Codename Black: Rise of the Fallen Commander

Complete Sense

As they stepped further away from the ancestral home, the weight of the situation began to crash down on Victoria. Her once-confident posture faltered, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She had been holding it together for so long, but now, the enormity of what she had done overwhelmed her. She stopped in her tracks, pulling her hand free from Alex's gentle grip and covering her face with trembling hands.

“I… I can’t believe this,” she whispered. "What have I done? I just turned my back on my family. My father… they’ll hate me forever. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t have…”

She broke into sobs, her emotions pouring out as she collapsed onto a nearby bench. The cool evening breeze did little to calm her storming thoughts, and she buried her face in her hands.

Alex knelt down in front of her. He reached out, gently placing his hand on hers. “Victoria, listen to me,” he said quietly. “I know this is hard. I know what your family means to you. But you didn’t do anything wrong.”

She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “But I… I abandoned them for you. My father—he’ll never forgive me. What if something happens to them because of Dorian? What if I made a mistake?”

Alex’s grip on her hand tightened slightly. “You didn’t abandon them. You made a choice—a choice to protect yourself, to stand up for your future. And I swear to you, Victoria, nothing bad will happen to your family. I won’t let it.”

She looked up at him. “How can you promise that? Dorian… he’s dangerous. He’ll come after them, after us. I don’t know if I can handle that.”

Alex stood up, pulling her gently to her feet as well. He brushed a tear from her cheek. “Dorian won’t lay a finger on your family. I’ll make sure of that. I didn’t come this far to let him destroy everything you care about.”

Victoria searched his face, trying to find some sense of security in his words. She wanted to believe him—needed to believe him—but her heart was still torn. “How can you be so sure? You don’t know what Dorian is capable of.”

“I know more than you think,” Alex replied softly. His eyes darkened with a seriousness she hadn’t seen before. “Trust me, I have my own reasons for not letting him get away with anything. You’re not alone in this fight. I’ll protect you and your family at all costs. No one is going to hurt you. Not while I’m here.”

She sniffled, her tears slowing as his words began to sink in. “I’m scared, Alex,” she admitted. “I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”

Alex took a deep breath, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I can’t promise you that things will be easy,” he said gently, “but I can promise you that I’m not going anywhere.”

Victoria hesitated for a moment. But as she looked into Alex’s eyes, she felt a small sense of peace begin to settle within her.

“Okay,” she whispered, wiping the last of her tears away. “Okay, I trust you.”

Alex smiled softly and pulled her into a comforting embrace, his arms wrapping securely around her. “You’re stronger than you think, Victoria,” he murmured.

As they sped down the quiet roads, Alex leaned back in his seat, his eyes drifting out of focus as memories started to creep in. It began as a dull ache at the back of his mind, then grew sharper and clearer. Flashes of faces and voices slammed into him.

The image of a shadowy figure loomed in his thoughts. It was always there, just out of reach—like an invisible hand that had orchestrated everything that had gone wrong in his life.

Whoever this person was, they had been pulling strings long before Dorian entered the picture. It felt like a ghost he couldn't shake off.

He saw himself in those memories: poisoned, betrayed, and left for dead. His hands clenched tightly into fists, his body tensing as the haunting images replayed in his mind.

The feeling of cold metal pressed against his skin, the taste of the poison that had slowly ravaged his body—it all came rushing back in waves.

Whoever they were, they had destroyed everything he had worked for, everything he had stood for.

His breath quickened. His mind raced to put the pieces together, but every time he came close, the memories slipped away like sand through his fingers. He shook his head, trying to refocus.

Now wasn’t the time for that. He had to concentrate on Victoria, on protecting her from Dorian’s wrath and ensuring her family’s safety.

Victoria glanced over from the driver’s seat. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, noticing the tension in his posture.

Alex blinked, pulling himself back to the present. He turned his head to meet her gaze, forcing a smile. “I’m fine,” he lied. “Just thinking.”

Victoria frowned but didn’t press further, sensing that he wasn’t ready to talk about whatever was bothering him. “You know you can talk to me, right? Whatever’s going on, you don’t have to deal with it alone,” she said gently.

“I know,” Alex replied, grateful for her concern, but he wasn’t ready to share the darkness of his past just yet—not until he understood it fully himself. “But right now, let’s just focus on getting you through this mess with Dorian.”

Victoria nodded, though she still seemed unsure. “Okay. But don’t think I didn’t notice you zoning out back there.”

Alex let out a small chuckle. “You’re sharp. I’ll give you that.”

He stared out at the passing landscape, trying to push the memories to the back of his mind. There would be time to uncover the truth about his betrayal and seek his revenge.

He exhaled deeply, feeling the weight of his past hang heavily on his shoulders. Whoever that shadowy figure was, they weren’t finished with him. He could feel it. The past was far from dead, and it would come for him eventually.

Once they pulled up to the hotel, the tension in the car seemed to ease—if only slightly. The air was still heavy with everything that had happened that day, and Victoria’s hands trembled slightly as she turned off the ignition.

Alex noticed and placed a reassuring hand on her arm before they got out.

Inside the room, Alex immediately began to lay out their options, pacing as he spoke. “We need to plan carefully,” he said. “Dorian and Edward may hold a lot of power, but we’re not without options. I’ve still got contacts—people who can help us if things get worse.”

“Contacts?" Victoria stared at him, her confusion evident. "Alex, how could you possibly have access to something like that?”

She was clearly struggling to make sense of it. After all, he was supposed to be just an amnesiac mechanic she had found washed up on the shore. Yet now he was talking about resources and people who could strike back against the likes of Dorian Blackwood and Lord Edward—two of the most powerful men she had ever known.

Alex paused, his eyes meeting hers. He knew he couldn’t tell her everything—not yet. The truth about who he really was would complicate things even more, and right now, she needed to trust him, not fear what he was capable of.

“I’ve been remembering bits and pieces,” he admitted, choosing his words carefully. “Not everything, but enough to know that I wasn’t just some nobody before you found me.”

Victoria’s eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat. “What… what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I wasn’t just a mechanic,” he continued. “I can’t remember all the details yet, but I’ve realized that I had connections—people who could get things done. And those people... some of them still owe me favors. I can use that to help us.”

Victoria’s brow furrowed as she tried to process this new information. “But who are these people?”

Alex shook his head slightly, not ready to give her the full story. “It’s complicated. But what matters is that I know how to reach them, and they’re powerful enough to make Dorian and Edward think twice before they push us too far.”

There was a long pause as Victoria tried to absorb what he was telling her. She crossed her arms, biting her lip. “So… these memories you’ve been getting back, how much do you remember about your past?”

Alex glanced away for a moment, his jaw tightening. He could feel the weight of the truth pressing on him, but he wasn’t ready to tell her everything—not about his role as one of the world’s top military commanders, not about the betrayal that had nearly killed him. “Not much,” he lied, keeping his voice steady. “Just fragments. Faces, places, voices—nothing that makes complete sense yet.”

Victoria watched him closely, sensing there was more to his story, but she didn’t push him. Instead, she nodded slowly, as if accepting what he had said. “Okay… but how are we supposed to fight against people like Dorian? They have money, power, and influence. What do we have?”

Alex smiled softly. “We have each other. And I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve. Trust me, we’re not as outmatched as you think.”

His words hung in the air for a moment, and slowly, Victoria’s anxiety began to ease. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she considered everything that had happened. There was still so much she didn’t understand, so many questions she wanted to ask, but for now, she chose to believe in him. He hadn’t let her down so far.

“Alright,” she said softly.

Alex gave her a small nod. “Good. Because things are going to get messy from here on out. Dorian won’t back down easily. You know this well. But if we play this right, we can protect your family and put an end to this once and for all.”

Victoria hesitated for a moment, then took a step closer to him. “Just promise me one thing,” she said quietly. “Promise me that no matter what happens, you won’t get hurt because of me.”

Alex’s expression softened, and he reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I promise,” he said. “But I’m not the one you need to worry about.”