Location: Safehouse Compound, Black Forest Region, Germany – 48 Hours Later
The storm had passed. Snow melted under the hum of VTOL engines. Inside a converted stone monastery, Devon sat alone in the debriefing chamber. The lights were low. Rain pelted the stained glass windows like distant gunfire.
He stared at the holographic image of Harry, paused mid-laugh from a team photo after their first mission in the Mediterranean. The moment felt like a century ago.
Skynet's voice spoke softly.
"Emotional metrics elevated. Would you like to terminate visual feed?"
Devon shook his head. "No. Leave it."
He tapped a command into the tablet. The screen shifted Amie and Emily's bios appeared, flagged as priority protected. Their location: moved to a safe house in Dublin under full surveillance and security.
"I did what I promised, Harry," Devon said, his voice hoarse. "They're safe."
Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Lacy entered, bruised and limping, her shoulder still bandaged from Belarus. She looked at the image of Harry and paused.
"We all lost something back there," she said. "But you… you lost a brother."
Devon stood slowly, jaw tight.
"We all did."
Raven's Quarters – Lower Hall
Raven sat in silence, watching drone footage from the infiltration, frame by frame. She stopped at one moment Harry planting the final charge before the explosion. He had turned to the camera and winked.
"Tell Devon I owe him a beer. Not a goodbye. Just a promise."
She hit pause, tears running silently down her face. Not because of weakness, but because the cost of what they were doing had finally become real.
Silas stepped in and handed her a bottle.
"You know he died making sure the rest of us walked out. Can't let that go in vain."
"We won't," Raven whispered. "We can't."
Mission Room – 2100 Hours
Devon stood before his crew. The war table now displayed the data Skynet had decrypted from the Eteon servers blueprints, black site locations, names of corrupt generals, and something else...
A name flickered: Gideon Mace – High Command, Eteon Core Project.
"He's the architect," Devon said. "The man who greenlit Project Zero Core. Skynet found him hiding in the Tri-Border jungle. Protected. Armed. But exposed."
He looked over the team Lacy, still bruised but ready; Raven, eyes sharp despite the loss; Silas, always calm before war.
"We take him next. No more playing defense. We burn Eteon to the ground."
"Intel on resistance?" Silas asked.
"Light on paper," Raven muttered. "Which means heavy in real life."
Devon nodded. "We'll prep in three days. But before that... we bury our own."
Clifftop Memorial – Scotland
A single black stone sat at the edge of the cliff, engraved simply:
HARRY .... Sniper. Brother. Legend.
"Watch your six—I've got the seven."
Devon stood before it in silence, the wind howling like ghosts. His team gathered behind him, dressed in black.
He pulled out a silver military dog tag and drove it into the earth beside the marker.
"I'll raise your daughter like she's mine," he whispered. "And when this war ends… you'll be the reason why."
He turned to face the others.
"We don't run. We don't forget. We strike back."
Later That Night – Devon's Command Deck
Skynet pulsed on-screen, its voice more human than before.
"Query: Harry's genetic, psychological, and tactical profiles have been archived. Would you like me to construct a predictive model for battlefield simulations?"
Devon hesitated. "Would it be accurate?"
"97.2% effective."
He considered it. Then nodded. "Do it. But keep it offline. For training only. Not replacement."
"Understood. Simulation designated: Ghost Protocol."
A new mission file opened.
OBJECTIVE: Terminate Gideon Mace.
Devon cracked his knuckles and stared into the digital abyss.
They had taken Harry.
Now Devon would take everything else.