The command center moved with a new kind of urgency. It was no longer the quiet tension of waiting. It was the sharp focused energy of action. Screens shifted. Commands were issued. Teams were mobilized. Every second now carried weight.
Ethan stood still for a moment longer, staring at the frozen image of Victor on the screen. The faint outline of the ventilation pipe behind him remained visible, a small detail that most would have ignored. But for Ethan, it was enough.
Marcus broke the silence first. “Strike teams are assembling. We can be in the harbor district within fifteen minutes.”
Sophia did not look away from Ethan. “And the hostages?”
Ethan finally turned. His expression was calm, but there was something deeper behind his eyes now. Something colder.
“We save them,” he said si
