The total darkness beneath the North Sea felt like a thick blanket pressing down on us. The submarine *Northwind*, now reinforced with the new Northvale metallurgical alloy, moved through a narrow crevice on the seabed, following coordinates hidden in Ashworth's hard drive.
"We're approaching the exclusive zone of the North Clan headquarters," Agent D reported from navigation, his voice calm even though we were thousands of feet below the surface. "Sonar detects three active layers of energy shields around the fortress."
I nodded, gripping the submarine controls with both hands. "They must be using power from the geothermal facility they stole. We have to penetrate those shields before they lock onto our frequency."
"We can't get through those shields with conventional torpedoes, Cassia
