The lock released with a deep mechanical groan, and the final security door slid open inch by inch.Cold air spilled out from the major prison wing, carrying the sterile smell of metal, disinfectant, and something older that no cleaning ever erased. Ethan stepped through without hesitation, his footsteps were measured as the door was sealed shut behind him with a heavy clang.Behind him, three Tribunal soldiers moved into position at the corridor entrance, rifles were raised, eyes alert. One of them spoke quietly into his communication device, voice clipped and focused. “Multiple vehicles just entered the outer perimeter. Herold soldiers.”Ethan didn’t turn. “Hold them,” he said. “No one follows me in.”“Yes, sir,” the man replied, already issuing orders.The prison wing stretched ahead in a long, narrow hallway, lit by harsh white lights that reflected off polished steel walls. Cameras tracked his movement, pivoting softly as he passed. Every door he walked by was sealed, every lo

A reply came back, strained. “We’re holding the choke point, but we’re losing ground.”Ethan didn’t stop climbing. “Slow them,” he ordered. “Do not die for pride. Die only if it buys time.”The Tribunal man swallowed and answered, “Yes, sir.”As they reached the next level, a squad of Tribunal soldiers appeared from a hallway, retreating in tight formation. One of them had blood on his sleeve and a cut across his cheek.“Sir!” the squad leader called when he saw Ethan. “They’re coming hard. We’ve lost two men.”Ethan’s eyes stayed steady. “Fall back with us,” he said. “Your mission is the package now.”The leader’s jaw tightened. “Understood. All units, fall back!”The hallway behind them shook with heavy impacts, like something was slamming into a reinforced door. Men shouted. A flash of light burst at the far end, and dust rained from ceiling panels.One of the Tribunal soldiers whispered, “They’re using explosives.”“They think force solves everything,” Ethan replied. He adjusted M

The first thing Darius Herold did was punch the wall.The impact echoed through the office, a dull crack against reinforced panels, but he didn’t feel it. His breath was sharp, his jaw tight, his mind stuck on one image: the helicopters lifting away, his father disappearing into the night.He paced the length of the office, boots striking the polished floor in hard, uneven steps. Screens along the walls still glowed with tactical maps and live feeds, most of them frozen or looping failed angles from the rooftop.“So close,” Darius muttered. “So close.”He stopped in front of the main display and stared at it like it had betrayed him. His reflection stared back. He got to see his sharp eyes, stiff posture, and the leader who had taken a nation by force and lost something precious in a single moment.“They took him from me,” he said quietly.The words didn’t sound like weakness. They sounded like promise.Darius turned away and dragged a hand through his hair. He knew what this meant.

Ethan left Casper Yulian’s office with his face calm and his chest tight.The glass wall behind Casper still showed the deck, cranes moving like giant arms over containers, and patrol boats cutting lines across the dark sea. Casper stood near his desk like a man guarding a vault. He didn’t offer a handshake, and Ethan didn’t ask for one.“You’re done already?” Casper asked, voice low.“I’m done with circles,” Ethan replied. “You said there’s a weakness. Say it plainly.”Casper’s eyes narrowed. “Not here. Not like this.”Ethan didn’t move. “Then where, Casper? Because Darius isn’t waiting for us to be comfortable.”Casper drew a slow breath, like he was choosing between fear and trust. “This weakness can’t be spoken carelessly, the walls have ears.” he said. “If it leaks, people die.”Ethan’s gaze hardened. “People are dying already.”Casper stepped closer and lowered his voice. “You’re fighting a state now.”Ethan answered without raising his tone. “States bleed like men.”Casper loo

Robert blinked. “Janet—”“Shut up,” she repeated, and Robert swallowed the rest.In the courtyard, the night air was cooler, and the sounds of the deck were distant and heavy. Selene’s vehicle sat waiting, dark and polished, with a driver standing beside it like a statue. The driver opened the door immediately when Selene approached.Ethan paused for a second. “You planned this,” he said.Selene glanced at him. “I planned to inspect my ship and it's maintenance,” she replied. “I didn’t plan to meet you or get caught up in your drama with Janet.”Ethan’s voice stayed guarded. “You walked into it like you own it.”Selene leaned closer slightly, her tone soft but firm. “I do,” she said. “Not because of money alone. Because I refuse to shrink.”Ethan held her gaze. “People who refuse to shrink get targeted.”Selene smiled as if that was familiar. “Let them target,” she said. “Some of us bite back.”She was close enough now that Ethan could catch the faint warmth of her presence, the sub