Bang!
The gunshot echoed through the lighthouse.
Time seemed to stop.
Evelyn Carter’s eyes widened.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as the bullet struck her—not in the chest, but high in her left shoulder.
The force spun her sideways.
She crashed to one knee.
For a split second, no one moved.
Then chaos erupted.
The masked operative who had fired raised his weapon again.
“You’ve betrayed the Council!” he shouted.
Before he could fire a second shot—
Crack!
Captain Ryan’s tranquilizer round struck him squarely in the neck.
The man staggered backward.
His pistol clattered across the floor.
Within seconds, he collapsed unconscious.
Ryan frowned.
“He wasn’t supposed to shoot.”
Marcus understood immediately.
“This wasn’t part of the plan.”
⸻
The Fracture
The remaining operat
