Shawn's POV
The compound was quieter now, but it was the brittle quiet of exhaustion, not peace. Guards paced the halls with rifles in tight grips, and the air carried the sour tang of burned wiring from where Talon's rounds had ripped through the walls.
The scientist sat in the corner of a secured room, wrists bound, eyes refusing to meet mine. He hadn't said a word since we pulled him from that airstrip.
"Look at me," I said, electricity prickling faint under my skin. "You know why Talon wanted you. You know what's at stake. Overwatch can protect you. We just have to know what you do."
His lips twitched, but nothing came. Just silence. Just fear, or maybe defiance.
Before I could press, the comms unit on my wrist crackled alive. Adawe's voice cut sharp through static.
"Specialist Rose. Now."
I winced. The tone was enough to sour my stomach.
The holo-projector hummed to life in the command chamber. Adawe's face blazed across the table, her jaw set like stone.
"You went after them," she said. No greeting. No pause. Just accusation.
"I recovered the target," I replied. My voice sounded steadier than I felt. "The scientist is safe. Tesfaye is alive."
Adawe's eyes narrowed. "You disobeyed direct orders. I told you to protect Tesfaye, not to chase Talon through the streets like some vigilante."
"With respect, Commander, if I hadn't, Talon would have him now. They were moving him out of the city."
"And if you'd been killed?" she snapped. "If Tesfaye had been killed while you were gone? What then, Rose? You risked Overwatch's standing in Ethiopia for a gamble."
I opened my mouth to push back, but the doors hissed open behind me.
A half-dozen men in dark suits entered, moving with the stiff precision of bodyguards. Their leader stepped forward, his voice clipped.
"Specialist Rose. The Prime Minister requests your presence."
Adawe's projection flickered as I looked back. Her lips pressed tight, her eyes unreadable.
"Go," she said coldly. "We'll finish this later."
The feed died, leaving only the suits waiting.
The room they led me to was polished where the rest of the compound was cracked. Rich wood paneled the walls, the air cooled by a still-working vent system. At the center sat Prime Minister Abebe himself, lean and sharp-eyed, dressed in a suit that looked untouched by the war outside.
He rose as I entered, his smile practiced and precise. "Specialist Rose. At last, we meet."
I bowed slightly, uncertain how much respect to show. "Prime Minister."
He extended a hand. I shook it, the skin cool and dry.
"On behalf of Ethiopia, I thank you. You have done much for us. Protected Tesfaye, driven away those… shadows." His voice lingered on the word as though savoring it. "You are a hero to my people."
Something about his smile set my teeth on edge.
"Then you'll understand why I can't leave yet," I said carefully. "The scientist is still in danger. Tesfaye too. Talon won't stop until they..."
He raised a hand, silencing me. "No, Specialist. You misunderstand. Your role here is finished. From this moment forward, Ethiopia will handle its own matters. Overwatch's presence is no longer required."
The words landed like a blow.
"Respectfully, Prime Minister, Talon isn't done. If you leave Tesfaye unguarded..."
"Tesfaye is a valuable man," Abebe interrupted smoothly. "He will be protected." He waved a hand, almost dismissively. "As will the scientist. You need not worry."
But the way he said it flat, unconcerned, almost careless made bile rise in my throat.
"You're certain?" I pressed.
His smile widened. "I am certain."
The guards at his sides shifted, a silent reminder that the conversation was over.
I exhaled, anger sparking under my skin but chained down by diplomacy. "Then I'll take my team and prepare to leave."
"Good," Abebe said, his voice warm again. "You should be proud. You've helped us secure a future. And soon, the world will see Ethiopia stronger than ever. No chains. No masters."
Something about the phrasing hooked at the back of my mind.
No chains. No masters.
The exact words Anubis had used, in his cage back in Geneva.
But I was already turning to leave, already being ushered toward the door by his guards. The moment slipped past.
The dropship's engines thundered as we lifted into the night sky, Addis Ababa shrinking beneath us into a sprawl of broken streets and burning lamps.
Spencer sat opposite me, fiddling with the charge on his rifle. Virginia watched the city fade, her jaw tight.
"Doesn't feel right," she muttered.
"No," I said. My hand curled against my knee. "It doesn't."
The Prime Minister's smile burned in my thoughts. His words echoed like poison. No chains. No masters.
It wasn't until the dropship cleared Ethiopian airspace, the lights of the city gone beneath the clouds, that the realization struck.
It was too easy for the Talon operatives to infiltrate both times. They first knew of Tesfaye's location during the party. They also knew where the prisoner and the scientist were for them the second time. Someone was feeding them information. A mole.
Not many people knew of the location of the prisoner. Even fewer knew of his importance. Of course, once Tesfaye woke up, he would have reported this to his superior, being the Prime Minister.
He hadn't just been dismissing me. He'd been quoting them. Talon. My stomach turned to ice.
Ethiopia was already in their hands.