At Daniel.
At the war we just walked into.
“Let’s finish this.”
54
Mila
The alarms don’t just sound.
They consume everything.
A high-pitched, pulsing scream that drills straight through bone and instinct, turning the air sharp, electric—alive with danger.
No more shadows.
No more quiet.
This is war now.
I step forward first.
Always forward.
The room opens up around us—wide, circular, lined with servers that stretch floor to ceiling. Blue-white lights pulse through glass casings, data streaming in constant motion like the system itself is breathing.
This is it.
The nerve center.
The truth.
“Daniel,” I say, already moving toward the central console, “tell me that drive didn’t just get us killed for nothing.”
He’s beside me in seconds, plugging the device into a secured port built directly into the core system.
“It got us exactly where we need to be.”
“Then move,” Jase snaps behind us.
I don’t turn—but I feel him.
Right there.
Close enough to touch.
Close enough that if anything comes through that door, he’ll take the hit before it reaches me.
And God help anyone who tries.
Gunfire erupts outside.
Muffled—but getting closer.
“They’re coming fast,” Jonah’s voice cuts through comms. “We’ve got movement on all sides.”
Ethan follows, calm but tight. “Two minutes. Maybe less.”
