Chapter 42: Operation Ghost

The Gulfstream jet flew through the pitch-black night sky, its lights completely turned off.

Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was tense.

"We are approaching Montbert airspace in five minutes," the pilot’s voice crackled over the intercom. "Mr. Sterling, if we cross the border without clearance, their air defense system might lock onto us. We could be shot down."

Jackson sat in the command chair, looking at the glowing map on the screen. He turned to the little boy sitting next to him, who was buried under three laptops.

"Alex," Jackson said calmly. "Are we ready?"

Alex adjusted his oversized headphones. His small face was illuminated by streams of green code. He didn't look like a child; he looked like a soldier at war.

"I need thirty seconds," Alex typed furiously. "Grand Duke Stefan upgraded his radar system last year. It’s tricky. But... not impossible."

Serenity gripped the armrest. Her knuckles were white. Mia was asleep in the back bedroom, blissfully unaware that they were about to fly into a lion's den.

"Twenty seconds to radar contact," the pilot counted down.

"Alex..." Serenity held her breath.

"Almost..." Alex bit his lip. "Bypassing the firewall... Spoofing the transponder code... Redirecting satellite feedback..."

"Five seconds! Mark!"

"Enter!" Alex smashed the enter key with his fist.

A green message popped up on all screens: [ SYSTEM CLOAKED: GHOST MODE ACTIVE ]

"We are invisible," Alex leaned back, exhaling sharply. "To their radar, we are just a cloud. Or a flock of really big geese."

Jackson let out a breath of relief. He high-fived his son. "Good job, Agent Alex."

The plane glided silently over the border. Below them, the kingdom of Montbert lay sleeping. It was a beautiful country of mountains and rivers, but shadows hung over its cities.

"Where are we landing?" Jackson asked Sebastian, who was glued to the window.

"Sector 4. An abandoned airstrip from the Cold War," Sebastian pointed to a dark patch in the forest. "My old friends should be waiting there."

The landing was rough. The runway was cracked and covered in weeds. The plane bounced violently before screeching to a halt at the edge of the forest.

The engines powered down. Silence returned.

"Is it safe?" Serenity whispered.

Suddenly, headlights flickered on in the darkness outside. One. Two. Ten cars. They surrounded the plane.

Jackson drew his gun instantly, stepping in front of Serenity.

"Wait!" Sebastian put a hand on Jackson's gun. "Look at the signal."

The headlights flashed three times: Long, Short, Long.

"It's the Resistance," Sebastian smiled, tears in his eyes. "The Loyalists."

The cabin door opened. Cold night air rushed in.

Serenity stepped out onto the metal stairs. As soon as her foot touched the ground, twenty armed men and women emerged from the cars. They looked ragged, tired, but their eyes were burning with hope.

They saw Sebastian. Then they saw the silver locket on Serenity's neck. And her face—the face of their late Queen.

One by one, they dropped to one knee in the dirt.

"Your Highness," a tall woman leader whispered, bowing her head. "We have waited twenty-five years for this night."

Serenity stood there, the wind blowing her hair. She looked at these people who had risked death to greet her.

She wasn't just Serenity Lewis anymore. She was Princess Aurelia.

"Rise," Serenity said, her voice clear and strong in the silent forest. "We have a kingdom to save."