Chapter 52 Mila
Mila
Zurich is quiet.
From the air, it looks untouched—clean streets, soft lights reflecting off the water, the kind of place people come to feel safe.
Normal.
But I’ve learned something over the years—
The cleanest places hide the dirtiest secrets.
The jet descends through low cloud cover, smooth and controlled.
Inside, no one speaks.
No one needs to.
We’re all locked in.
Focused.
Ready.
“Two minutes,” the pilot calls from the cockpit.
I check my gear one last time—weapon secured, comms live, the device locked inside a reinforced case now strapped tight across my chest.
Still here.
Still intact.
Still the only thing standing between truth… and everything disappearing.
Jase watches me from across the aisle.
Not subtle.
Never subtle.
“You planning on checking that ten more times?” he asks.
“Maybe eleven,” I reply.
A corner of his mouth lifts.
“Good. Means you’re nervous.”
“I don’t get nervous.”
“Yeah,” he says. “You do.”
I glance at him.
“About you.”
That wipes the smirk right off his face.
Good.
Fair trade.
The landing gear deploys.
The jet dips lower.
City lights sharpen beneath us.
Zurich.
Game on.
We touch down smooth.
Too smooth.
Like the calm before something breaks.
“Let’s move,” Ethan says.
The moment the jet stops, we’re up.
No delay.
No hesitation.
The door opens—
Cold air rushes in.
Different here.
Sharper.
Cleaner.
But underneath it…
Something else.
We descend onto the tarmac, boots hitting ground in sync.
No uniforms.
No markings.
We’re ghosts here.
Just another team that doesn’t officially exist.
A black transport van waits nearby.
Engine running.
No driver visible.
Of course.
“Right on time,” Jonah mutters.
“Or right on cue,” Cal adds.
Same thing.
Ethan doesn’t slow.
“Load up.”
We pile in fast.
Doors slam shut.
The van moves instantly.
No questions.
No introductions.
Just motion.
I sit across from Daniel this time.
Deliberate.
I want to see him.
Watch him.
Understand him.
He meets my gaze without hesitation.
“Facility’s fifteen minutes out,” he says. “Private defense contractor. High security, low visibility.”
Jase shifts beside me.
“Translation?”
Daniel’s voice is flat.
“Built to look legitimate. Designed to disappear problems.”
Yeah.
That tracks.
“What kind of security?” Ronan asks.
Daniel leans forward slightly.
“Layered,” he says. “Outer perimeter—standard surveillance. Inside? Biometric locks, internal patrols, automated failsafes.”
Jonah huffs. “Of course there are.”
“But that’s not the problem,” Daniel adds.
Something in his tone shifts.
That gets my attention.
“What is?” I ask.
His eyes flick to me.
Then to Jase.
Then back.
“The purge protocol didn’t start in Zurich,” he says.
A chill slides through me.
“It’s being controlled from there.”
The van goes quiet.
Ethan’s voice cuts in.
“Meaning?”
Daniel exhales slowly.
“Meaning if we shut it down there…” he says, “we don’t just stop the erase.”
My pulse spikes.
“We expose everything,” I finish.
He nods once.
“Yes.”
Jase leans back slightly.
“That’s a big target.”
Daniel’s gaze hardens.
“It’s the only one that matters.”
The van slows.
Not stops.
Slows.
We’re close.
I feel it.
That shift again.
The air tightening.
The moment before impact.
Ethan raises his hand slightly.
“Final check,” he says. “Once we’re in, we move fast and we move clean.”
“Always,” Ronan replies.
“Minimal noise,” Ethan continues. “We get to the core, secure the system, and get out.”
“And if it’s already too late?” Cal asks.
Silence.
Then—
“It’s not,” I say.
Everyone looks at me.
I meet their gaze.
Steady.
Certain.
“It’s not too late,” I repeat.
Because it can’t be.
Not after everything.
Not after what we’ve risked.
Jase’s shoulder brushes mine.
Solid.
Grounding.
“I’m with her,” he says.
Of course he is.
The van comes to a stop.
Engine idling.
No movement outside.
No guards visible.
Too clean.
Too easy.
I hate it.
Ethan nods once.
“Let’s go.”
The doors slide open.
Cold night air rushes in.
And there it is—
The facility.
Sleek.
Modern.
Glass and steel.
Completely unremarkable.
If you didn’t know better.
But I do.
We all do.
This is where it ends.
Or where it all begins.
I step out first.
Weapon ready.
Heart steady.
Mind locked.
Jase right behind me.
Delta Five fanning out.
Daniel already moving toward the access point.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Just purpose.
I glance once at Jase.
He looks back.
And in that moment—
Everything we said.
Everything we didn’t say.
It’s all there.
“We finish this,” I murmur.
His jaw tightens slightly.
“Yeah,” he says.
“We do.”
And then—
We move.
Straight into the dark.