Chapter 857
“We need to go,” Skye said. “If they can hit a federal convoy in broad daylight, no one is safe.” She turned from the window, her jaw set. “And we still have a plane to catch.”
The hospital room was quiet, the only sound the rhythmic beeping of the monitors.
Liam Kensington — or Nero, as the chart still read — lay in bed. He looked better than he had a few days ago, color returning to his cheeks.
Skye sat beside him and told him everything. Travis. Celeste. The explosion.
Liam listened, his expression unreadable.
“She’s dead,” Liam said softly. “The Architect doesn’t leave witnesses.”
“Travis said there was a backup,” Skye said. “We decrypted the tablet. The flight plan for the Blue Phoenix didn’t end in Nevada — it was a refueling stop. The final destination for the money transfers was Zurich.”
A𝖽𝗱𝗶𝘤tіv𝘦 𝘯o𝘷𝖾l𝗌 о𝗻 𝘨𝖺𝘭𝗇𝘰𝗏𝗲𝘭ѕ.𝖼𝗈𝗆
Liam’s eyes flickered. “Zurich. Of course.” He paused, gathering himself. “The Nevada site is a fortress, Skye. It’s a black hole. You can’t breach it without the override codes. And those codes are kept in the Mastermind’s central server — in Zurich.”
“So we have to split up,” Skye realized, her heart sinking. “We can’t just storm the prison in Nevada. We’d trigger a lockdown and they’d kill Parker and Victoria. We need the keys first.”
“Exactly,” Liam said. “Someone needs to go to Zurich to get the codes. Someone needs to hold the line here. And someone needs to be ready to hit Nevada the moment the codes come through.”
“I’m going to Zurich,” Skye said. “I have to know what’s in that server. I have to get the keys.”
“It’s dangerous, Skye,” Liam said. “Zurich is complicated.”
“Everything is a trap,” Skye said, rising from her chair. “But I can’t sit here waiting for the next bomb.”
The door burst open. Lucian strode in, phone in hand, his breath short.
“We have a problem,” he said. “The Syndicate just launched a coordinated cyber-attack on the city’s grid. Hospitals, traffic lights, police comms — everything is down. Riots are breaking out in the lower districts. They’re trying to pin us in place.”
Alistair looked at Skye. The conflict in his eyes was agonizing.
“I can’t leave,” Alistair said, his voice rough. “If the city falls, Thorne Group falls with it. I need to coordinate the defense — hold the line here so you have a home to come back to.”
“I know,” Skye said, though her heart felt like it was fracturing. “You stay. Save the city. I’ll save our friends.”
“Take Felix,” Alistair ordered. “And take my Shadow Team. Do not go alone.”
“I won’t,” Skye promised.
She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Liam’s forehead. “Get better, Liam. We need you.”
Then she walked out.
Liam watched the door close. He waited a full minute. Then he reached under his mattress and pulled out a burner phone.
He dialed.
“She’s coming to Zurich,” Liam whispered. “Activate the safe house protocols. Ensure the vault is accessible only to her. I want her safe.”