Echoes of Return

Location: Tavara – Damien's Private Estate, Operations Room

The return from Zurich had shaken the foundation of everything. Ava Li's extraction wasn't just a tactical success—it was a trigger. Her survival was proof that the Obsidian Circle's reach was even wider and darker than anyone had guessed.

Inside Damien's estate, the operations room was alive with data streams, communication chatter, and background encryption scans. But in the middle of it all stood Ava—now free, but haunted.

Nora approached with measured steps, her eyes full of cautious concern. "How much do you remember?"

Ava turned, voice barely above a whisper. "Enough to know we're at war. And this time, the battlefield isn't just physical—it's in the mind."

Victor entered the room behind her, his presence grounding, calm. "They wanted to turn you into a weapon."

"They failed," Ava said, her jaw tightening.

Damien walked over with a flash drive in hand. "This contains your final scans—before and after their experiments. Ashford says there are embedded neural algorithms, likely for control or surveillance. We're going to need to purge them carefully."

"I want them gone," she said instantly. "Every trace. And when this is done… I want to face whoever did this."

Nora nodded. "You will. But first, we need to talk about what you know. Names, locations, any fragments they couldn't erase."

Ava hesitated. "There's one phrase that kept surfacing—Project Silent Crown. They were obsessed with it. Files, rooms, tests. All connected. And one name kept surfacing with it…"

She looked between Damien and Nora.

"Harold."

Nora froze. "My uncle?"

"Yes," Ava said slowly. "But not the Harold you knew. He wasn't just feeding them intel. He was orchestrating psychological manipulation trials—on people like me."

Victor clenched his fists. "Then he's far more dangerous than we thought."

Logan stepped in. "Satellite feed just came through. Harold's no longer in Tavara. He's been spotted in Morocco. Looks like he's on the move and under the Obsidian Circle's protection."

Damien exhaled. "Then we follow. No more waiting."

As the team prepared to mobilize again, Marcus placed a hand on Ava's shoulder. "It's good to have you back."

Ava gave him a faint smile. "Good to be back. But I didn't return just to survive."

Her eyes flicked to the war map on the screen.

"I came to end this."