The BMW humd quietly on the dark road. Ethan was listening, alert, his focus entirely on the man next to him. Jason, now impeccably dressed, took a slow, deep breath before starting his story. The new suit didn’t change the lethal gravity in his voice.
"You asked about my past, Boss," Jason began, looking straight ahead. "I won’t bore you with the military academy details. What you need to know is the na they gave after the training wheels ca off: Jason Carter. And later, the call sign: ’Dark Reaper.’"
Ethan leaned in slightly. "Dark Reaper? Sounds intense."
"It was," Jason confird, a hint of steel in his tone. "My official career started in the Iraq War. I wasn’t just a soldier, Boss. I was an annihilator. My specialty was termination—clean, absolute. I maintained a hundred percent effectiveness record. No loose ends. If I was sent to eliminate a target, the target stayed eliminated. The chaos, the sand, the desperation... it was where I perfected my trade. I was built for that kind of darkness."
[Jesus Christ!] the System whispered, suddenly sounding genuinely impressed. [He’s not a G.I. Joe. He’s the goddamn Terminator! This is why you hire veterans, Ethan!]
"When Iraq was winding down, my skills were needed elsewhere," Jason continued, his narrative seamless. "My handlers sent to places where governnts were weak and injustice ran rampant: Colombia, Venezuela. I wasn’t there to stabilize things. I was there to create change, violently if necessary. I built and trained multiple guerrilla forces from the ground up—turning farrs and students into disciplined, lethal units designed to fight back against the cartels and corrupt military regis. I taught them how to hurt, how to survive, and most importantly, how to win."
Ethan gripped the steering wheel tighter. "You trained armies. That explains why your moves felt... professional, back at the construction site."
"I retired after that mission," Jason said simply. "I was done with the bloodshed. I wanted quiet." He paused, his gaze fixed on a distant streetlight. "But fate had other plans. I was in the wrong place at the right ti. I saw your father, Mr. Blake, being ambushed—kidnapped. Seven heavily ard n. They were professionals, but they weren’t the Reaper."
"I neutralized all seven," Jason stated, his voice flat, emotionless. "Saved his life. Your father, being the man he was, insisted on hiring right away. He knew talent. He didn’t care about my past. I beca his Head of Security, running everything, ensuring his protection and the company’s integrity."
"He trusted you," Ethan noted.
"Absolutely. Until Vincent Halbert started poisoning the well. Halbert began systematically undermining , replacing my loyalists with his own rcenaries. He knew I was the biggest threat to his ambitions. When the final betrayal ca—the ambush where your father was killed—I was caught completely off guard. Halbert’s n were everywhere, and I couldn’t protect him."
Jason’s voice tightened with deep, visible sha. "I failed Mr. Blake. I had to run. Not as a hero, but as a dog."
Ethan looked quickly at Jason, seeing the controlled fury in his eyes. "If you’re so lethal, Jason, why didn’t you just kill Halbert when you saw the betrayal coming? Why run?"
Jason t his gaze, the new clothes suddenly looking like a uniform of command. "That’s a fair question, Boss. And the answer is simple: I can be an assassin, the most effective one, but I would never survive if the FBI, the entire US military, and the CIA decided to hunt . Once you kill a CEO like Halbert, a line is crossed. It’s not a guerrilla war anymore; it’s a national manhunt. I fled so I could survive, regroup, and prepare."
"How did you survive the last few months, looking the way you did?" Ethan asked.
Jason offered a dry, thin smile. "Survival is my art, Boss. Halbert’s people didn’t stop looking. Since I went underground, I’ve survived at least ten separate attempts on my life. Snipers, poison, hit-and-runs. The secret? You live where no one expects. You don’t get caught in the sa place twice. I lived on instincts, using the shadows, the tunnels, the forgotten corners of this city. Every ti they ca, they t a dead end. I beca the ghost, turning their resources against them until they thought I was just a rumour, just a bum."
[Ten attempts? That’s not a bum, Ethan. That’s a video ga protagonist on Hard Mode! Holy crap,] the System whispered, its voice slightly awed.
"I found you, Boss," Jason concluded, his expression settling into determination. "I found the son of the man I failed. I had two goals: revenge against Halbert for what he did to Mr. Blake, and reclaiming so dignity. Now that I have my first mission—and a second chance—I can get back to work."
Ethan nodded slowly, his face illuminated by the dim dashboard light. "Now I’m sure I found the perfect man for the job."
Jason straightened his shoulders, the new clothes instantly looking like armor. "I’m flattered, Boss. Don’t worry, I can handle everything. Security, intelligence gathering, personnel training. Even if we have to go to open war, as long as we have enough weapons and resources, I promise you we won’t lose."
An uncomfortable silence filled the car. Jason took a mont to formulate his next thought, his tone shifting from loyalty to cold professional counsel.
"However... if you want my most sincere opinion," Jason continued, his voice lower. "Setting aside my own unrealistic desires for revenge... I hope you consider fleeing the country, Boss. If we travel to Colombia, I have a couple of guerrilla units that could help us. Or if we manage to go to Venezuela, the current head was one of my boys. I trained him personally. I’m certain he would give us imdiate aid."
"I know he’s currently at odds with our governnt, but we are no longer part of the governnt. It would be a strong place, Boss, a good place to arm ourselves and prepare for a war that, believe , will be very bloody."
The car continued to roll down the street, Jason’s proposal hanging heavy between them: a high-risk exile and the promise of a global conflict. Ethan did not respond imdiately, letting the weight of Jason’s words settle in the silence.
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