Chapter 76: Aftermath

The hum of the helicopter’s engines filled the cabin as it soared over the Swiss Alps, carrying Ava, Lucas, and the rest of the team away from the burning wreckage of Meridian’s central command. The cold night air bit at Ava’s skin, but she barely felt it. Her mind was racing, trying to process everything that had just happened. They had done it. Project Eclipse had been stopped. But even as that victory settled over her, the relief she had been waiting for never fully came. The weight of what they had just accomplished was tempered by the reality that Meridian was still out there. This was only one battle in a much larger war. Ava leaned back in her seat, her heart still racing, her mind replaying the firefight in the command room repeatedly. The chaos, the gunfire, and the narrow escape had all happened so fast. She had been so focused on completing the mission and stopping Eclipse that she hadn’t had time to process the magnitude of what they had just achieved. Beside her, Lucas