January 2, 2026 – Chicago Safe House (The Hideout)Time: 06:00
The crackling television screen showed the faces of the Mayor of Chicago and the FBI Regional Director. The men looked furious.
"This terrorist attack on Chicago Police is an attack on American democracy,"said the FBI director."A 'shoot on sight' order has been issued for Luca D'Angelo and fugitive Michael Hale. Federal units have secured every entrance to the city."
Ivy slammed her laptop down on the table. "Way to go, Michael. You've officially turned this fucking city into a 'GTA' map. Now it's not just Luca's dogs after us, but every federal agent with his uncle's badge. Chicago is now the world's biggest prison."
Michael didn't respond. He had disassembled the gun in his hand and was meticulously cleaning each part. His fingers moved across the metal like a surgeon's scalpel. As Ivy watched him, Michael's silence and focus fueled a strange desire within her.
"Michael... Aren't you afraid at all?" Ivy asked, softening her voice.
Michael paused. Themetallic soundof the gun's slide being pulled back transported him back to years ago, to that cold winter morning.
FLASHBACK: 2012 – Illinois Countryside (Private Shooting Range)
Seventeen-year-old Michael trembled as he aimed the heavy pistol at the target. His father, Richard Hale, stood directly behind him, whispering in an icy voice.
"Don't hold your breath, Michael. If you pull the trigger out of necessity, you'll miss the target. You must pull the trigger as the only way to survive."
"Dad, I want to be a doctor," said young Michael, his eyes welling up. "Why do I have to learn these weapons, these tactics? Why are you dragging me to these 'survival camps'?"
Richard Hale gripped his son's shoulder like a claw. "Because wearing a badge in Chicago means painting a target on your back. The D'Angelos, the Burkes... They'll find you one day. When I'm gone, if all you have is a stethoscope, they'll tear you apart. To stop a monster, you need to know how it thinks, how it shoots. Now... Fire again. If that bullet doesn't hit the target right in the heart, there's no dinner tonight."
Michael clenched his teeth. He hated his father that day. But when he sent that bullet to the heart, he felt something inside him break forever, replaced by cold metal.
PRESENT DAY
Michael slid the magazine back into the gun in one swift motion. "Fear only serves a purpose in that last second when you realize you're going to die, Ivy," Michael said, looking into Ivy's eyes. "Until that second, it's just weakness."
Ivy couldn't stand Michael's icy stare and took a step toward him. When the distance between them closed, Ivy reached out and touched a scar on Michael's cheek. "You... You really are human, aren't you? Or did your father program you to be a machine?"
Michael gently but firmly pushed Ivy's hand away. "My father programmed me to survive, Ivy. And to survive, we need to get out of this federal blockade of Chicago right now. Luca and Asher framed me for the security breach, making me the 'most wanted terrorist'. Now, while the FBI sweeps the streets, they'll be fleeing with their fortunes in the background."
"So what are we going to do?" Ivy asked.
"We're going to break the rules of the game," Michael said. "If the FBI believes I'm a terrorist, I'll show them what a real terrorist can do. But my target isn't civilians; it's the heart of that corrupt system Luca has taken refuge in."
Just then, sirens and the whir of helicopter blades began to sound outside the safe house.
"They found us!" Ivy shouted, looking out the window in panic.
Michael put on his hat and zipped up his coat. "No, they haven't found us. They're sweeping the city neighborhood by neighborhood. Natalia... I need to reach Natalia. She's my only ticket out."
Michael turned to Ivy. He saw the mixture of fear and admiration in Ivy's eyes, but said nothing. "We're going out the back door. If we get separated, call the number the Alchemist gave you. You have no other choice."
As they ran toward the minibus, a massive spotlight swept over them in the Chicago sky. The city couldn't breathe anymore. This city, the heart of America, was clogging its own veins to catch one man.