Chapter 87: Cracks in the Armor

The cold, sterile lights of the base flickered overhead as Ava sat alone in one of the briefing rooms, her mind still reeling from her conversation with Lucas. The weight of everything they had been through—the narrow escape, the constant pursuit of Meridian, and the gnawing fear that they were running out of time- was pressed down on her chest like a lead weight. Lucas was slipping away. She could see it in his eyes, how he moved, and how he spoke. The anger driving him for so long was now turning inward, eating away at him piece by piece. And Ava didn’t know how to stop it. She rubbed her temples, trying to push away the overwhelming fatigue that threatened to drag her under. The mission had taken so much from them—physically, emotionally—but it was Lucas she worried about the most. His need for revenge and relentless pursuit of justice for his father pushed him to the breaking point. And every time they got close to Meridian, only to have the target slip away, it chipped away at w