Location: Tavara – Lancaster Estate, Private Garden Terrace
The morning after Geneva's explosion was too quiet. The kind of silence that follows a storm—not peace, but the uneasy pause before the next blow.
Nora stood barefoot on the damp grass, her silk robe fluttering gently in the breeze. A cup of warm herbal tea rested in her hand, untouched. Her eyes scanned the estate's horizon, but her mind wandered far beyond.
Behind her, Damien approached with slow, calculated steps. "Couldn't sleep?"
She glanced over her shoulder, offering a soft smile. "I dreamed of the bunker again. But this time, it wasn't us escaping—it was them chasing."
He moved beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "They're gone, Nora. Their operations, their secrets… we blew it all wide open."
"But people like them don't vanish, Damien," she said quietly. "They retreat. Regroup. They evolve."
He didn't argue. Instead, he pulled her closer. "Then we stay ready. Together."
They stood in silence, two titans who had survived the collapse of giants. But just as they exhaled in that rare moment of calm, a distant rumble cut through the air.
Boom.
It wasn't nearby. But it was deliberate—and it was close enough.
Charles appeared at the terrace door, phone pressed to his ear, urgency painted across his face. "A blast just hit Sector Four. That's less than twenty minutes from here."
Nora set her cup down, instantly alert. "Who was the target?"
Charles hesitated. "General Rodrigo's convoy. Three bodyguards dead. He barely made it."
Damien's expression darkened. "Rodrigo is one of the last who helped fund our Geneva mission. They're retaliating."
Nora's hand clenched. "We're not done yet."
---
Location: Safehouse Echo-9 – Underground Lab, Tavara
Caelum sat at a large, curved monitor wall, his artificial eye flickering as streams of live data poured in. "Multiple black-market chatter threads confirm a contract was initiated two weeks ago. High-value. Top-tier assassin class."
"Name?" Damien asked.
Caelum tapped a few keys. A picture appeared on screen: a female silhouette with white-blonde hair, blood-red lips, and eyes like glaciers. No name. Only a codename: Vesper.
Charles narrowed his eyes. "She's a ghost. Never missed a target. Never been seen twice in the same place."
Nora tilted her head. "Why send someone like her now?"
Caelum responded, "Because whoever's left from the Council wants Damien dead. And they want it clean."
Damien chuckled darkly. "Then let them try."
But deep down, he knew this assassin wasn't like the others. Vesper wasn't just a contract killer—she was from his past.
Someone he once trusted.
---
Location: Unknown – Vesper's Hideout, Tavara Outskirts
Inside a dim room lit only by rotating monitors and blue light, Vesper adjusted her gloves. Her voice was silky but detached as she spoke into her wrist device.
"Target: Damien Lancaster. Secondary: Dr. Nora Lancaster. Extraction not required."
A pause. Then a whispered addition.
"Make it poetic."
Her lips curled into a half-smile. "With pleasure."