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 message lingered on Marcus’s screen like a challenge carved in stone.Meet me in 24 hours. Alone.Fiona read it twice, then a third time. Silas Grayson never did anything without reason. If he was offering a meeting, it wasn’t out of desperation—it was a calculated move.Darwin frowned as he paced behind her. “This could be a trap.”Bella crossed her arms. “Could be? It is a trap.”Fiona exhaled slowly. “I know.”Marcus was already running a trace on the message, but his face told her everything. “It’s bouncing through too many relays. I can’t track the origin.”Fiona nodded, already making up her mind. “I’m going.”Darwin stopped pacing. “Alone? No way.”Bella scoffed. “You’ve lost it, haven’t you? Grayson’s pissed. We just tore his empire apart. You think he’s going to let you walk out of there?”Fiona turned to them, her gaze steady. “That’s exactly why I have to go. We didn’t just take Overwatch—we’ve crippled his network. That means he has fewer pieces left to play. He wouldn
The body hadn’t even hit the ground before Fiona was moving. She had less than a minute before Grayson’s security forces converged on the estate. The bullet wound on his chest was still seeping, a dark pool of blood spreading over the marble floor, but there was no time to process it.He’s dead.But the war wasn’t over.Marcus’s voice crackled through the earpiece. “Movement. You need to move now.”Bella was already holstering her gun, her expression unreadable. “Let’s go.”Fiona took a breath, forcing her mind to focus. Grayson’s death was a victory, but it had left a power vacuum—a dangerous one. The remnants of his network wouldn’t simply dissolve. If anything, they’d be looking for a new leader. And if no one filled that space, someone worse would.Darwin was at her side, his eyes scanning the hallway. “Which way?”Fiona’s mind worked fast. The front entrance was a no-go—security would be flooding in from there. The terrace? Too exposed. The underground tunnels?“We take the south
Cain Lachlan thought he had won.He had declared himself the new leader of the Echelon, swept up the remnants of Grayson’s power, and positioned himself at the top. But there was one thing he hadn’t accounted for.Fiona Callahan wasn’t finished.She sat at the center of the safehouse’s dimly lit command room, her fingers steepled as she studied the holographic map Marcus had pulled up. The target was clear—an old private club in Zurich, a place where the Echelon’s elite had gathered in secrecy for decades.And Cain was hosting his meeting there.“Security?” Fiona asked, eyes locked on the glowing blueprint.Marcus tapped a key. “Standard for a high-level meet. Armed guards at all entrances, security checkpoints at the lobby, and elevator access. Backup teams on standby in the surrounding area.”Darwin folded his arms. “So, we can’t just walk in.”Bella smirked. “Why not? We’ve done dumber things.”Fiona ignored the sarcasm. “Cain isn’t Grayson. He doesn’t rely on control—he thrives on
The fire burned long into the night.Fiona stood at a distance, watching the last remnants of the Echelon turn to ash. It was strange—she had spent so long fighting to bring them down, but now that it was over, there was no sense of triumph. No victory parade. Just the cold realization that they had survived, and that survival always came at a cost.Darwin stood beside her, arms crossed, the glow of the flames reflecting in his dark eyes. He had barely spoken since they escaped the blast zone. Neither had Bella or Marcus.They had won.So why did it feel like the battle wasn’t truly over?---Loose EndsBack at the safehouse, the exhaustion was starting to set in.Marcus was at his workstation, sifting through encrypted files. Bella was nursing a whiskey, watching the news play in the background. Reports were already spreading—an "accidental gas explosion" had destroyed a Zurich landmark. No mention of Cain Lachlan. No mention of the Echelon.Fiona leaned against the table, rubbing he
The private jet cut through the night sky, slicing toward Eastern Europe like a silent predator. Inside, the tension was thick, the weight of their mission pressing down on every breath.Fiona sat near the window, watching the clouds blur past. She should have felt exhausted, but adrenaline kept her wide awake. Every moment brought them closer to Adrian Volkova—a man whose name alone sent chills through the underworld.Darwin sat across from her, his fingers drumming against the armrest. Bella and Marcus were at the small workstation near the back, analyzing every shred of intelligence they had gathered.“We land in two hours,” Marcus announced, adjusting his earpiece. “Volkova’s been moving between safe houses, but we pinpointed his last known location. A compound near the Romanian border.”Darwin’s jaw tightened. “Security?”“Armed. Private militia. The works.” Marcus exhaled. “It won’t be like Cain. Volkova expects war.”Bella smirked. “Good. So do we.” She double-checked the pisto
The Ravenport compound burned in the distance, thick black smoke curling into the night sky like a dark omen. Sirens wailed from far off, but they wouldn’t arrive in time. Morrigan’s empire—fortified with secrets, silenced voices, and betrayal—was falling. And Fiona stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking it all, wind tangling her hair, eyes unblinking.Darwin limped to her side, blood soaking through the sleeve of his jacket. He glanced at the burning facility below and then at Fiona. "We did it," he said.Fiona’s jaw clenched. "Not yet. Morrigan’s still out there."From the moment they entered Ravenport, they knew they were walking into a trap. Morrigan had prepared for their arrival, planting explosives along the perimeter and stationing loyal guards disguised as medics and engineers. But what she hadn’t counted on was Sofia regaining consciousness and feeding them a map—hand-drawn, shaky, but enough.Inside the compound, Thalassa and Marcus were still securing the data vault. T
The morning after their quiet moment on the balcony, Fiona woke to the distant hum of tension that had become all too familiar. The events of the previous night—the confrontation, the narrow escape from the stronghold—still weighed heavily on her mind. Yet, there was something more pressing now. Their next move, the one that would finally bring them face-to-face with Morrigan, loomed like an unspoken promise. The safe house, typically a place of refuge, now felt like a pressure cooker. Fiona paced the length of the room, her thoughts a whirlwind of strategies and concerns. They had been living on borrowed time for too long. Morrigan had always been one step ahead, controlling the narrative, pulling the strings from the shadows. But now the game has changed. And Fiona wasn’t about to let it slip through their fingers. Darwin’s voice, calm and steady as always, broke the silence. "We need to discuss our next steps." His presence was like an anchor in the storm that raged within her.
The night was thick with silence, but beneath it, an unsettling buzz hummed in Fiona's chest. She stood on the balcony of their temporary hideout, her hands gripping the iron railing as if the pressure could somehow steady her racing thoughts. The city sprawled beneath her like a sleeping beast, the lights flickering like distant stars. It was hard to believe that just hours ago, they had breached Morrigan’s stronghold, driven her back into the shadows, and nearly taken down everything she had worked for. Yet, despite the victory, the air felt heavy, like a storm was brewing on the horizon, and it had little to do with the danger still lurking in the wings. Fiona’s mind kept drifting back to Darwin. The last few hours had been a whirlwind—so much action, so much chaos—but the moments that lingered in her mind were the ones shared with him. The quiet ones, when he had let down his guard, and she had seen the man beneath the mask of the CEO. "Fiona?" The low, familiar voice pulled her
The sun rose over Zurich like a blade of gold slicing through steel-gray clouds. Inside the safe house, the world was still. The boy—Alex—lay curled beneath the thick blanket, his small hands clenched around the edge as if bracing himself for whatever might come next. Fiona stood by the window, watching the street below. There were no sirens. No helicopters. No immediate signs that their extraction had triggered global alarm bells. But the silence itself was suspicious—too calculated, too calm. “They're watching,” she said quietly. Darwin stood behind her, arms crossed. “You think they let us go?” “I think we took a piece they weren’t ready to lose. And now they’re deciding whether to recover it… or erase it.” Darwin’s eyes flicked to Alex’s room. “They built an entire system around him. That chair wasn’t just a monitor—it was a throne. And he was their king.” “No,” Fiona said sharply, turning to face him. “He was a prisoner.” Darwin didn’t argue. Marcus entered the room carr
The screen glowed faintly in the dim room, casting long shadows across Fiona’s face. Project Eidolon. The name alone sent a chill down her spine, but it was the word underneath—Ascension—that twisted something deeper in her gut. It didn’t sound like a simple codename. It sounded like a goal. Darwin leaned forward, brows furrowed as he scanned the documents. “These blueprints... this isn’t just tech infrastructure. It’s neurological. Advanced AI integration. Cognitive manipulation.” Marcus tapped through a few files. “This is way beyond anything Morrigan was doing. It’s years ahead—synthetic brain mapping, emotion prediction modules, even something labeled neural override. I don’t even know what that means.” Fiona spoke slowly. “I think it means control.” There was a long silence. Thalassa entered, looking exhausted, her jacket dusted with snow. “Interpol traced the remaining off-grid assets from Morrigan’s empire. Guess where the trail leads?” Fiona braced herself. Thalassa dro
The halls of the international tribunal were filled with murmurs and media flashes as Morrigan Zayne was escorted through its arched gates in handcuffs, flanked by federal agents. Her posture was upright—chin lifted, spine stiff—but even Fiona could see the cracks beneath the surface. The queen of shadows was finally exposed, her empire in ruins, and her secrets unraveling under the scorching light of justice. Fiona watched from the observation deck above, arms folded as reporters barked questions into the void. Every news station across the globe was tuned into this historic moment. The collapse of the Echelon, the fall of its most enigmatic leader, and the brave few who had torn down its walls. “This almost feels… peaceful,” Fiona said quietly, her voice lost in the buzz of cameras below. Darwin stood beside her, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. “Peace never comes without cost.” She turned to glance at him. His bruises had faded, but his eyes still carried the s
The twin engines of the stealth chopper whined softly as it descended beyond the tree line, slicing through the early morning mist like a blade through gauze. Fiona sat strapped in, her fingers curled tightly around the straps across her chest, eyes trained on the satellite feed on the mounted screen in front of her. Davenport wasn’t just a fortress—it was a statement. Built along the edge of a mountainous ridge and shielded by state-of-the-art surveillance, it was the last stronghold of Morrigan’s influence, carved out in steel and secrets. It was also the place where everything had started—and where it would finally end. “We touch down in five,” the pilot’s voice crackled through the headset. “Insertion team, get ready.” Darwin checked the chamber of his pistol and clipped it into place. “Remember, we don’t get a second chance at this. Our window is narrow. Foster’s jet was seen landing fifteen hours ago. We don’t know how long he’ll stay.” “Or what Morrigan’s planning,” Thalass
The private jet cut across the sky like a silver dagger, slicing through clouds on its descent toward Ravenport. Below, dense forests stretched for miles, a thick, green blanket hiding Morrigan’s last stronghold. The landing strip, built discreetly behind a series of abandoned warehouses and guarded by a private militia, was the only visible clue that something significant lurked in these woods. Darwin, seated beside Fiona, stared out the window, his jaw tight. Beside him, Fiona adjusted her black tactical jacket, her eyes hollow with determination. They weren’t flying in with an army. This mission demanded stealth, precision, and a level of danger none of them had faced before. “This isn’t a rescue,” Fiona said quietly. “This is an extraction. We go in, pull what we need, and get out before Morrigan knows we were even there.” Darwin nodded. “We identify what Gabriel Foster is doing there. If he’s meeting Morrigan, we document it. If they’re planning something bigger, we expose it.
The early morning light filtered weakly through the grimy windows of the temporary hideout. Fiona sat with her hands wrapped around a steaming mug of black coffee, her eyes fixed on the faded map spread across the wooden table. Red and black ink dotted the surface, indicating strongholds, escape routes, and key players loyal to Morrigan. Each mark told a story of manipulation, violence, and the thin web of power Morrigan spun so precisely. But that web was fraying. Across the room, Darwin leaned over a tablet, reviewing the footage from the hotel. Sofia Laurent was still alive—barely—but she had been moved into protective custody under heavy security. Her one whispered word had shifted the tide. Morrigan had gone from shadowy threat to active executioner in the eyes of those still sitting on the fence. And that changed everything. "They tried to silence her," Fiona said softly, her voice tight. "They almost succeeded." Darwin looked up, his expression grim. "But she didn’t die. A