C504 Heavy Price

Pixel remained silent for another several seconds after she tried to speak, her eyes moving between Cipher and the rest of us. She looked as though she were searching for the right words, but whatever she wanted to say seemed too painful to put into words. Finally, she nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “I have avenged my father. I killed Hanna’s father.” The words settled over the tent like a heavy cloud. Pixel lowered her head. “I promised my father that I would do it. I told myself that if the opportunity ever came, I would make sure the person responsible for taking him away from me paid for it. And I kept that promise.” She paused, struggling to hold back her tears. “I’m sorry, Cipher. I betrayed you. You can kill me if you have to but Silver is innocent.” For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Bighead let out a short laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. “Wow! Just like that?” He looked at Pixel with raised eyebrows. “Wait a minute. How did you even manage to do it?” Cipher turned towards him, her expression changing immediately. “Bighead, I don't see anything funny here.” His smile disappeared. “Pixel has just admitted to killing a member of the Gupta family, and you’re laughing?” Cipher continued. “Do you understand what that means?”

Bighead raised both hands defensively. “I’m not laughing, Cipher. I’m surprised by what she managed to pull off. That’s all.” “Then perhaps you should learn when to keep your surprise to yourself.” The sharpness in Cipher’s voice silenced him. She turned back to Pixel. “You betrayed me, Pixel. You went behind my back, made a decision that could affect every single person in this tent, and carried it out without telling me.” Her voice trembled slightly. “I want to know why.” Before Pixel could answer, Survivor moved towards Silver. “Silver, tell us what happened. You were with her, weren't you?” Silver glanced at Pixel, but neither of them answered. Pixel finally lifted her head. “Cipher, I became a Lion because I wanted to be strong.” Her voice was quiet, but there was something firm beneath it. “I wanted to be strong enough to protect the people I love. I wanted to protect you, too. I believed that if I stood beside you, you would stand beside me when I needed you. I believed that we were more than a team, that we were a family.” She took a shaky breath. “But look at what happened to me.” Her eyes filled with tears again. “The person I loved most was taken away from me. My father was killed, and I was left with nothing but the memories of the life we shared. I watched everyone else move forward while I was still trapped in that moment, trying to understand how I was supposed to live without him.” “And what did I ask for?” she continued. “I wanted to avenge him. I wanted the person responsible to suffer for what she had done. But you kept telling me that we shouldn't rush, that we had to be patient, that we needed to think about the consequences.”

She looked directly at Cipher. “I understood why you said those things. I really did. But I couldn't understand why my pain had to wait.” Cipher's expression hardened, although she said nothing. “You avenged your mother's death,” Pixel continued. “Now we're preparing to avenge your son's death. We're building plans, gathering intelligence, and preparing to go after the people who hurt you. And I have stood beside you through all of it.” Her voice broke. “But what about me, Cipher? When was it going to be my turn?” I could feel the tension rising around us. Pixel wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Hanna didn't come after me. She went after my father. She took away the one person who had always been there for me, and I couldn't live with the thought that she would simply walk away from it. This is exactly what will make her think that she is untouchable.” She swallowed hard. “A father for a father. That's what I told myself. If Hanna could take my father from me, then I could take hers from her.” She looked down at the ground. “I know it was wrong to go behind your back. I know I should have told you. But I couldn't keep waiting for permission to do something I had already promised my father I would do.”

For a moment, the only sound in the tent was the faint rustling of the canvas above us. Then Chipmunk approached Pixel and wrapped her arms around her. “Pixel, don't cry.” Pixel stood stiffly at first, but eventually leaned into the embrace. “We're Lions,” Chipmunk whispered. “We're supposed to be strong. But that doesn't mean we have to carry everything alone.” Pixel closed her eyes, allowing herself a brief moment of comfort. When she finally pulled away, she looked at Cipher again. “Let me ask you something, and please answer me honestly.” Cipher folded her arms. “Go ahead.” “If I had come to you and asked for permission to kill Samson, would you have allowed me to do it?” Cipher opened her mouth, but Pixel continued before she could answer. “Or you would have told me to wait like you did before? Wouldn't you have said that we needed more information, that we couldn't act emotionally, that we had to consider the consequences?” She paused. “And if Samson wasn't your grandfather's older brother, would you have hesitated for so long to give me an answer?”

The question struck harder than anything. Cipher stared at her. She seemed unable to find a response. I knew my wife well enough to recognize that silence. Cipher was a woman who could make decisions under pressure, face armed enemies without flinching, and carry responsibilities that would crush most people. But Pixel had forced her to confront something she could not solve with a strategy or a weapon. Was she being fair to her people? Or had her own family ties influenced the way she made decisions? Survivor finally stepped between them. “Pixel, I don't blame you for wanting revenge,” she said carefully. “After everything you've been through, I understand why you reached this point. But Cipher isn't the only person who could be hurt by your decision.” She glanced around the tent. “We're at war. Our enemies are watching us, and the Gupta family has enough power to make life difficult for every person here. If they discover that one of us killed Samson, this won't remain a personal matter between Cipher and Hanna. It could become a war involving all of us.”

She looked from Pixel to Cipher. “Neither of you is completely wrong about how you feel. But we can't allow this to destroy us from within. We're already facing enough enemies outside these walls.” Survivor turned back to Pixel. “Now, please, tell us everything. How did you do it?” I moved towards Cipher and gently took her hand. “Wife, come down,” I said quietly. “Take a breath. We're going to find a way to deal with this together.” She looked at me, but the worry in her eyes remained. “Grandpa called me,” she said. “He asked if I had done it.” I tightened my grip on her hand. “He may have been asking because he suspected something.” “That's what frightens me.” She pulled her hand away and began pacing. “He told me that Samson had been killed, and he wanted to know whether I was responsible. He said he needed to know so he could protect me.” She stopped in front of us. “What happens when he discovers the truth? What happens when the family starts investigating? Everyone knows that Samson and I are related. They'll naturally look at me, especially if they believe I had a reason to hurt him.” She shook her head. “And if I say I did it to my grandfather and then later he finds out that I knew nothing about it, he'll have every reason to question whether I can control the people under my command.” Nobody had an answer.

Cipher looked around the tent, her eyes eventually settling on Pixel. “Pixel, I need you to tell me exactly what you did. Not just why you did it. I need every detail.” Pixel nodded slowly. “I understand.” “I need to know whether you left any evidence behind. Did anyone see you? Were there cameras? Did you use a vehicle that could be traced? Did you contact anyone who might connect you to the killing?” Pixel glanced at Silver. “We thought about those things.” “Thinking about them isn't enough,” Cipher replied. “I need to know what actually happened.” She took a breath before continuing. “As for disobeying a direct order and acting without informing your leader, we'll deal with that separately. I haven't forgotten what you've done, Pixel. Understanding your reasons doesn't mean there won't be consequences.” Pixel lowered her eyes. “I understand.” For several seconds, she remained quiet, gathering her thoughts. Then she finally began to explain. “The decision to kill Samson was made when I volunteered to go with Silver to fetch Trojan Horse. Bighead's eyes widened. “Wait. You had already decided to kill him before you even left?”

Pixel nodded. “I had been thinking about it for a long time. I knew that if I waited for someone else to give me permission, I might never get the chance. But I also knew I couldn't do it alone.” She turned towards Silver. “So I asked her on our way there to help me.” Silver stepped forward, no longer willing to remain silent. “And I agreed.” Bighead looked between them, then slowly shook his head. “Heee! So this wasn't just a spontaneous decision. You two actually planned the whole thing?” “No, I planned it and then ask Silver to help.” Pixel answered. Bighead leaned back, looking almost impressed despite the seriousness of the situation. “I don't even know what to say.” “Then don't say anything,” Cipher replied sharply. Bighead immediately closed his mouth. Pixel took another breath. “There's something else you should know. Silver and I are together.” Bighead's mouth fell open. “Heee!” he exclaimed again, looking from one woman to the other. “I knew it! I knew there was something going on between you two!” Survivor gave him an unimpressed look. “Bighead, can you please focus? A man is dead, Cipher is facing a crisis, and you're celebrating because your suspicion about two people has turned out to be correct?” “I'm not celebrating,” he protested. “I'm just saying I knew it.” “Then you can say it later.”

He muttered something under his breath, but thankfully remained quiet. Cipher, however, didn't seem interested in their relationship at that moment. “Continue, Pixel.” Pixel nodded. “I knew I needed a way to contact Samson without revealing my identity. I couldn't simply approach him and expect to get close enough to carry out my plan. He was a member of the Gupta family, and there was no guarantee I would even get near him.” She paused. “Then I remembered that I might be able to use Hanna's voice.” I frowned. “How?” “I managed to find a recording of her voice, using Trojan Horse. Once I had it, I needed a way to make my own voice sound like hers. That's when I approached you, Mike.” I stared at her. “Me?” She nodded. “I asked you how voice-changing software worked. You explained it to me and helped me install a voice changer on my phone.” For a moment, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Then the pieces began falling into place.

The questions Pixel had asked me. Her interest in the software. The way she had listened carefully while I explained how it worked. I had thought she was simply curious about the technology. I had never imagined she was preparing to use it to impersonate Hanna and lure a man to his death. I looked at her in disbelief. “Pixel, you didn't think to tell me what you intended to do with it?” “No.” I took a step towards her, struggling to contain my frustration. “You realize that you have implicated me in this, don't you? You asked me for technical assistance without telling me what you were planning. If the investigation leads back to the software or your phone, my involvement could become part of the questions people ask.” “I know, Cracker. I'm sorry.” “Sorry?” I repeated. “Pixel, I helped you because you're one of us. I trusted you. If you'd told me the truth, at least I would have understood the risk you were asking me to take.” “I couldn't tell you,” she said, her voice trembling. “If I told you, you might have tried to stop me.” I stared at her. She wasn't wrong. I probably would have. And that was precisely why she had kept me in the dark.

Pixel continued before I could respond. “Once I had the voice changer working, I used it to call Samson. I made the call sound as though it was coming from Hanna. I told him that I wanted to meet him.” “Did he question you?” Survivor asked. “Not enough to stop him from agreeing. I told him the call might be traced, so I couldn't speak for long. I asked him to meet me at a particular location, and he agreed.” Cipher's eyes narrowed. “You impersonated Hanna well enough to convince him to leave the safety of his residence?” “Yes.” “And you were certain it was Samson who would arrive?” Pixel nodded. “Silver and I waited for him. We chose a location where we believed we could remain hidden. I had a rifle with me, and when his vehicle arrived, I took the shot.” She swallowed. “One shot. I hit him in the head. His car lost control and crashed into a tree.” The tent fell silent. Even Bighead had nothing to say. Pixel's hands trembled as she continued. “We left immediately. As far as we knew, nobody saw us, and we didn't notice any cameras in the area. We drove back to the border and didn't speak about it on the way.”

Cipher studied her face. “You said you didn't notice any cameras. That isn't the same as knowing there weren't any.” “I know,” Pixel replied. “That's why I'm telling you everything. I don't want you to make decisions based on assumptions.” Cipher's expression softened slightly, not with forgiveness, but with recognition that Pixel was finally giving her the information she needed. I, however, was still struggling with what I had heard. “You used the software I helped you install to impersonate Hanna, lure Samson out, and kill him,” I said slowly. Pixel nodded. “Yes.” I rubbed a hand over my face. “Do you understand what this means for all of us?” Pixel looked at me, her eyes red. “Cracker, I know I put you in a difficult position. I know I betrayed Cipher's trust, and I know that my actions could have consequences for the entire team.” Her voice became steadier. “But I have avenged my father. That is the one thing I can say without hesitation.” She wiped away another tear. “I will accept whatever punishment you decide. If you want to remove me from the Lions, I'll accept it. If you want to imprison me, I'll accept it. Even if the punishment costs me my life, I won't regret keeping the promise I made to my father.”