The Zurich Operation

Location: Zurich, Switzerland – Perimeter of Blacksite Z-14

Snow fell in hushed sheets, blanketing the isolated outskirts of Zurich. The silence wasn't peaceful—it was the stillness that came before chaos. Hidden beneath layers of pine and concrete lay Blacksite Z-14, an off-grid facility operated under the guise of a private medical institute. But inside, Ava Li was no patient—she was a prisoner.

Lara Cross adjusted the thermal scope on her rifle from the ridge.

"We've got ten hostiles on outer patrol. Motion sensors, dogs, infrared scanners. This isn't just a lab—it's a fortress."

Kaito Ren, crouched beside her, barely nodded. "That's why we're ghosts tonight."

Inside the ops van parked a mile out, Damien, Victor, Marcus, and the rest of the strike unit reviewed the schematic one final time.

"We breach from the west," Victor instructed. "Tunnel D leads straight to the lower detention wing. Ava's being held in chamber 9-B. No mistakes."

Marcus checked his custom firearm. "What about contingencies?"

Damien met his eyes. "If they've tampered with her mind, we bring her out anyway. No matter what version of her we find."

The plan was set.

By 0200 hours, the first silent takedown was complete—two guards dragged into the snow, unconscious. Kaito scaled the wall like vapor, disabling three cameras and a sensor grid before sliding down with feline grace. Lara hacked into the perimeter control, buying them a ten-minute blind window.

They were in.

Inside, the air was sterile and humming with low voltage—a mix of electricity and suppressed pain.

Victor led the descent into the sublevels, his mind focused, heart heavy. It had been years since Ava vanished. She had been a prodigy strategist, beloved by Damien's former elite corps—and someone Victor once trusted with his life.

"Breaching now," Marcus whispered as he placed the microcharge.

The door to 9-B blew open with a muffled hiss.

And there she was.

Strapped to a steel chair, monitors embedded into her temples, hair shorn unevenly, but eyes still sharp. Not broken—just… watching.

"Ava," Damien said softly.

Her gaze snapped to him. For a heartbeat, nothing. Then—

"You're late," she whispered.

Victor blinked.

Ava smiled faintly. "You didn't think the Obsidian Circle could rewrite me that easily, did you?"

The team moved in to disconnect her as sirens blared. Reinforcements were inbound.

Lara called out, "We've got a five-minute exit window. They're activating the secondary AI defense grid!"

Gunfire erupted above. The building rumbled. Kaito and Marcus provided cover as the team extracted Ava, Victor carrying her as they rushed through the tunnel.

A final blast detonated behind them, sealing the entrance.

Once outside, snow and fire met in the chaos. But the team was whole. And Ava was back.

As the helicopter lifted into the air, Damien looked at Ava.

"You held on."

Ava, voice steadier now, replied, "They tried to erase me. But memories of war... and of you two… ran deeper."

Victor smiled grimly. "Then it's time they learn we remember everything too."