Chapter 11:The Art Of The Knife

She stepped out of the car like a queen on execution day.

Eliora Vale. Black heels. Black coat. No expression. Just that cold, calculated calm that only people with too much power and no soul could wear so easily. The rain didn't even touch her—she held a sleek black umbrella that shimmered under the dull city lights, like it belonged in another world. Everything about her said untouchable.

Alexander didn't move. Lila didn't blink. Riven sat frozen in the van, one hand gripping the edge of the seat like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.

Vale smiled, just slightly. Not the warm kind. The kind people give when they've already decided what you're worth.

"You've made quite the mess," she said. Voice soft. Controlled. Like she was greeting old friends at a funeral.

Alexander's jaw tightened. His hand stayed near his side, close to the weapon he wasn't sure would do any good here.

"You came to kill us?" he asked.

Vale tilted her head. "If I wanted you dead, Cain, you wouldn't be standing right now. I came to offer... an understanding."

Lila stepped forward, her voice sharp and flat. "You blew up Echo. You sent those men to erase us. Now you want to talk?"

"I didn't blow up Echo," Vale said calmly. "I gave an order. She chose the place. The timing. The people. You're blaming me for her mistakes."

Alexander narrowed his eyes. "You're worse than Donovan."

She smirked. "No. I'm better. He played chess. I'm building the board."

They stood in the rain, the sky dripping like a leaking ceiling above a world slowly collapsing. Behind her, the black cars waited, silent, idling. A dozen men stood ready, but not moving. That's what scared him. That they didn't need to. She had already won something. She just hadn't told them what.

"Project GRAIL," Lila said. Her voice cracked slightly, but she didn't back down. "How many did you break?

Vale didn't blink. "Enough to know what works."

"You used people like machines," Alexander snapped. "You rewired them. Erased them. You turned grief into profit."

She took a step forward. Her umbrella tilted just enough to let the rain touch her cheek.

"I turned chaos into control. That's more than you've ever done."

The words hit harder than a bullet. Alexander almost stepped forward, but Lila reached out and stopped him.

Vale looked at them both. Then her eyes landed on Riven, still frozen in the van.

"She shouldn't be here," Vale said softly. "This game is above her."

"She saved your data," Lila growled. "She gave us the last piece."

Vale looked disappointed. "So loyal. So brave. So... tragically temporary."

The threat was there. Quiet. Heavy. Real.

Alexander felt it—this wasn't a woman playing games. This was someone who had killed before, would kill again, and didn't think twice about it.

"You think if you scare us enough, we'll hand over the drive?" Lila asked.

Vale smiled. "No. I think if I give you just enough truth, you'll question if leaking it is even worth it."

She reached into her coat. Slowly. No one moved.

She pulled out a phone. Tossed it to the ground between them. It slid, screen lighting up. A paused video. A hospital room. A figure strapped to a bed. Monitors. Screaming.

Alexander picked it up. Lila leaned over it was Barrett 

Hooked to machines. Eyes wide. Terrified. Not dead.

"You killed him," Alexander whispered.

"No," Vale said, her voice cool. "You assumed. I repurposed him. He's alive. And very... informative."

Lila's hands shook. Her throat tightened. She remembered the blood. The crash. The empty look in his eyes. They'd buried a shell and thought it was over. But this woman had rewritten the ending.

"You're a monster," she said.

Vale didn't argue. "Monsters are the ones willing to do what heroes won't."

Alexander handed the phone to Riven, who was now standing outside the van, trembling.

"Why show us this?" he asked.

"Because I want you to understand that every move you make from now on is part of my game," Vale said. "You leak GRAIL, you expose powerful allies. Nations fall. Markets crash. Innocents suffer. Is that what you want? 

She stepped closer.

"You want justice. I offer control. I offer a seat. You don't have to die in the dirt like Echo. You can be part of the new order."

Alexander met her eyes. They were glassy. Empty. Nothing lived there.

"You think we want a seat at your table?"

Vale smiled. "Everyone wants power. Even if they pretend not to."

He shook his head. "We want the truth."

"Then I hope you're ready for what it costs," she said.

She turned, just like that. Walked back to her car. Umbrella high. Unbothered looked at him. Unhurried.

"Think fast," she called back. "You've got forty-eight hours. After that, the offer's gone."

The doors closed. The convoy pulled away. No tires squealed. No drama. Just vanishing silence.

Alexander stood still.

Lila stepped beside him.

"She has Barrett," she whispered.

"I know."

"What do we do?"

He looked down at the phone. At Barrett's face. Then up at the sky. The rain felt colder now. Like the water had teeth.

"We finish what we started," he said.

"But... if we release the files now—"

"We burn the world," he finished for her.

She nodded slowly.

Then Riven spoke. Quiet, but steady.

"We burn it."

They turned to her.

"I lost everything," she said. "Family. Friends. Home. Because of people like her. If we don't burn it... someone else pays."

Alexander looked at Lila. Lila looked at him.

Then she reached into her coat and pulled out the drive 

"Let's light the match."