Dawn broke red and gray over the shattered skyline, a bleeding wound of light creeping across a bruised sky. In the wake of betrayal, the safehouse felt colder, quieter, more fragile. Every footstep echoed louder. Every glance lingered a second too long. Trust, once unspoken and unshakable, now hung by a thread.Elias stood at the center of the war room, silent, surveying the map but seeing none of it. Liora’s words still rang in his ears: “We lost good people tonight.”And they had.But what chilled him wasn’t the loss—it was that someone on the inside had made it happen.Callum paced, his boots dragging scuffs across the concrete floor. “You really think it’s one of us?” he asked, voice rough with disbelief.“No,” Kael said flatly. “I know it is.”Kael rarely spoke without certainty, and this time was no exception. He’d spent the night combing through comms logs, tracing movement patterns, access logs. Something didn’t line up. “The only people who knew about the operation were in t

The sun’s rays pierced the horizon, casting a golden hue over the war-torn landscape. Elias stood atop the remnants of the Broker’s stronghold, the weight of recent battles evident in his stance. The air was thick with the scent of smoke and victory, a bittersweet reminder of the cost of freedom. Seraphine approached, her eyes scanning the horizon. “The city’s awakening,” she murmured. “But so are our enemies.” Elias nodded, his gaze fixed on the distance. “We need to move. The Broker’s fall has created a power vacuum. Voss won’t hesitate to fill it.” Back at their hidden base, the team gathered around a holographic map. Liora highlighted several points of interest. “We’ve intercepted communications indicating increased activity in these sectors. Voss is mobilizing.” Kael leaned in, his brow furrowed. “We need t

The path to the Citadel wound through abandoned streets and shattered monuments of Voss’s once-unyielding empire. Though the Nexus lay in ruins, the Citadel itself remained a fortress of steel and shadow, looming over the city like a jagged wound. Beneath its foundations pulsed the heart of Echo Dominion—Calen Vire’s corrupted legacy. As dawn broke, Elias led the strike team to its greatest challenge yet: infiltrate, disable, and escape. Inside the makeshift command tent, the air was thick with tension. Maps and blueprints of the Citadel were splayed across the table, illuminated by a single flickering lamp. Calen Vire traced his finger along hidden corridors and circuit nodes. “This is the Eastern Catacomb,” Calen said, voice low. “Echo Dominion’s core resides three levels beneath. Security rotates every fifteen minutes—automated sentries, biometric locks, and surveillance drones. We have a na

The corridor exploded behind them, a bloom of heat and pressure shoving Ethan and Nova forward like rag dolls. Nova hit the floor first, skidding across scorched concrete, the data drives clutched to her chest. Ethan rolled hard, shielding the detonation switch as a metal door collapsed just inches behind him. The countdown from the Ghost Code’s purge program ticked in his ear—71 seconds remaining. “Go!” Ethan yelled, hauling Nova up. “We can’t stay in the shaft when the core blows!” They sprinted through the undercarriage tunnel, boots pounding through puddles and debris. Red emergency lights painted everything in blood tones. Overhead, the Citadel groaned—a sound like a dying animal, steel twisting in protest. Nova tapped her earpiece. “Zane, come in! Zane, do you copy?” A faint signal buzzed back. “—nova&h