The timer continued to count down.
09:41... 09:40... 09:39...
No one moved.
The command room was silent except for the soft hum of computers.
Volkov watched them with complete confidence.
"This," he said, "is what separates us."
Emily kept her pistol trained on him.
"No."
"It separates you from humanity."
Volkov only smiled.
"We'll see."
Walker studied the security monitors.
"They're trapped in four different sectors."
Luca's expression darkened.
"We can't reach them all in time."
Gabriel looked from the screens to Victoria.
"What do we do?"
Victoria took a slow breath.
For years, every decision she had made had been about power.
This one wasn't.
She looked at Emily.
"We save them."
Emily nodded immediately.
"I agree."
Volkov laughed quietly.
"I knew you would."
"You've both become predictable."
Walker turned toward the team.
"Luca, you're with me. Get the civilians out."
"Gabriel, find Father Michael."
Emily looked at Victoria.
"And us?"
Victoria smiled faintly.
"We stop Volkov from escaping."
As the others disappeared into the maze of corridors, Volkov slowly backed toward another reinforced door.
"I expected you to choose each other."
Victoria took a step forward.
"We did."
"We're choosing innocent people."
For the first time, Volkov's expression hardened.
He hadn't expected that answer.
Suddenly, the lights went out again.
Darkness swallowed the room.
A second later, emergency lighting flickered back to life.
Volkov was gone.
A hidden passage behind the command console stood open.
Emily looked at Victoria.
"He planned this."
Victoria nodded.
"He always has an escape."
"Not this time."
Together, they ran into the tunnel.
The passage led to an enormous underground train platform.
An old subway station that had been converted into a private escape route.
At the far end, an armored train waited with its engines already running.
Volkov calmly walked toward it.
He didn't look back.
He knew they were following.
Emily shouted,
"Volkov!"
He stopped.
Slowly turned.
"You've done well."
"But every empire needs someone willing to become the villain."
Victoria raised her weapon.
"You chose that."
"No."
"The world chose it for me."
Before anyone could react, Richard Hayes stepped from behind one of the pillars.
His pistol was aimed directly at Emily.
"Drop your weapons."
Emily stared at him.
"So it really was you."
Hayes didn't smile.
"I believed in justice."
"The Bureau buried the truth."
Volkov offered him a nod of approval.
"You've served your purpose."
Hayes looked briefly toward him.
It was the last mistake he ever made.
A single shot echoed across the platform.
Hayes froze.
Blood spread across his jacket.
He slowly looked down in disbelief.
Volkov lowered a silenced pistol.
"You..."
Hayes whispered.
Volkov's face remained emotionless.
"I don't leave witnesses."
Hayes collapsed onto the platform.
Gone.
Emily stared in shock.
"He killed his own ally."
Victoria answered quietly,
"He doesn't have allies."
"Only tools."
Volkov boarded the train.
The doors began to close.
Emily and Victoria sprinted forward.
Victoria reached the closing doors first, forcing one open with all her strength despite the pain in her injured arm.
Emily slipped through beside her.
The train lurched into motion.
Behind them, the platform disappeared into darkness.
Ahead...
Only Volkov remained.
He stood at the other end of the carriage, calm as ever.
He slowly removed his gloves.
"I've been waiting for this."
Victoria stepped beside Emily.
"So have we."
The train accelerated deeper beneath New York.
There was nowhere left to run.
For the first time since the beginning of their story...
Hunter and hunted were trapped together.
And only one side would leave the train victorious.