Chapter 83: The Map of Shadows

They drove back to the Palace in silence. The adrenaline from the fight in the crypts was fading, replaced by exhaustion and dread.

Jackson clutched the small, black data drive he had pried from the Bishop's frozen fingers. It felt cold, heavy with secrets.

"Dad, your hand," Alex whispered from the backseat.

Jackson looked down. His knuckles were raw and bloody from punching stone. He hadn't even noticed.

"It's nothing," Jackson wiped the blood on his tactical vest. "Just a scratch."

They arrived at the Villa. Security was at maximum alert. Every light was on.

Margaret met them at the door, looking pale. "Is it done? Is Lazarus..."

"He's ice," Sebastian said grimly, limping in behind Jackson. "Literally."

Jackson didn't stop for pleasantries. He walked straight to the secure tech room. He tossed the black drive onto the table.

"Alex. Decrypt this," Jackson ordered. "Lazarus died trying to protect it. I want to know why."

Alex climbed into his chair. He didn't joke around this time. He plugged the drive into an isolated laptop (air-gapped, so no viruses could escape).

"This isn't standard encryption," Alex frowned, his fingers flying. "It’s ancient cipher mixed with quantum algorithms. It's... beautiful, in a creepy way."

"Can you crack it?" Serenity asked, resting her hand on Jackson’s shoulder.

"Mom, please," Alex scoffed lightly. "Give me ten minutes."

---

Ten minutes later.

"Got it," Alex hit Enter. "It's a map."

The main screen flickered to life. A holographic projection of the Earth spun slowly in the center of the room.

Red dots appeared on the globe.

"What are those?" Jackson stepped closer.

"Facilities," Margaret whispered, her eyes wide with recognition. "These are Order Bases."

She pointed to the first red dot in Europe. Montbert Cathedral. The dot blinked, then turned grey.

"Status: COMPROMISED," Alex read the tag. "That means us. We destroyed that one."

But there were two more dots pulsing angrily in red.

One was located deep in the endless dunes of the Sahara Desert.
[ Sector Sand: Genetic Harvesting ]

The other was located in the freezing waters of the Arctic Circle.
[ Sector Ice: Final Evolution ]

"They aren't just hiding here," Jackson realized. "They are global."

"The Sahara base..." Margaret read the data stream scrolling next to it. "They are harvesting rare biological samples. That’s where they get the raw material for the serums."

"And the Arctic?" Serenity asked.

"That seems to be their HQ," Alex narrowed his eyes. "High energy readings. Shielded from satellites. That's where the Grand Master lives."

Jackson stared at the map. The enemy had a name now. And a location.

For months, he had been playing defense. Protecting Serenity from ex-husbands, kidnappers, and assassins. He was tired of waiting for the next attack. He was tired of looking over his shoulder.

"Jackson?" Serenity sensed the shift in his mood. "What are you thinking?"

Jackson turned to look at her. Then at his children.

"I'm done waiting," Jackson said, his voice low and dangerous.

He pointed at the map.

"We aren't going to wait for them to come to us. We aren't going to hide behind these palace walls hoping they leave Aurora alone."

He looked at Luke and Sebastian.

"Pack the gear. Refuel the jet."

"Where are we going, Boss?" Luke grinned, cocking his weapon.

"First stop: The Desert," Jackson slammed his hand on the table. "We are going to burn their garden to the ground."

Serenity took his hand. She wasn't scared anymore. She was angry.

"They hunted us like animals," she said. "Now, we hunt them."

The War of the Shadows had just gone global.

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