A New Name

The rain had stopped before dawn.

Mist drifted through the forest as Ethan emerged onto an empty road several kilometers from Blackstone Prison. His clothes were soaked, his muscles ached, and every sound made him glance over his shoulder.

Freedom felt strange.

For three years, walls and iron bars had defined his world. Now the open sky stretched above him, but he knew he wasn't truly free. The Circle would never stop hunting him.

He opened Victor's backpack again.

The passport caught his attention.

Name: Daniel Cross.

Nationality: British.

The photograph was his, but everything else belonged to someone who didn't exist.

Victor had planned this long before the prison escape.

Beneath the passport was a folded piece of paper.

Safe House 17. Riverside District. Locker Code: 1947. Burn this note after reading.

Ethan memorized every word before setting the paper alight with a lighter from the backpack. The ashes disappeared into the morning breeze.

By sunset, he reached the Riverside District, a forgotten industrial area where abandoned warehouses lined the riverbank.

Warehouse 17 looked deserted.

Broken windows.

Rusted doors.

Peeling paint.

Exactly the kind of place no one would think to search.

He entered cautiously.

Nothing.

Just dust and silence.

Then he spotted a steel locker hidden behind old wooden crates.

He entered the code.

1947.

The lock clicked open.

Inside were neatly arranged clothes, several stacks of cash, a laptop, a compact pistol with two loaded magazines, and a handwritten letter.

His hands trembled as he unfolded it.

"Ethan,"

"If you're reading this, then my fears became reality."

"The Circle has destroyed another innocent life."

"Trust no one too quickly. Their influence reaches the police, the courts, the government, and even the media."

"The notebook contains only part of the truth. The laptop holds the rest."

"The password is your mother's birthday."

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect your family."

—Victor Harrington.

Ethan closed his eyes.

Even after death, Victor was still guiding him.

He turned on the laptop.

The password worked instantly.

Hundreds of files appeared on the screen.

Financial records.

Photographs.

Secret recordings.

Property documents.

Hidden bank accounts.

Then one folder caught his attention.

PROJECT PHOENIX

Inside were surveillance photos of his father meeting with journalists, lawyers, and investigators.

The final photograph froze Ethan in place.

His father was shaking hands with Detective Marcus Hale.

"The detective..." Ethan whispered.

"He wasn't just the man who arrested me."

"He knew my father."

His heart pounded.

Marcus Hale had lied from the very beginning.

A video file sat beneath the photographs.

Ethan pressed play.

The screen flickered to life.

His father appeared.

He looked exhausted.

"If you're watching this, Ethan... then I failed."

"I uncovered an organization known as The Circle."

"They control politicians, judges, businessmen... anyone willing to sell their conscience."

"I collected enough evidence to destroy them."

His father paused, looking directly into the camera.

"But someone betrayed me."

"They're closer than I ever imagined."

"If I disappear... promise me one thing."

"Don't seek revenge."

"Seek the truth."

The recording ended.

Ethan stared silently at the black screen.

His father's final wish echoed in his mind.

Don't seek revenge.

Seek the truth.

But after everything they had taken from him...

Could he do that?

Suddenly—

A sharp beep came from the laptop.

Someone was trying to access the system remotely.

The screen flashed red.

UNAUTHORIZED LOGIN DETECTED.

Ethan yanked the internet cable free.

Too late.

A hidden webcam switched on by itself.

Someone had seen him.

He grabbed the laptop and sprinted toward the warehouse exit.

Outside, a black SUV screeched to a stop.

Four armed men stepped out.

None wore uniforms.

One of them smiled coldly.

"So... Ethan Cole is alive."

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

"My name is Daniel Cross."

The man laughed.

"You can change your name."

"You can change your face."

"But you'll never escape The Circle."

He raised his weapon.

"Kill him."

Gunfire shattered the silence.

Ethan dove behind a concrete pillar as bullets ripped through the warehouse wall.

His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

He had escaped prison.

Now the real war had begun.

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