A cocky black belt filmed himself mocking a sixty-three-year-old's gray hair, completely oblivious to the military elite combat tattoo on the old man's arm.

The remaining two enforcers instantly reached beneath their coats, their hands clearing the holsters of concealed sidearms.

"Draw them and die," Thomas said, his voice flat, absolute, and devoid of fear.

From the dark tree line behind the SUVs, a sudden, high-pitched mechanical whine cut through the forest. A crimson laser dot appeared precisely in the center of Victor Vancevic’s forehead, painting a sharp, shimmering circle of blood-red light against his pale skin. A fraction of a second later, two more red dots snapped onto the chests of the armed men holding their weapons.

Nobody moved. The clearing fell into a petrified, breathless silence so deep that the running water of Mill Creek sounded like a roaring waterfall.

Victor’s eyes widened, his cigar dropping from his fingers into the mud. "What... what is this?"

Thomas didn't look at the trees. He knew who was out there.

From the black darkness of the hemlock grove, a tall, shadowy figure stepped forward into the edge of the clearing. He was dressed in full, modern sterile reconnaissance gear—no badges, no flags, no identifiable insignia—holding a suppressed tactical carbine leveled at low-ready. Behind him, the faint crunch of specialized combat boots suggested at least half a dozen more operators holding an impenetrable perimeter around the property.

The lead operator lowered his weapon slightly and looked up at the porch, his voice crackling with radio static through an encrypted headset.

"Sergeant Major Vance," the operator spoke with crisp, absolute authority. "The viral video you generated this morning didn't just reach sports promoters. It triggered an alert flag on an active Department of Defense intercept server."

Tyler Brooks collapsed back against the front of his car, his mind shattering under the realization of what he had truly unleashed.

The operator stepped further into the light, ignoring Victor and his men as if they were nothing more than insects.

"Sir," the operator said to Thomas. "The team you left behind thirty years ago has been compromised. The people who hunted them across the border just identified you from that footage. They know where you live. And they're already twenty minutes out."