Chapter 135: Redlake Protocol—Two days later, Sophia stood on a rain-slick tarmac in northern Romania, eyes locked on the coordinates displayed on her burner phone. Redlake wasn’t marked on any map. No satellite data. No intelligence agency reference. Just latitude and longitude buried in Orion’s
Chapter 134: Beneath the MountainThe reinforced steel door loomed in front of them, tall and featureless except for a single biometric scanner embedded into the frame. Sophia stared at it, knowing full well this wasn’t going to be simple. Nothing about The Vault was.“Elise, cover me,” she said qui
Chapter 133: The Price of Truth—Sophia sat alone in the quiet aftermath of the press conference, the weight of the world settled across her shoulders like a stone she hadn’t realized she was carrying until now. The room felt colder, darker, even though the sun had long since risen and the city was
Chapter 132: The Unmarked Door—Darkness swallowed the corridor. No emergency lights. No hum of machines. Only the sharp intake of breath as Sophia adjusted her stance, pistol raised, waiting for movement.“Elise, Reyes—check in.” Her voice sounded harder than she meant it to.“I’m here,” Elise’s v
Chapter 131: Firelines—By the time Sophia and Elise landed back in Washington, the air felt different. Sharper, like the atmosphere before a storm breaks. The streets surrounding the DOJ building were clogged with reporters, protesters, and camera drones floating in organized, buzzing rows.Sophia
Chapter 130: No More Ghosts—The lights strobed crimson and white across bare concrete as Sophia pressed her back against the wall, pulse hammering in her throat. The alarms hadn’t stopped since Orion’s voice had cut through the speaker system, and from the increasing gunfire echoing through the co