First Contact

First Contact
Iris POV

"Run!" Alex shouted, grabbing my hand.
The warehouse exploded behind us as we burst through the side door.
Heat and smoke chased us into the alley. Debris rained down like deadly hail.
"How did she find us?" I gasped, coughing.
"Cameras. Trackers. She's been watching us the whole time."
Dad and the others were right behind us, diving for cover as another explosion rocked the building.
"Everyone okay?" Marcus called out.
"Define okay," Elena muttered, bleeding from a cut on her forehead.
Ian helped her up. "We need to move. Now."
"Where?" Dad asked. "She knows every location we have."
"Not every location," Enzo said, appearing from around the corner. "I have one place she doesn't know about."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because I built it after she supposedly died. Come on. My car is two blocks away."
We ran through dark alleys, always listening for footsteps behind us.
My lungs burned. My shoulder ached where the bullet had grazed me earlier.
But I kept running.
We piled into three cars and drove in different directions to confuse anyone following.
Twenty minutes later, we regrouped at an old factory that looked abandoned.
"This is your secret hideout?" Marcus asked doubtfully.
"Looks can deceive," Enzo replied, pressing a hidden panel.
A door slid open, revealing stairs going down.
Underground, the factory was completely different. Clean. Modern. Filled with equipment.
"When did you build this?" Alex asked.
"Ten years ago. After the war with the Russians. I knew someday I'd need a place even my closest allies didn't know about."
"Smart," Dad admitted grudgingly.
"Paranoid," Enzo corrected. "But in our world, they're the same thing."
We gathered around a table covered with maps and computer screens.
"Okay," Alex said. "Let's figure out our next move."
"First move is obvious," Dad said. "We evacuate the bomb locations."
"Can't. It'll cause mass panic and tip off Victoria's mother that we're onto her."
"So we just let thousands of people die?"
"No. We find her first. Cut off the head, and the body dies."
"That's not how organizations work, Torrino. She'll have backup plans."
"Then we better move fast."
They glared at each other across the table.
"Stop," I said quietly.
Both men looked at me.
"We don't have time for this. Whatever issues you two have, put them aside. People are dying because we're fighting each other instead of the real enemy."
"Your daughter's smart," Enzo said.
"She gets it from me," Dad replied.
"Debatable," Alex muttered.
I wanted to scream. But instead, I focused on the screens showing the bomb countdown.
Two hours left.
"Natasha," I said suddenly. "We still need her. She can control the bombs."
"How do we contact her?" Marcus asked. "Last time, she attacked us."
"Last time, she was under Grandma's control. Now she's trying to break free."
"You believe that?"
"I have to. Because without her, we're out of options."
Ian stepped forward. "I can try reaching her. Through our psychic connection."
"That's dangerous," Elena warned. "If your grandmother is monitoring—"
"Then she already knows everything we're planning anyway. Might as well take the risk."
Ian sat down and closed his eyes. I took his hand, lending him my strength.
Together, we reached out across the city with our minds.
Searching for Natasha's unique presence.
We found her in an old church basement, hiding and scared.
"Sister?" I called with my thoughts.
Her response came back weak and frightened. "Iris? Help me. She's in my head. I can't fight her much longer."
"Where are you?"
She showed me images. A church with a broken steeple. Near the river.
"We're coming. Hold on."
Ian and I opened our eyes.
"She's at St. Michael's Church. East side," I said.
"That's enemy territory," Marco warned. "The Castellanos control that area."
"Then we go in fast and hard," Alex said. "Get Natasha and get out."
"We?" Dad asked. "You mean me and my people, or you and your criminals?"
"I mean all of us. Together."
"I don't work with criminals."
"You do now. Unless you want your daughter to die."
They stared at each other. Years of hatred crackling between them.
"Fine," Dad said finally. "But if you double-cross me—"
"I won't. For once in twenty years, we want the same thing."
We split into two teams. Dad, Marcus, and Elena in one. Alex, Enzo, Marco, and me in the other. Ian stayed behind to monitor communications.
The drive to St. Michael's took fifteen minutes through empty streets.
The city felt different at night. Dangerous. Like it was holding its breath.
"You okay?" Alex asked me quietly.
"No. But I'm functional."
"That's all we need right now."
We parked a block away and approached on foot.
The church looked abandoned. Windows broken. Doors hanging off hinges.
"I don't like this," Marcus whispered through our earpieces.
"Neither do I," Alex replied. "But we don't have a choice."
We entered through different doors, converging on the basement.
Natasha was there, tied to a chair, looking terrible.
"It's a trap," she gasped when she saw us.
"What?"
"Run! She's here! She's—"
Lights blazed on, blinding us.
When my eyes adjusted, I saw her.
Grandma Kane stood in the corner, smiling.
And she wasn't alone.
Twenty armed men surrounded us, weapons raised.
"Hello, children," Grandma said sweetly. "So nice of you all to come together. Saved me the trouble of hunting you separately."
"Let Natasha go," I demanded.
"Oh, I will. Right after you surrender."
"We're not surrendering."
"Then your friends die. Starting with dear old Dad."
She pointed at Robert, and one of her men pressed a gun to his head.
"Don't," Dad said. "Don't give in because of me."
"How touching," Grandma mocked. "The father willing to die for his daughter. But Iris, here's the thing. I don't need him. I only need you."
"Then let everyone else go."
"I don't think so. You see, this isn't just about you anymore. This is about sending a message to every gifted bloodline in the world."
"What message?"
"That I'm in charge. That anyone who defies me dies. Starting with the Kane and Torrino families."
Alex stepped in front of me. "You'll have to go through me first."
"Gladly." Grandma raised her hand.
Half the guns swung toward Alex.
"Wait!" I shouted. "I'll do it. I'll surrender. Just let them go."
"Iris, no," Alex said.
"It's the only way."
"There's always another way."
"Not this time."
I stepped forward, hands raised.
Grandma smiled. "Smart girl. Just like your mother."
"Leave Mom out of this."
"Why? She's the one who taught me how to play this game. Before I had to kill her, of course."
The words hit me like lightning. "What?"
"Oh, didn't you know? Victoria isn't really your mother. She's your aunt. Your real mother was my other daughter. The one who tried to stop my plans."
"You're lying."
"Am I? Ask Elena. She was there when it happened."
I looked at Elena, who wouldn't meet my eyes.
"Elena?"
"It's true," she whispered. "Your real mother tried to expose everything twenty years ago. Your grandmother had her killed and covered it up."
My world tilted sideways.
"So Victoria raised you thinking she was your mother. Convenient, wasn't it?"
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I want you to understand. Family means nothing to me. Power means everything. And you, my dear, are the most powerful piece on the board."
She walked closer.
"Now. You're coming with me. We're going to unlock every bit of your potential. And then we're going to reshape the world."
"I'd rather die."
"That can be arranged too. But first, you'll watch everyone you love die. Starting now."
She nodded to her men.
Guns fired.
But not at us.
At the ceiling.
Explosives planted above us detonated.
The whole building started coming down.
"Run!" Dad screamed.
We scattered, diving for exits as concrete and steel crashed around us.
I lost sight of Alex in the chaos.
"Alex!"
No answer.
Dust and smoke filled my lungs. I couldn't see. Couldn't breathe.
Someone grabbed my arm.
It was Natasha, free from her ropes.
"This way!" she shouted.
We ran through a side corridor as the building collapsed behind us.
Outside, we burst into cold air.
I looked around frantically. "Where's Alex? Where's my father?"
"I don't know. The building—"
Another explosion cut her off.
St. Michael's Church imploded completely, becoming a pile of rubble.
"No," I whispered. "No, no, no."
I ran toward the ruins, but Natasha held me back.
"You can't! It's not safe!"
"They're in there! Alex is in there!"
I struggled against her grip, tears streaming down my face.
Then I felt it.
A presence in my mind. Weak but definitely there.
"Alex?"
"I'm alive," his thoughts came back faintly. "Trapped. Can't move."
"Where?"
"Under the altar. Dad and Marcus are with me. But Iris, there's something else."
"What?"
"Your grandmother planted more explosives. The whole block is rigged. She's going to level it in five minutes unless you surrender."
"How do you know?"
"Because she just told us. Through speakers hidden in the rubble. She's giving you one last chance."
I looked at the ruins. At the countdown timer that appeared on a nearby screen.
4:47... 4:46... 4:45...
"What do I do?" I asked Natasha.
"You run. You save yourself."
"I can't leave them."
"Then you die with them."
"Maybe that's better than living knowing I could have saved them."
I walked toward the rubble pile.
Grandma's voice echoed from speakers. "Smart choice, Iris. Come to the center of the ruins. I'll tell you where they are."
"How do I know you won't just kill me?"
"You don't. But it's the only chance they have."
I climbed over broken concrete and twisted metal.
In the center, a small opening led down to what used to be the basement.
"Jump down," Grandma's voice commanded. "And Iris? Come alone. If Natasha follows you, everyone dies instantly."
I looked back at Natasha.
"Don't do this," she pleaded.
"I have to."
"She'll kill you anyway."
"Maybe. But at least I tried."
I jumped down into darkness.
Landing hurt. I felt something crack in my ankle.
But I pushed forward, crawling through narrow spaces toward where I felt Alex's mind.
"I'm coming," I told him.
"Don't. It's a trap."
"I know. But I love you too much to leave you."
Finally, I found them. Alex, Dad, and Marcus trapped under a fallen beam.
"Iris, thank God," Dad gasped.
"Can you move?"
"Not without help. The beam is too heavy."
I tried to lift it. My hands bled, and my muscles screamed.
But it wouldn't budge.
"Use your gift," Alex said. "Use our connection. Together we're stronger."
I took his hand and reached out with my mind.
Connected to his power.
Together, we lifted the beam.
Just an inch.
But enough for them to crawl free.
"Go," I said. "Get out of here."
"Not without you," Alex replied.
"There's no time. She's going to blow this whole block."
"Then we all go together."
We stumbled toward the exit, supporting each other.
Almost there.
Almost free.
That's when Grandma appeared, blocking our path.
"Going somewhere?"
She raised a remote with a red button.
"One more step, and everyone on this block dies. Thousands of people. All because you couldn't follow simple instructions."
We froze.
"Now then," Grandma said. "Let's try this again. Iris, you come with me. Everyone else can live. Or we all die together in the next thirty seconds. Your choice."
The countdown on her remote started.
30... 29... 28...
I looked at Alex. At Dad. At Marcus.
At all the innocent people living on this block who had no idea they were about to die.
"Okay," I said. "I'll go with you."
"Iris, no," Alex begged.
"I have to."
"There has to be another way."
"There isn't. Not this time."
I stepped toward Grandma.
She smiled. "Smart girl."
That's when Ian's voice filled my head. "Iris, listen carefully. I found a way to stop her. But you have to trust me."
"What way?"
"Remember what you did to Natasha's collars? Do the same to her remote. Disrupt the signal."
"I don't know if I can."
"You have to try. Twenty seconds left."
I looked at the remote in Grandma's hand.
Focused every bit of power I had on it.
Pushed with everything I had.
The remote sparked.
Smoked.
Grandma looked down at it, confused.
"What did you—"
It exploded in her hand.
She screamed, dropping it.
"Run!" Dad shouted.
We ran for the exit as the countdown continued without the remote to stop it.
10... 9... 8...
We burst outside just as the final seconds ticked away.
But nothing happened.
No explosion.
"Ian?" I called with my mind. "What did you do?"
"I didn't just disrupt the remote. I shut down all the bombs. Every single one. Took all my power, but I did it."
Relief flooded through me.
Then I saw Grandma emerge from the ruins, her hand burned and bloody.
"You think you've won?" she snarled. "This isn't over. I have armies. Resources. I'll hunt you forever."
"No," said a new voice. "You won't."
Mom—Victoria—stepped out of the shadows, holding a gun.
"Hello, Mother. Time we finished this."