Alina sat alone in her cramped apartment later that night, the dull glow of the streetlights flickering through the window. She'd returned from the Iron Fist Crew's hideout, and the weight of the night's work was starting to settle in. Blood was still fresh on her hands, figuratively and literally. But she couldn't stop. She couldn't feel the things she was supposed to feel — remorse, regret. Not anymore. The game was bigger than that now.
Her phone buzzed on the table in front of her, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was a message from Nix.
"You did good tonight. We'll move on Cole tomorrow. The West End's ours for the taking."
Alina stared at the screen for a moment, then set the phone down. She wasn't sure what to feel about this next step. It wasn't just about taking down Damian Cole anymore. Now it was about seizing power — and that came with its own set of dangers.
She took a long breath and stood, moving toward the small fridge in the corner of the room. There was barely anything in it — a bottle of water, some half-eaten takeout from earlier in the week, and a couple of energy drinks she had hoarded for nights like this. She grabbed one and cracked it open, the sharp hiss of the can breaking the silence.
She didn't have time to think too much about what had just happened, though. There was no room for doubt in this line of work. Every choice she made now would shape the future. And the future meant taking control of New Marseille — all of it.
The next morning, Alina met Nix and a few of his trusted men in a rundown office building on the edge of the West End. The building itself was in a prime location — high visibility, close to the main roads, and overlooking the busy streets below. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
Nix greeted her with his usual half-smirk, his eyes scanning her face before landing on the group of men gathered around a table. They looked rough — hardened, scarred. The kind of men who didn't hesitate to pull a trigger if you looked at them wrong. Alina didn't flinch. She had seen men like them before, and she was just as dangerous.
"Alina, these are our people for the day," Nix said, motioning toward the group. "We'll need everyone on the same page if we're going to pull this off."
She nodded and turned to face the men. "What's the plan?"
Nix stepped forward, placing a map of the West End on the table. He traced a line over the streets, pointing out key locations. "Damian Cole controls the majority of this area, but he's vulnerable. His supply routes are becoming predictable, and he's stretched thin. We hit him in two stages. First, we disrupt his supply chains. We knock out his smuggling routes, his shipments, and we make him feel the pressure."
Alina leaned forward, her eyes scanning the map as Nix continued. "And once we've got him on the defensive, we go for the heart — his operations. We hit his clubs, his gambling fronts, his rackets. We make it clear: the West End is ours."
Alina didn't say anything for a moment, considering the risks. Cole wasn't just some street-level thug; he had power. He had money, connections, and a reputation that stretched far beyond the West End. But Nix was right. If they played it right, they could cripple his operation.
"You think we can take him down with this?" she asked, her voice low but sharp.
"I know we can," Nix said, his tone unwavering. "But we need you on this. You're the one who can get in close, the one who knows how to do the work without leaving a trace."
Alina gave him a curt nod, her mind already working through the details of how she would approach this. Disrupting Cole's supply chains would take finesse, and it would require making precise moves at the right time. One wrong step, and it could all fall apart.
"You get me the intel," she said, looking directly at Nix, "and I'll make sure Cole feels it."
Nix smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I knew I could count on you."
The first strike was swift. Alina's team set up on the outskirts of the West End, strategically positioning themselves to intercept one of Cole's major smuggling shipments. They waited in silence, each of them on edge, knowing that a single mistake could tip the balance in their favor or doom them to failure.
Alina moved like a shadow, her footsteps muffled by the rain-soaked pavement. She had scouted the route days before, memorizing the flow of traffic and the movements of Cole's men. Tonight, everything was lined up perfectly.
The convoy arrived on schedule, a few trucks guarded by armed men. Alina's eyes locked onto the lead truck, where the most valuable shipments were likely hidden. She didn't hesitate. She signaled her team, and within moments, they moved in.
The first man didn't even see her coming. Alina was already behind him, her hands covering his mouth before he could shout. One swift motion, and he was out cold, his body slumping to the ground. She moved on to the next guard, quickly taking him out with a chokehold before turning to the others.
The rest of the crew was quick to follow her lead. They took down the remaining guards with ruthless precision, leaving the trucks open for inspection. Alina didn't waste time. She knew that Cole's men were good, but they weren't prepared for someone like her. They didn't expect this kind of sudden, brutal efficiency.
She glanced inside the truck's cargo hold, her eyes scanning the crates filled with illicit goods — weapons, cash, drugs, the usual. But one crate caught her attention. It was different. It wasn't filled with contraband. It was packed with high-end electronics, the kind of tech that was too valuable to be associated with street crime.
"Get it loaded," she ordered, turning to her men. "We're taking this with us."
Her mind raced. If Cole was moving something like this, it meant he was in bed with someone bigger. This wasn't just a simple smuggling ring. This was something more.
As the team secured the cargo, Alina's thoughts drifted back to the bigger picture. This was only the beginning.
Back at their base, Nix eyed the seized tech with interest. "What do you think this is?" he asked, clearly impressed.
"Doesn't matter," Alina replied, her voice cold. "What matters is who Cole's working with. Someone this big doesn't deal in petty goods."
Nix's smile faded. "You think he's bigger than we thought?"
"I know he is," Alina said, her eyes hardening. "And that means we need to be smarter. We can't just hit him with brute force. We need to take him apart from the inside."
Nix nodded. "Alright. We play this smart. I'll get you more intel. But remember — Cole's got eyes everywhere. If you want to take him down, you'll have to move fast."
Alina didn't respond right away. She was already thinking of the next move. She knew that Cole's time was running out. But she also knew that in this world, power didn't come easily. And taking it required sacrifices.