Marcus “Tex” Alvarez had been stuck in Seattle longer than he’d ever wanted. The rain came down in relentless sheets, soaking the streets as it always did. He’d traded the open skies of Texas for high-tech towers and AR neon, where the glow of ads and corporate messages blinked only through augmented reality lenses. But he didn’t have those on. To Tex, the city was just cold, gray, and miserable—much like his life since he’d lost his job.
Fired from Lone Star, divorced, and drowning in the dirty work that kept him just above the water, Tex had been sliding further into the shadows with each passing year. Seattle was no home, but it was the only place he could still get work. Not the kind of work he’d brag about either—shadowrunning jobs, where the less you knew, the better.
It was on one of these dark nights that his commlink buzzed. Lt. Jenna Pierce. Tex had tried to forget about Constellation 5 and everything that had happened since, but some things had a way of resurfacing. He hadn’t spoken to Pierce in months, but now she was here again, in his life, with a simple message:
“We need to meet. It’s happening again.”
Tex found her in the corner of a seedy downtown bar, a glass of something strong in front of her. She was younger than him, sharper and still holding on to her edge. She didn’t look like she belonged in a place like this, but then again, neither did Tex.
“You look like hell,” Pierce greeted him as he sat down.
“Can’t say the same about you,” Tex muttered as he slid into the seat across from her, taking in her unflinching composure.
Pierce didn’t smile. She just pushed a slim, encrypted drive across the table. “You’ll want to see this.”
Tex plugged it into his commlink, scanning the data as Pierce watched him carefully. With each line he read, Tex’s gut twisted. Solaris. A solar array designed to capture energy and magic-infused rays from the sun. It was a big-ticket project, one that the megacorps were fighting over tooth and nail.
“What’s Kirkland got to do with this?” Tex asked, his voice low and gravelly.
Pierce’s jaw clenched. “Jonathan Kirkland. He’s back, and he’s got his eyes on Solaris.”
Tex scowled. “So this is a revenge play?”
“No,” Pierce shook her head. “It’s worse. He’s not just looking to settle the score. He’s planning to use Solaris to take over the entire energy grid. He’s got buyers lined up—corporations, syndicates, you name it. If he overloads the array, he’ll wipe out half the city and cripple the rest. Then he’ll control the power, and everyone will pay for a piece of it.”
Tex’s fists clenched. The stakes were far higher than he’d expected. “And how exactly are we going to stop him?”
Pierce smirked, though there was no humor in it. “Same way we always do. We fight.”
They made their way through the rain-soaked streets to Solaris’ ground control. The facility stood sleek and quiet, far too quiet for Tex’s liking. It had the feeling of a place already given up. Tex adjusted the collar of his duster, water dripping off the brim of his hat as they approached the perimeter.
“You sure about this?” Tex asked as Pierce worked on the security door.
She glanced at him, still calm as ever. “Not a chance. But I’ve got nothing left to lose.”
Tex chuckled dryly. “Welcome to the club.”
They slipped into the facility, making their way through eerily empty halls toward the control room. When they reached it, the holo-projector flickered to life, displaying a familiar face: Jonathan Kirkland, glaring down at them with that same twisted grin.
“Alvarez, Pierce. So good to see you both again,” Kirkland’s voice oozed smugness. “You really think you can stop me?”
“We’ve done it before,” Tex growled, stepping toward the console.
Kirkland’s grin widened. “You have no idea what’s coming. You think this is about revenge? No, I’m remaking the world. Solaris will burn Seattle to the ground, and I’ll be the one to rise from the ashes. The world will pay for the energy I control.”
Tex clenched his fists, eyes narrowing. “Not if we burn you first.”
The facility locked down instantly. Pierce cursed under her breath, hammering the terminal, but Kirkland’s voice taunted them through the speakers.
“You’re too late. The station is mine. You can try to stop me, but it’s already over.”
Tex exchanged a glance with Pierce. “Guess we’re going up.”
The shuttle ride to Solaris was tense. Tex stared through the window as they rose through the stormy skies, the station’s silhouette emerging like a specter in the distance. His mind was racing—Kirkland was too cocky, too confident. He had something up his sleeve.
“I’ll take the landing bay,” Pierce said, her voice cutting through the silence.
Tex shook his head. “No way. I’m not letting you take the hit. We both know what’s waiting for us.”
Pierce shot him a look. “Don’t start this now. I’m faster. I can draw their fire while you go for Kirkland.”
Tex’s jaw tightened. “I’ve got nothing to lose, Pierce. You still do.”
“Stop acting like a martyr,” Pierce snapped. “This isn’t about sacrifice. This is about winning.”
They stared each other down, the shuttle humming as it neared the station. Finally, Tex spoke, his voice low. “We do this together, or we don’t do it at all.”
Pierce’s eyes softened slightly. “Fine. But don’t get yourself killed.”
They docked at the landing bay, and everything went to hell immediately. Mercenaries were waiting, and the gunfight was brutal. Pierce covered Tex’s back as they advanced, but the fire was too heavy. As they neared the core, Pierce stopped him.
“We’re out of time. I’ll hold them off. You get Kirkland,” she said firmly.
“No way,” Tex started, but she shoved him toward the door.
“You’ve got the better shot. Now go!”
Tex hesitated, but the sound of incoming mercenaries forced him to move. He sprinted down the corridor, Pierce’s gunfire echoing behind him as she held them back. He cursed under his breath, knowing full well she was making the sacrifice play.
Tex reached the core control room, bursting through the door. Kirkland stood in the center, holographic projections of himself flickering all around the room, a mad grin on each face.
“You’re too late, Alvarez. You can’t stop what’s already begun.”
Tex raised his gun, aiming straight at the main console. “We’ll see about that.”
Kirkland laughed, the sound reverberating through the room. “I’m not even here, Alvarez. My consciousness is in the system. You’ll never touch me.”
Tex fired at the console, but the bullets bounced off the reinforced shielding. “Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.
Kirkland’s voice filled the room, growing louder. “This is bigger than you. Bigger than all of us. I will reshape this city, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
Tex’s heart pounded, adrenaline coursing through him. He had to shut it down—now. But before he could react, the lights flickered, and the station’s hum dropped to a low, dull vibration.
Pierce had done it.
Tex grinned, even as Kirkland’s hologram flickered with rage. “What… no… this isn’t possible.”
Tex stepped forward, his voice steady. “You underestimated her. You always underestimate people.”
With one final shot, Tex blasted the remaining console, cutting Kirkland’s connection for good. The holograms sputtered and disappeared, leaving Tex alone in the silence of the control room.
The ride back down was quiet. Pierce had made it, though she was bleeding from a nasty wound to the side. She leaned against Tex as they flew through the storm toward Seattle, her breath ragged but steady.
“Did we win?” she asked weakly.
Tex nodded. “We won.”
She smirked, eyes half-closed. “About damn time.”
Tex chuckled softly. “Don’t scare me like that again.”
“I had it handled,” she mumbled, leaning her head back.
Tex looked out at the rain-soaked city below. They’d saved it—again. But it didn’t feel like much of a victory. It felt like survival, and in the shadows, that was about as close as you got to winning.
As they landed back in Seattle, Tex glanced at Pierce, a tired grin on his face. “Guess we’re not done yet, huh?”
Pierce shook her head, though there was a spark of warmth in her eyes. “Nope. Not even close.”
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