The Hunt Begins Again

The Catskills bunker had always been a forgotten relic, a shadow between mountains. But now, as Tricia reviewed every line of code in her virus, the silence around her felt too perfect. Like a breath held too long.

Jared had stepped out twenty minutes ago to take a secure call from Reed—something about exfil routes in Zurich. Tricia trusted Jared with her life. But after what she’d learned about Nathan, trust had started to feel like a loaded trigger.

Tricia emerged near the tree line as helicopters thundered overhead. Her lungs burned, every muscle screaming from the sprint, but she didn’t stop. She knew what Nathan wanted—to break her resolve, to make her run in fear.

But this was not fear. This was fury. This was fire.

She reached a decoy safehouse near Lake Ashwood, just a rusted trailer and buried cable lines. She collapsed inside, drawing heavy breaths, staring at the scorched earth behind her.

Then the communicator chirped.

She activated it.