Keifer hasn't given up.
Not even once.
One of his trusted men enters.
"Sir…"
Everyone looks up.
"We found something."
The room instantly becomes silent.
The man places a folder on the table.
Inside…
Pictures.
Very recent.
Jay.
Not close-up.
Long-distance surveillance photos.
She's alive.
Standing beside Alex.
Another picture.
Walking with Luna.
Another.
At the shooting range.
Keifer's hands shake slightly while holding the photographs.
He smiles for the first time in weeks.
A real smile.
Percy quietly says,
"She's alive…"
Nobody realizes…
Keifer has tears in his eyes.
He quickly wipes them away before anyone notices.
Aries notices Jay's bandages.
"She's still injured."
The smile disappears.
Angelo clenches his fists.
"She shouldn't even be walking."
Percy looks at Keifer.
"She's fighting anyway."
Keifer gently runs his thumb over one of Jay's photographs.
Almost like he could feel her through it.
Then quietly whispers,
"…You're alive."
Then another surprise.
Their informant says,
"We also tracked the people around her."
He places another paper on the table.
A building blueprint.
The approximate area where Jay's team is operating.
Not the exact base.
Just the district.
Enough.
Keifer immediately stands.
Everyone looks at him.
"I'm going to New York."
Percy:
"I already packed."
Aries:
"I'll call the pilot."
Angelo:
"I'll bring the weapons."
Keifer smiles a little.
"I didn't even ask."
Percy smirks.
"You didn't have to."
End of Keifer POV.
Kyle POV
A dark room.
Dozens of monitors.
Warehouse security footage replaying.
Kyle watches silently.
No smile.
No anger.
Just watching.
One of his men speaks nervously.
"Sir…"
"The warehouse was destroyed exactly as planned."
Kyle nods.
"And?"
"The laptop…"
Silence.
The man hesitates.
"…They copied everything before the explosion."
Kyle finally turns.
"…Everything?"
"…Yes."
For the first time…
Kyle says nothing.
His fingers slowly tighten around the armrest of his chair.
Not rage.
Not panic.
Calculation.
He quietly replays the footage.
Frame by frame.
Then pauses on one moment.
Luna plugging the copying device into the laptop.
Kyle leans back.
"…Interesting."
Another man carefully asks,
"Should we relocate?"
Kyle doesn't answer immediately.
Instead—
He opens another file.
The one that should never have existed.
One folder.
Marked in red.
Its contents…
Were included on that laptop by mistake.
Kyle's expression changes.
Only slightly.
Just enough for readers to notice.
"…Who uploaded this?"
Nobody answers.
He asks again.
Slower.
"…Who."
The room falls completely silent.
One of his men finally steps forward.
"I… I did."
Kyle stares at him for several long seconds.
Then quietly says,
"Leave."
The man exhales in relief.
Thinking he has been spared.
He turns toward the door.
Kyle calmly picks up the pistol lying on the desk.
Without raising his voice…
Without changing his expression…
Bang.
The man collapses instantly.
Nobody in the room even flinches.
Kyle lowers the gun.
Still completely calm.
Then he looks back at the paused image of Luna copying the files.
And for the first time in a very long time…
He whispers,
"That wasn't supposed to happen."
He stands.
Walks toward the enormous map covering the wall.
New York.
His eyes stop on one location.
The district where Jay's team has been operating.
A slow smile finally returns.
Not because he's relaxed.
Because he's already planning his next move.
"If they found the file…"
"…then I simply move the board."
He places a red pin on the map.
Then another.
Then quietly says,
"Let's see who reaches Keifer first…"
End Chapter.