In the shadows of history lies a deadly secret. A team of four elite women-an Indian hacker and ballistics expert, an American weapons master, a Japanese melee fighter, and a Russian psychological warfare specialist-are brought together to stop a ca...
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The Scottish Highlands stretched out before them, a bleak, rugged landscape bathed in the cold light of dawn. The wind whipped through the hills, carrying with it a sense of desolation that mirrored the heaviness in Scarlett's chest. She stood at the edge of a cliff, staring out at the distant peaks, her mind racing with thoughts of what lay ahead.
Behind her, the rest of the team was unpacking their gear from the helicopter they had used to make their way north. They had barely escaped London, the virus container safely in their possession, but the revelation of a second facility had left them reeling. There was no time to waste. Aldridge might have been eliminated, but his legacy still threatened millions.
"Scotland, huh?" Anya said, walking up to Scarlett, her breath visible in the chilly morning air. "Couldn't have been somewhere warm and sunny?"
Scarlett didn't reply. Her eyes were fixed on the path ahead-a narrow trail that wound down into the valley, leading toward an abandoned military installation nestled in the heart of the Highlands. According to Mira's intel, this was where the second part of Aldridge's plan would unfold.
Mira joined them, holding her tablet tightly against her chest. "The facility was decommissioned after World War II, but satellite scans show recent activity. Someone's been using it. And given what we know now... it's likely the virus has already been weaponized."
Aiko stood nearby, her face calm but alert as always. She adjusted the straps on her katana and spoke in her quiet, measured tone. "Do we know how many people are inside?"
Mira shook her head. "No way to be sure, but from what I could gather, it's not heavily staffed. Whatever's going on in there, they're keeping it small. Probably just a skeleton crew of scientists and guards."
Scarlett finally turned to face her team. "We go in quietly. No alarms, no firefights unless absolutely necessary. We can't afford to give them a chance to deploy the virus. If we fail here... there's no coming back from that."
The gravity of her words hung in the air, unspoken but understood by all of them. This mission wasn't just another black-ops job. It was a race against time, against a threat that could wipe out entire populations if unleashed.
Scarlett gave one final nod before leading them down the path.
---
The Abandoned Installation
The approach to the facility was eerily quiet. Hidden deep in the Highlands, the installation was an ugly, concrete relic of the past, overgrown with moss and half-collapsed in places. Barbed wire still surrounded the perimeter, but there was no sign of patrols or guards. The place looked like it had been abandoned for decades.
Mira checked her tablet again, glancing up at the building in front of them. "There's definitely activity inside, but they're keeping it low-profile. Probably to avoid attracting attention."
