However, as we returned to the main headquarters—which now felt too quiet with the external systems still offline—a message popped up on Victor's terminal. The message wasn't from Lisa or Selena. It was an encrypted message using the Chimera operator's cipher.
"Architect," the very familiar voice was hoarse and filled with hatred, the voice of the operator who had wounded me last week. "You may have defeated Elias. But you forgot one crucial thing."
I immediately turned to Victor. "What's the message?"
Victor looked horrified as he read his terminal screen. "They said, 'You took Elias, but we have already taken your strongest foundation, Henry'."
"What does that mean?" I asked, a terrible premonition washing over me.
"They sent this message from Vanguard Headquarters' emergency backup
