Evening – En Route to Reed Estate
The city rushed by outside the windshield—headlights flashed like ghosts in Ava's view, with every red light glowing boldly.
She pressed down on the accelerator, the engine protesting loudly as she weaved through the traffic. Horns honked around her, but she didn’t pay attention to them.
She gripped the wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her lips were pressed in a flat, controlled line.
She was beyond fear.
She was operating on a deeper, darker level. She hit the call button on her car’s dashboard. Selena’s voice picked up on the second ring.
“Ava?”
“Meet me at the estate. Now. Call Rafael.”
“What’s going on?”
But Ava had already ended the call.
---
Reed Estate – Underground War Room
The moment the elevator doors hissed open, Ava stormed into the subterranean control room. The space pulsed with LED displays and quiet mechanical hums. Maps glowed on one wall. Security feeds blinked across another.
Selena was already waiting, standing like a g
