The converted factory was quiet in the hours before dawn, the only sound the soft hum of the monitors and the distant whisper of wind through the city's streets. Rook stood at the window, his eyes fixed on the horizon, the weight of the last seven years pressing down on him like something that had finally found its place.
The alliance with Elena was holding. The Phoenix Initiative was stronger than ever. The old systems were dead, and the new systems were growing. But the scars remained—visible in the eyes of the people who'd survived, in the memories of those who hadn't.
Sergei moved up beside him, his voice low and careful. "The integration is complete. Elena's network has been fully absorbed into the Phoenix Initiative. We're now operating across six continents, with assets in every m
