher nodded. "That's much better." Hammer's expression remained firm. "Do not underestimate her simply because she left." "I won't." Hammer then looked toward the rest of us. "There is another issue." The room became silent. He took a breath. "Your father was attacked this afternoon." My stomach tightened. "What?" Hammer looked directly at Cipher. "He was chased by armed men and managed to escape. He believes they were Willy Harris's men." Everyone froze. For a moment, I could not process what he had said.

Mark was the police minister. He was not an easy target, and Willy knew exactly who he was. If Harris family soldiers had attacked him, then something had changed. I looked at Bighead. He was already staring at me. Chipmunk's expression became tense. Cipher remained still, but I could see the concern in her eyes. "Why would they chase my father?" she finally asked. Hammer paused. "That is what we are trying to understand." I stepped forward. "Did they say anything? Did they mention Cipher?" Hammer shook his head. "No. Mark survived the attack before the police arrived. The men scattered through the forest." Bighead frowned. "Then why does everyone think this is connected to us?" Hammer looked toward Cipher. "Because the timing is suspicious. The Harris family has been quiet for a month. Then, suddenly, they attack your father." Cipher folded her arms. "That does not happen without a reason." "No," Hammer agreed.

The room grew quieter. I could feel the tension spreading among us. For the past month, we had trained under the assumption that our enemies were unaware of our location. We had accepted the kidnapping story as a temporary shield. But if Willy had started questioning it, that shield could disappear at any moment. Hammer continued. "Boss believes Hanna may have somehow informed them." Cipher immediately shook her head. "I don't think Hanna did." Hammer looked at her. "Why?" "If Hanna had told Willy where we were, they would not have attacked my father first. They would have come directly here." Bighead nodded. "That makes sense. If they already knew our location, there would be no reason to waste time chasing Mark." Chipmunk looked toward Hammer. "Unless the attack was meant to distract everyone." Hammer considered her words. "That is possible. But we have no evidence."

Cipher remained thoughtful. "If Hannah wanted Gold and Diamond, she would want to prove that she could take it from me. She would not need Willy's help." Kiddo looked uneasy. "So that means Willy is acting on his own?" Hammer slowly nodded. "That is one possibility." No one spoke. The thought of Willy discovering the truth was more dangerous than any ordinary attack. He was no longer searching for a missing family. He would be searching for people who had deliberately deceived him. I looked at Cipher. She seemed calm, but I knew her well enough to recognize the change in her expression. "What happens now?" I asked. Hammer's eyes moved across the room. "That is the question." He paused before continuing. "You cannot have two dangerous enemies coming after you at the same time. Hanna is one problem. Willy Harris is another." Bighead shook his head. "We already knew they were dangerous." Hammer's expression hardened. "You knew they were dangerous when you were hidden. Now you are their target." The words settled heavily over us.

Hammer looked at each of us. "You already understand what it means to take a life. Training has taught you how to survive, but survival also requires decisions." He turned toward Cipher. "Now you have to decide which enemy you eliminate first." Everyone froze. The fire outside crackled faintly in the distance, but nobody moved. I looked at Bighead. Bighead looked at Chipmunk. Chipmunk glanced toward Survivor, Kiddo, Pixel, and Silver. Slowly, all of us turned toward Cipher. She stood at the centre of the room, her expression unreadable. For the first time since we had arrived at the military base, the decision before us was no longer about training. It was about war. Cipher looked around at all of us. Then her eyes stopped on Hammer. "Why me?" Her voice was quiet, but firm. "We all have to decide."