William’s voice crackled through the speakers, thick with amusement.“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it.”Fiona’s grip on her weapon tightened. The dimly lit warehouse was silent except for the hum of the old speaker system, but she could feel the weight of unseen eyes.Bella exhaled sharply. “I knew this was a setup.”Darwin’s jaw clenched. “No way out but through.”Fiona scanned the room. The flickering light cast long shadows over rusted crates and broken-down machinery. The walls were lined with metal grates, making it clear—this was no ordinary warehouse. It had been chosen. Prepared.She tapped her earpiece. “Marcus, tell me you’re getting this.”Silence.Then static.Fiona’s stomach dropped.Bella swore under her breath. “Comms are jammed.”William’s chuckle filtered through the speakers. “Clever, aren’t you?” A pause. “But not clever enough.”Fiona exchanged a look with Darwin. They had walked into William’s lair, and he had made sure they were cut off from the out
The city pulsed with a restless energy as Fiona, Bella, and Darwin navigated through the dark alleyways, putting distance between themselves and the warehouse. The faint smell of smoke clung to their clothes, a reminder of the explosion they had barely escaped.Darwin staggered slightly, his wound slowing him down. Fiona instinctively moved to support him, but he waved her off.“I said I’m fine,” he muttered through gritted teeth.Bella scoffed. “Yeah? Because you look like you’re about to keel over.”Fiona ignored them both and focused on her earpiece. “Marcus, say that again. Where is William going?”Marcus’s voice crackled through. “I traced some last-minute financial movements linked to his shell companies. He’s preparing to board a private jet at Blackridge Airfield.”Fiona’s stomach tightened. “That’s too far for him to get there on foot. He’ll have a car waiting.”“Already on it,” Marcus confirmed. “Traffic cams picked up an armored SUV leaving a location near the warehouse rig
The airfield was a flurry of activity—sirens blaring, floodlights casting long shadows across the tarmac, and the distant roar of incoming vehicles. Fiona, Bella, and Darwin stood over William, his face contorted in pain, his breathing shallow but defiant. The weight of everything crashed down on Fiona in that moment. It was over. After all the betrayals, the chases, the fights, they had finally cornered him.But there was still one loose end.Bella, keeping her gun trained on William, sneered. “I should put a bullet in your head right now. Save everyone the trouble.”Fiona tightened her grip on her weapon. “No. He’s going to pay for everything, but not like this.”William chuckled, though the sound was strained. “You think I’m done? This isn’t over.”Darwin’s face hardened. “Yes, it is.”Blue and red lights painted the airfield as the police vehicles skidded to a stop. Armed officers poured out, moving quickly to secure the area. Marcus’s voice crackled over the comms.“Good news. Th
The city was quieter than usual at dawn. The streets were nearly empty, save for a few early commuters, and the air carried the scent of rain from a storm that had passed in the night. Fiona stared out the window of the safehouse, her fingers wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee. Her body ached, exhaustion weighing on her, but her mind wouldn’t slow down.William was gone. Arrested. Exposed.But the fight wasn’t over.Bella sat at the small kitchen table, scrolling through her phone, while Darwin leaned against the counter, still nursing his injured shoulder. Marcus, as usual, was planted in front of his monitors, typing furiously as he sifted through whatever intelligence he had gathered overnight.“I made some calls,” Marcus said, breaking the silence. “William’s arrest is already making waves. Some of his people are scattering. A few were picked up trying to board flights out of the country.”Bella snorted. “Cowards.”Fiona took a sip of her coffee. “Any sign of pushback?”Marcu
The city never slept, and neither did their enemies.Fiona sat at the kitchen table of the safehouse, tapping her fingers against a steaming mug of coffee. The tension in the room was thick. They had William behind bars, Monroe feeding them intel, and the Echelon in disarray. But there was still one thing they couldn’t ignore—power vacuums never stayed empty for long.Darwin leaned against the counter, his injured shoulder stiff but manageable. Bella sat across from Fiona, arms crossed, her sharp gaze flicking between them. Marcus, typing away on his laptop, was the only one who looked at ease, but Fiona knew better. He thrived in chaos.“Alright,” Marcus said, pushing his chair back. “Monroe’s information checks out. Offshore accounts, shell companies, hidden assets. He didn’t lie.”Bella scoffed. “Of course he didn’t. He knows the only thing keeping him breathing is his usefulness.”Fiona glanced at Monroe, who sat in the corner, hands cuffed to the chair. His expression was unreada
The room fell into a stunned silence.Fiona could hear the hum of the warehouse’s flickering lights, the faint sound of the city beyond, but everything else faded into the background. A hit. On them.Marcus’s voice crackled through their earpieces again, urgent and clipped. “Fiona, Darwin, Bella—you’ve all got bounties on your heads. This isn’t just some underground contract. We’re talking about a full-scale, multi-tiered kill order. Every mercenary, assassin, and rogue operative out there is going to be looking for you.”Darwin exhaled slowly, running a hand over his face. “How much?”A pause.“Five million each,” Marcus said. “Fifteen million total.”Bella let out a sharp laugh, shaking her head. “Damn. We’re worth that much?”Fiona ignored the sarcasm. “Who put the order out?”Marcus hesitated. “It was relayed through encrypted channels, but the origin point traces back to multiple shell accounts linked to… Luther Cain.”All eyes turned to Cain, still sitting calmly in his chair, b
The air in the club felt heavier now, thick with the weight of Liana’s words.You don’t kill it. You replace it.Fiona exhaled slowly, letting the words settle. The idea was dangerous, almost unthinkable. And yet, it made perfect sense. The Echelon was too deeply entrenched, its influence too vast. Cutting off one head wouldn’t stop the beast—it would just grow another.Darwin crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "And what? You think we just walk in and take over?"Liana smirked. "Not walk in. Fight for it. The Echelon’s collapsing under its own weight. The real players are circling, waiting to carve up the remains. If you want to survive, you don’t run—you take the throne before someone else does."Bella’s voice crackled in through the earpiece. "This sounds like a suicide mission."Fiona glanced at Darwin. "Maybe. Or maybe it’s the only way we win."Liana finished her drink, standing gracefully. "You’ve got a small window before the real sharks move in. If you're serious abo
The Zurich data heist had given them exactly what they needed—a road map of Silas Grayson’s network. But it had also painted a target on their backs.Sitting in the dim glow of the underground bunker, Fiona scrolled through pages of decrypted files while Marcus cross-referenced data points. Darwin paced nearby, his mind working through their next steps, while Bella leaned against the metal table, arms crossed.“This isn’t just a network,” Marcus murmured, adjusting his glasses. “Grayson built a failsafe. A backup plan.”Fiona frowned. “What kind of backup plan?”Marcus hesitated, then brought up a schematic of a high-security facility. “He calls it Project Overwatch. If the Echelon collapses, Overwatch activates—a fully automated system designed to ensure Grayson’s continued influence. Key leaders in politics, finance, military sectors… all with contingency triggers that he can pull at any moment.”Darwin exhaled. “So even if he falls, his system keeps running.”Bella shook her head.
The weight of Sofia’s whispered word—Morrigan—hung heavy in the air. Fiona’s knuckles were white as she clenched her fists, her pulse hammering in her ears. Beside her, Darwin stood rigid, his expression carved from stone. The sight of the journalist, barely clinging to life on that stretcher, was a brutal confirmation that Morrigan had escalated the war. This was no longer a battle fought in the shadows. This was all-out warfare. “We need to move,” Fiona said, her voice tight with anger. Darwin nodded. “Agreed. We’re done playing defense.” Thalassa touched Fiona’s arm, her normally smug expression replaced by something dangerously sharp. “Sofia’s not dead yet. That means we still have a chance to get information from her. But if Morrigan wants her gone, she’ll send someone to finish the job.” “Then we keep her alive,” Fiona said. “We make sure she wakes up, and when she does, we find out everything she knows.” Marcus was already tapping away at his laptop, pulling security foota
The night air was thick with tension as Fiona and Darwin left the hotel, their minds racing with what had just happened. Sofia Laurent was barely clinging to life, a direct victim of Morrigan’s retaliation. It was the wake-up call they needed. They could not afford to stay on the defensive any longer. “We need to retaliate now,” Fiona said, her voice firm. “No more waiting for her to make the next move.” Darwin nodded. “Agreed. We hit her where it hurts.” Thalassa, who had been quiet since they arrived at the scene, finally spoke. “We need to dismantle her network from the inside. Gabriel Foster is the key. If he’s funding her, we cut him off.” Marcus tapped away on his laptop. “I’ve been tracking Foster’s accounts. He’s got shell companies moving money for Morrigan. If we expose them, we can freeze her assets.” Fiona smirked. “Then let’s make sure she has nothing left to fight with.” --- The team split up, each with a critical role to play. Marcus and Thalassa would continue
The silence in the safe house was deceptive. It wasn’t the calm of victory, but the pause before a storm. Fiona sat at the edge of the couch, her mind racing. The operation had been a success—they had struck a critical blow to Morrigan’s media empire. Yet, she knew this wasn’t the end. Morrigan wouldn’t take the attack lying down. Darwin stood by the window, his phone in hand. He had been monitoring news reports since their escape. The hack was making waves. Several major outlets had already begun reporting inconsistencies in Morrigan’s financial records, questioning her sudden rise to power. It was the beginning of the unraveling they had planned. “She’s going to retaliate,” Fiona muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. Darwin turned to her, his eyes dark with thought. “She’ll come at us hard. She won’t just defend herself—she’ll want to destroy us.” Thalassa smirked from across the room, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. “Good. Let her come. We’ve been on the
The hum of the hotel elevator was almost deafening as Fiona and Darwin descended from the upper floors, where Morrigan had just issued her chilling warning. The once pristine and composed atmosphere of the meeting had quickly turned sour, leaving them with more questions than answers. Fiona's mind raced, her thoughts heavy with the implications of Morrigan’s offer. "She’s playing us," Darwin said quietly, his voice steady but tinged with an edge of frustration. "She wants us to make a choice—her side, or continue fighting against her. But it’s all a manipulation. She knows how to push our buttons." Fiona nodded, though the uncertainty gnawed at her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Morrigan was holding something back—some crucial piece of the puzzle that could give her the upper hand. Fiona was used to being in control and manipulating situations to her advantage. But Morrigan? She was an entirely different animal. "She won’t stop," Fiona said, her voice firm. "She’s trying to
The safe house was buzzing with activity. The team was fully aware of the dangers that lay ahead, but there was a new edge to their determination—one fueled by the need to outsmart Morrigan at her own game. Fiona stood at the front of the room, flipping through the dossier Marcus had compiled on the latest developments. The intel was invaluable, but it felt like every time they thought they had a grasp on the situation, Morrigan would shift, making the ground beneath them unstable. "You heard her right?" Fiona's voice cut through the low murmurs of the team. "She wants a meeting. And we can’t ignore the implications of that." Darwin was at the map pinned to the wall, tracing the routes they’d use to escape if things went wrong. He turned toward Fiona, his face tight with resolve. "Morrigan doesn’t do anything without purpose. This isn’t just a negotiation—it’s a trap. She wants us to think we have a choice in the matter." Thalassa was examining the blueprint of a luxury hotel in G
The silence in the safe house felt different now—heavier, more suffocating. After their daring mission in Zurich, the team had returned, expecting some form of reprieve. Instead, the weight of their actions pressed on them. Fiona sat on the edge of the couch, her fingers idly tapping her phone, eyes flickering over the reports Marcus had sent. The glow of the screen only illuminated the exhaustion that had settled in her bones. Darwin paced the room, his thoughts elsewhere. He ran his hand through his hair, each step heavy with the knowledge of what was coming. The clock on the wall ticked louder in the quiet room, every second passing with unbearable tension. "We’ve hit her, but we haven’t broken her," Fiona muttered, more to herself than to anyone else. Darwin stopped pacing, turning toward her. "I know," he replied. "But we’re getting closer. That’s what matters." Marcus was at his laptop, the blue light from the screen illuminating his face as he sifted through data. "Morriga
The silence in the safe house was thick with tension. The confrontation with Morrigan had left more questions than answers, and Fiona couldn’t shake the feeling that they had walked straight into a carefully laid trap. Her words echoed in Fiona’s mind—The question is, what will you do with that power? Darwin stood near the window, watching the Parisian skyline as if it held the answers they sought. His jaw was clenched, the weight of their predicament pressing down on him. Outside, the city buzzed with life, oblivious to the war being waged in the shadows. “She wasn’t just testing us,” Thalassa said, breaking the silence. “She was studying us. Measuring our reactions.” “And she knows we won’t back down,” Fiona added, crossing her arms. “Which means we just painted a target on our backs.” Marcus exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. “Morrigan isn’t playing by the same rules as Lucian or William. She’s not after domination—she wants control but on a different scale.” “Which makes h
The tension in the safe house was thick, an unspoken weight pressing down on them as they absorbed the implications of their meeting with Morrigan. The woman was unlike any adversary they had faced before—calculated, controlled, and entirely unshaken. She hadn’t threatened them outright, but her words had carried a far more insidious warning: they were playing a game much bigger than they had realized, and she had just invited them to the next level. Fiona ran a hand through her hair, pacing near the window. “She knew exactly how to find us, how to draw us in. That means we’ve already underestimated her.” Darwin leaned against the table, arms crossed. “She wants us to believe we have a choice. That we can either join her or become casualties.” “She’s right about one thing,” Thalassa murmured from her seat in the corner. “Lucian’s fall left a power vacuum. And it’s naive to think it would just disappear.” Marcus, who had been silent until now, looked up from his laptop. “She’s als
The chill of the Parisian night clung to Fiona as she and Darwin exited the airstrip. The conversation with their informant had left them with more questions than answers. Morrigan—an enigma wrapped in shadows, with tendrils reaching into the remnants of Lucian’s empire. If they wanted to bring the fight to their enemy, they had to find the puppet master before the strings tightened around their throats. Back at the safe house, Marcus had been busy. “I traced another transaction,” he announced as they entered. His fingers danced across the keyboard, pulling up several encrypted files. “This shell company isn’t just funding private security firms. It’s also making direct payments to political figures in three different countries.” Fiona leaned over his shoulder, studying the screen. “Someone is buying influence.” “Not just influence,” Thalassa interjected, arms crossed. “They’re rebuilding Lucian’s control network. These politicians were in his pocket. If Morrigan is keeping them f