Chapter 227: The Battle Within [continue]

Amelia woke with a start, the morning light filtering through the curtains of the safe house. The previous night's victory felt like a distant memory. Her body ached from the fight, and her mind was plagued with thoughts of Blackwood's retaliation. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and rubbed her temples, trying to shake off the remnants of a restless night. As she made her way to the common area, she found Ethan, Isabelle, Marco, and Jack already gathered, their faces serious. A map of the city was spread out on the table, and Isabelle was furiously typing on her laptop. "Morning," Amelia said, her voice still heavy with sleep. "Morning," Ethan replied, his eyes never leaving the map. "We've been discussing our next move." Marco pointed to several marked locations on the map. "We hit Blackwood hard last night, but we know he'll strike back. We need to be ready." Isabelle looked up from her laptop, her face pale. "I've been monitoring the chatter. Blackwood's regrouping,