The wind had settled.
This part of Dominion City no longer echoed with the violence of battle, but with sothing far heavier. Smoke drifted slowly across the fractured skyline, rising from buildings that had once symbolized progress and pride. Now they stood broken, hollowed out by war and loss.
Harper remained kneeling beside linda’s body.
She had not moved for several minutes.
The weight of failure pressed down on her shoulders like a physical force, heavier than any strike Kael had delivered. Her hands trembled slightly as they rested on her thighs, her head bowed. Esta stood a short distance away, silent and composed, though even she could not mask the grief that lingered in her eyes.
"We were right there," Harper whispered hoarsely, barely audible. "We were right there..."
Esta did not respond imdiately. There was nothing useful to say. No strategy to suggest. No power to activate that could reverse what had happened.
A soft vibration broke the silence.
Harper flinched slightly before realizing it was her communicator.
For a second, she did not want to answer.
But she forced herself to move.
She lifted it to her ear.
"Harper," ca Charlotte’s voice, steady but tense. "Report. What went wrong?"
Harper closed her eyes.
Her throat tightened.
There was no way to soften it. No way to rephrase it into sothing less brutal.
Her voice ca out weak.
"She’s gone."
There was a pause.
"What do you an gone?" Charlotte asked quietly.
Harper swallowed.
"linda is dead," she said, the words cutting her as they left her mouth. "Kael killed her."
Silence.
Not static.
Not interruption.
Just silence.
On the other end of the line, in Charlotte’s office at the presidential villa, the air seed to freeze.
Charlotte stood behind her desk, the communicator still at her ear. Temi stood near the window. Becky had been pacing earlier but had stopped mid step. Camilia leaned against the far wall. Paula, who had been brought safely back to the island hours earlier, sat stiffly in one of the chairs.
Every face changed at once.
Temi’s jaw tightened.
Becky’s hands slowly dropped to her sides.
Camilia lowered her gaze.
Paula inhaled sharply, her fingers gripping the armrest of the chair.
Charlotte did not speak for several seconds.
When she finally did, her voice had lost its usual firmness.
"Are you certain?" she asked.
Harper’s voice trembled.
"I saw it," she whispered. "We tried. I tried. He overpowered us. Jayden arrived too late."
The words felt like stones.
Charlotte closed her eyes briefly.
Around her, the room grew unbearably still.
No one cried.
Not imdiately.
The grief did not erupt.
It sank.
It settled heavily into the space between them.
linda had not just been an ally. She had been a leader. A friend. A woman who had carried responsibilities larger than most people would ever understand.
And now she was gone.
Becky slowly turned away, pressing her hand to her mouth.
Temi walked to the desk and rested both palms on it, staring down at the polished wood without truly seeing it.
Paula’s eyes filled with tears, though she fought to keep them from falling.
Camilia whispered, almost to herself, "Kael..."
She was finding it hard to believe it.
Charlotte finally lowered the communicator.
"Secure the area," she said quietly to Harper. "And bring her ho."
Her voice broke slightly on the last word.
The call ended.
And then there was nothing but sorrowful silence.
Minutes passed without anyone speaking.
The war had already demanded so much.
Now it had taken soone they all knew.
Soone they knew was very dearest to Jayden.
...
At the far end of the villa, removed from the office and its crushing atmosphere, Sabrina stood alone on the first floor balcony.
The world looked deceptively peaceful from there.
The ocean stretched outward in calm waves, reflecting the pale afternoon light. The sky was vast and open, almost beautiful, if not for the faint plus of distant smoke barely visible along the horizon.
She rested her hands on the balcony railing.
Jayden had asked her to co here days ago, after the global business shutdown had begun and the chaos had escalated beyond control. He had insisted she would be safer on the island, within the protection of the villa and its security systems.
She understood.
But that did not make the waiting easier.
She had not joined the others much since arriving. The tension among them was thick, layered with worry and strategic discussions she could not contribute to. She felt like an outsider among warriors and planners.
So she stood alone, staring at the sky.
She whispered softly, almost like a prayer.
"Please be safe."
She was not only thinking about Jayden.
She was thinking about all of them.
She was hoping that sohow, despite everything, they would erge victorious.
That this nightmare would end.
Footsteps approached quietly behind her.
"Aunt Sabrina."
She turned.
Little Katie stood in the doorway, her small hands resting at her sides, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"Why are you here all alone?" the child asked with her soft, innocent voice.
Sabrina forced a gentle smile.
"Oh, Katie. You are not supposed to be here. Brother Jayden does not want you to be outside in any way."
Katie frowned slightly.
"But I am not outside."
Sabrina sighed lightly.
"I know, but the balcony is not just as safe as being inside the house."
Katie crossed her arms in mild frustration.
"But I am tired of staying inside. It is so bored."
Sabrina could not help but chuckle softly at that.
"I understand," she said warmly. "It is boring. But being safe is the most important thing right now."
Katie looked unconvinced.
Sabrina crouched down slightly to et her eye level.
"Do you want to tell you a story?" she offered.
Katie’s face brightened instantly.
"Yes."
Sabrina smiled and gently guided her to sit on one of the small outdoor chairs near the door, though she remained alert.
"Alright," Sabrina began softly. "Once upon a ti, there was a little girl who thought she was bored, but she did not know she was actually living in the most important Chapter of her life..."
Katie listened intently, her eyes wide and focused.
Sabrina continued, weaving a simple tale about courage and patience, about storms that passed and skies that cleared again.
As she spoke, her gaze occasionally drifted toward the horizon.
At first, she thought it was just a trick of light.
A small dot in the sky.
Then it moved.
Slowly.
Growing larger.
Closer.
Her voice faltered slightly mid sentence.
Katie blinked. "Why did the little girl not just run away?" she asked, noticing the pause.
Sabrina did not answer imdiately.
Her eyes narrowed.
The dot was no longer small.
It was approaching fast.
And it was heading directly toward the island.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Whatever it was, it did not move like any friendly aircraft she had seen before.
The shape beca clearer.
Sleek, dark, and unfamiliar.
Her instincts scread.
"Katie," Sabrina said firmly.
"Yes?"
"We need to go inside."
Katie pouted.
"Why? You are not done with your story."
Sabrina’s tone sharpened.
"No, Katie. We need to go inside now."
The aircraft grew larger in the sky, its outline unmistakable now. It was descending.
Fast.
Sabrina stood and grabbed Katie’s hand.
"Katie, listen to . We have to move."
The child sensed the urgency in her voice this ti and did not argue.
They rushed through the balcony doors into the house.
Sabrina slamd the glass doors shut behind them and locked them quickly before pulling Katie further down the hallway.
In the distance, the sound beca audible.
A low chanical roar.
Approaching.
Out over the ocean, the dark aircraft cut through the air smoothly.
Inside the cockpit, Kael leaned back slightly, a faint smirk on his face.
He had retreated from Dominion City, but not in defeat.
His body had already regenerated most of the damage Jayden inflicted.
And now he had sothing far more personal in mind.
The island ca into full view.
The presidential villa stood prominently against the shoreline, elegant and secure, unaware of what was coming.
Kael’s smile widened.
"Hehe," he murmured quietly to himself. "We do not have much ti for the fun."
His eyes glead coldly.
He adjusted the controls and directed the aircraft lower.
"Let us continue."
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