The collapse of the facility was a deafening roar. Ayla’s world spun as the walls cracked, debris falling around them. The cold, metallic scent of destruction filled the air, mingling with the acrid tang of burning circuits. The pulse from the data core still echoed in her head, reverberating through her very being."Ayla!" Caleb’s voice pierced the chaos. He grabbed her arm again, pulling her toward the exit.But Ayla barely registered his touch. The flash from the core had left her disoriented, her thoughts scrambled. The protocol was still there, buried in the recesses of her mind, like a dormant beast waiting to be unleashed. She could feel it, pulsing at the back of her skull, urging her to take control, to rise above the destruction.But she wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to fight it.The room trembled again, and the floor beneath them cracked open, a deep chasm threatening to swallow them whole. Jules, Dax, and Caleb barely managed to stay on their feet as the building gr

The night was still, the only sound the crunch of gravel beneath their boots. Ayla stood at the edge of the destroyed facility, staring into the horizon. The storm had passed, but its aftereffects lingered. The world had changed, and so had she.The others stood behind her—Caleb, Jules, and Dax—silent, waiting for her to speak. They had all escaped the wreckage of the lab, but the escape hadn’t brought the sense of relief they had hoped for. Instead, there was a heavy silence, the weight of what they had just done still pressing down on them.“We made it out,” Caleb said, his voice breaking the stillness. He stepped up beside her, his eyes scanning the ruins of the facility they had just left behind. “But what now?”Ayla turned to him, her eyes dark with the weight of their actions. The protocol, Raven’s plans—it was all gone, destroyed in the rubble. But that didn’t mean the world would be any safer. There was still the network of enemies they had made along the way—the powerful orga

The city was still waking up, but Ayla’s mind was far from rest. The adrenaline of the previous night’s operation was still coursing through her veins. She could feel the weight of the bullet wound in her shoulder, but it wasn’t the pain that had her on edge. It was the realization that this was only the beginning. They had taken down one of Raven’s facilities, but that would not go unnoticed.The team had retreated to a safe house in a secluded part of the city, a place they had used in the past. It was a cramped apartment above a dilapidated convenience store. The smell of stale coffee and dust clung to the air, but for now, it was safe.Ayla paced the small living room, her mind working overtime. They needed to regroup, plan their next move. But Raven’s retaliation was inevitable. She could almost feel the network of enemies tightening around them, closing in from every direction.“We need to get ahead of this,” she said, her voice sharp as she turned toward Caleb, who was seated a

The cold night air bit at Ayla’s skin as she sprinted through the alleyways, her mind a storm of thoughts. The meeting with the mysterious contact had left her shaken. His words haunted her: Raven’s not who you think he is. The real enemy is closer than you think.She could feel it—the danger, the uncertainty. Everything they had fought for now seemed to hinge on a single question: Who could she trust?The sound of boots on the concrete echoed behind her, pulling her back to the present. She pushed herself harder, adrenaline fueling her every step. Her pulse thundered in her ears, but she couldn’t stop. Not now. She had to get back to the team.She darted into another narrow alley, taking a sharp left and slipping through a gap in a fence. She’d lost them. For now.But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be back.She quickly pulled out her phone and checked for messages. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a text from Caleb: Where are you? We need to talk.Ayla glanced around, ensuring n

The hum of the engine was a welcome sound in the chaos of the night. Ayla sat in the backseat of the car, her fingers gripping the edge of the seat as the city blurred past them. The adrenaline that had fueled her escape was starting to wear off, and in its place, a cold realization settled in.They had the intel. They had what they needed to bring down Raven’s network. But something didn’t feel right. There were too many unanswered questions, too many pieces of the puzzle that didn’t fit.She glanced at Caleb, who was driving with a steely expression. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel, his jaw clenched tight.“Do you think Raven knew?” Ayla asked, breaking the silence that had stretched between them since their escape.Caleb’s eyes flickered to the rearview mirror, his gaze sharp. “It’s hard to say. He’s always been one step ahead. But I think he’s been expecting us to make a move. Maybe he wanted us to take the bait.”Ayla’s mind raced. Raven was too smart to let them sl