Chapter 96: On the Edge

The dim glow of the tactical display bathed the command center in a soft, eerie light as Ava stood in front of it, her mind racing with thoughts of the next move. The intel they had gathered from Turkey had revealed critical weaknesses in Meridian’s supply network, and Callum had pinpointed a few key nodes they could target. If they could strike at the right places, it would cripple Meridian’s operations and buy them the time they desperately needed. But as Ava stared at the map, her thoughts drifted back to Lucas. He was sitting quietly on the other side of the room, his face shadowed by the low light. His eyes were distant, his body tense. He hadn’t said much since they had returned from Turkey, and Ava could feel the emotional wall between them growing higher with each passing day. The weight of the mission hung heavily over the team. They had come so far and fought hard, but the closer they got to Meridian, the more Ava feared they were losing themselves in the process—especially