Vicky clutched her head as a violent memory surged through her mind—searing pain struck like lightning. She screamed.
"Please!" Karen begged through tears. "You have to stop the bomb! Paige really did lose her memory…"
The Boss stepped forward, cold and merciless.
"Hey. Enough of this crap. I don't give second chances. Enter the passcode, or this place goes up in flames—with you and your friend. Do it!" he growled, spittle flying.
Karen dropped to her knees, trembling. "Please, try to remember! You're Paige! Paige Samuels, top-ranking agent, founder of AID Securities. You created AID! You wouldn't let me die. Please, Paige—please!"
Vicky's eyes darted to the bomb's timer—each tick a scream in her ears.
"Paige…" the Boss said with venom. "You know your name, huh? PAIGE!"
Suddenly—
A flash.
Fire.
Her father.
"Sarge…" she whispered.
A memory flooded in. Paige, younger, in a warm kitchen. Her father, Victor, hunched over the prototype device, curiosity in his eyes.
"Pancakes?" she'd asked, flipping them.
"You can do better," he teased.
"Sarge…not with you breathing down my neck."
"We aren't doing that right now."
She smiled. "Okay… you asked for it."
"What did you say this device does again?"
"It'll change the game. Press a button, and any harmful weapon shuts down. Harmless radiation weakens the attacker's knees—disarms them for an hour."
"Hm. Interesting. Add a passcode. You never know who'll get their hands on it."
"You're right. For guns, blades, even body armor, make it auto-activate. But for bombs? That needs a passcode. An advanced lock."
"And only you should know it."
She handed him cookies.
"Cookies?" he said, surprised. "We've got a long mission ahead."
"You said anything. Don't worry, Mom's got a restaurant lined up for us."
"After her safety lectures." He smirked. She laughed.
—
Back in the present—
Vicky stood frozen. The warmth of that day clashed with the deadly reality before her.
Karen's eyes lit with hope. But Vicky shook her head, trembling.
"I'm not Paige," she said softly. "I… I'm sorry."
Karen's expression shattered.
The Boss raised his gun, pointing it at Vicky's head.
Suddenly—
"DAD?!" a voice echoed.
Reynolds.
The Boss flinched. "Rey?! I told you to wait in the car!"
"You're gonna kill Vicky?" Rey asked, stepping into the room. "I like her. She's strong."
"Reynolds, go back!" the Boss barked.
"No! If you're killing her—maybe I should just end my life!" Rey raised a gun to his own head.
"No!!" Vicky shouted.
In a blur, she snatched the weapon from his hand.
"See?" Rey said weakly.
But Vicky turned on him, eyes ablaze.
"You think this is a joke? A game? You think your life is some toy to throw away?" she snapped. "I get it—you know how to use your weapons. But this? This is different. Taking your life may not matter to you—but living? That matters!"
Her words hit him like a slap.
Reynolds blinked, eyes watering—and turned, running out of the room in shame.
The bomb kept ticking.
And Vicky—Paige?—stood in the storm, still unsure who she truly was.