Snow swallowed the horizon.
On Lucas’s screens, the Arctic was a blur of white and broken ice. Only one anomaly broke the emptiness—a steady heat signature buried deep beneath the surface.
Elena didn’t blink. “Confirm it.”
Lucas zoomed in. “Subterranean structure. Power output matches a large-scale facility.”
Adrian exhaled. “He built this in hiding.”
“Not hiding,” Elena said quietly. “Controlling.”
---
Governments refused to act.
“The region falls outside enforceable jurisdiction,” an official said over secure call. “We can monitor, not intervene.”
Elena’s voice went cold. “So you watch.”
“We avoid escalation.”
The line cut.
Adrian shook his head. “Convenient.”
Lucas turned. “Then we don’t ask permission.”
Elena nodded. “We move.”
---
The aircraft cut through polar night.
