The desert station had become a pressure cooker of frustration.
Axel paced the floor, his jaw tight, his eyes burning with exhaustion. They had been searching for three days. Three days of dead ends, false leads, and empty safehouses. The inner circle's leader had vanished, leaving no trace behind.
"He's gone," Troy said, his voice flat. "We've hit every lead we had. There's nothing left."
"There's always something." Axel's voice was hard. "We just haven't found it yet."
Vance looked up from his laptop, his face pale. "I've been monitoring the Covenant's networks. There's been a spike in activity. Communications, money transfers, movement of personnel. Something's happening."
"What?" Axel asked.
"I don't know yet. But it's big. Big enough that they're willing to risk exposure."
Flin
