Location: Secret Safehouse – Tavara Outskirts
The atmosphere inside the safehouse was heavier than ever. Nora sat on the corner of the worn leather sofa, eyes glued to the flickering screen in front of her. The headlines were everywhere.
> "Classified Experiments Unveiled: Leaked Archive Points to Global Cover-Up."
"Tavara's Top Medical Institutes Linked to Human Cloning."
"Damien Wycliffe and Nora Elridge Connected to Secret Military Operations."
"It's happening," Nora whispered. "Everything we've fought to keep buried is now being used against us."
Damien paced across the room, phone pressed to his ear. "I don't care what it takes, lock down all digital trails. Pull favors from Manticore. Get me a back channel with the Canadian Syndicate—we'll need them when this hits full storm."
He ended the call and turned to the room.
"They're calling for an international tribunal," he said grimly. "They want names, they want accountability. And they're painting us as masterminds."
Jasper, hunched over a nearby laptop, cursed. "The files Amara leaked weren't just raw data. They were wrapped in narrative—edited footage, messages, suggestions. She didn't just leak intel—she spun it."
"She wanted the world to believe her version," Nora said, jaw tight. "She turned truth into a weapon."
---
Location: Parliamentary Hall – Tavara's Capitol
Inside the high-security chamber, power players from across the nation gathered. Senators. Military generals. Representatives from allied nations.
A massive screen played the final seconds of Amara's viral video.
> "The powerful have silenced voices for decades. The clones were only the beginning. What lies beneath is darker than you know."
Whispers filled the chamber. Accusations flew.
At the far end of the room, Secretary Blaine leaned toward the Defense Minister.
"We need to contain this quickly," he muttered. "If Damien and Nora are as central as this suggests, they're no longer assets... they're threats."
---
Location: Safehouse – Backroom
Damien closed the door behind him. He needed a moment. Alone.
The weight of everything pressed into his chest—the betrayals, the battles, the woman he loved now drowning in guilt, and the world demanding blood.
He stared at the floor, his voice low.
"I protected this world from the worst of itself. From men who play god. From those who would erase bloodlines to create obedient legacies..."
His fist clenched.
"And now they want to drag us down as villains."
The door creaked. Nora entered quietly.
"They don't know the whole story," she said softly.
"Doesn't matter," Damien replied. "They don't care. Amara made sure of that."
Nora stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. "Then we show them. The real story. The full one."
His eyes met hers.
"Together?"
"Always."
---
Location: Wycliffe Estates – Hidden Chamber
Miles away, a figure stepped into the dark archives of Damien's family estate.
Celine Wycliffe—Damien's half-sister—brushed dust from a sealed crate.
She pried it open.
Inside lay documents. Footage. Artifacts from Project Emberfall.
The last untouched record of the real beginning.
She smirked.
"If the world wants truth... they'll get more than they bargained for."