The safehouse was silent, but Celina couldn't sleep.
She sat on the edge of the chair in the dimly lit hallway, outside Darius's room. A soft beep echoed from inside every few seconds—the heart monitor, a cold reminder he was still here, still fighting.
She had washed the blood from her hands, but it still felt like it clung to her skin. Guilt. Memory. Something in between.
A door creaked behind her.
Ivy stepped into the hallway holding two mugs. "You look like you could use this," she said, handing Celina one.
"Thanks," Celina murmured, wrapping her hands around the warmth.
Ivy leaned against the wall beside her, studying her. "You haven't left this hallway since he came in."
Celina didn't respond.
"He'll be okay," Ivy added gently. "The medics said the bleeding's under control. He just needs rest."
"I almost lost him," Celina whispered, her throat thick. "And for what? A ghost from my past?"
"Not just a ghost," Ivy said, voice low. "Cale's been obsessed with you since we intercepted that Protocol lead six months ago. You were the variable he couldn't control."
Celina closed her eyes. "I don't even know what I am anymore. Daughter of a criminal. Ex-fiancée to a psychopath. Pawn in a chess game I didn't ask to play."
"No," Ivy said firmly. "You're the queen now. And queens rewrite the rules."
Celina looked over at her. "You sound like Raven."
"Maybe I'm finally listening to her," Ivy said with a small smirk. "She says you've inherited something your father spent his whole life trying to bury."
Celina stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"I mean you need to come with me. Now."
Downstairs – Safehouse Archives
The basement of the safehouse was colder than the rest of the building, filled with thick servers and flickering screens. Raven stood beside a glass panel, arms folded, expression unreadable.
"What is this?" Celina asked, stepping forward.
Raven typed a code into the console. A drawer hissed open from the wall.
Inside was a small drive marked "Protocol Prime: Directive Bloodline."
Celina blinked. "That's my father's encryption signature."
Raven nodded. "We decrypted it two hours ago. Only one gene code could open it. Yours."
Celina's blood turned cold.
"We always knew your father wasn't just building a tracking system," Raven said quietly. "He was building something… smarter. Something self-learning. The Protocol wasn't just data. It was design."
Design for what?"
Raven turned the screen toward her. The display showed a blueprint—digital strands of code overlaid with organic DNA. Her DNA.
Celina's.
"You're not just the daughter of the man who created the Protocol," Raven said. "You are the final key to activating its full capabilities."
Celina staggered back. "No—no, he told me he destroyed the master files before he died—"
"He lied to protect you," Raven said. "He encrypted the core with your biometrics. Your voiceprint, retina, even your heartbeat. You are the kill switch and the ignition."
Celina couldn't breathe. The room spun.
"So that's why Cale wanted me," she whispered. "It wasn't just revenge. He needed me to finish it."
Raven nodded. "And if he had, he would've had access to global defense systems, black budgets, and every off-grid operative the Protocol ever touched. That includes you. Ivy. Me."
Celina swallowed hard. "What do I do now?"
"That's your choice," Raven said. "We can burn it. Wipe the last copy. Or…"
"Or?"
"You can finish it. On your terms. Rewrite it. Control it."
Celina turned away, trying to still the storm in her mind. Could she trust herself with that kind of power?
Ivy's voice broke the silence. "We don't need another tyrant. But we do need someone who won't run."
Celina turned back, her voice quiet. "Then I'll finish it. But it ends with me."
Raven gave her a sharp nod. "Then we start at dawn."
Later That Night – Darius's Room
Celina slipped into his room quietly.
Darius was asleep, brow furrowed in pain even in rest. She sat beside him, brushing a hand across his arm gently.
"You should've told me the truth," she whispered.
His eyes fluttered open. Groggy. Soft.
"I was scared you'd hate me," he murmured.
"I did," she said. "For five minutes."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Then she leaned closer, her voice firmer now.
"But I need to know something."
"What?"
"Did you mean it? What you said outside the warehouse?"
His gaze locked with hers.
"I meant every word."
Her heart skipped. No lies. No walls.
"I stayed," he whispered, "because I fell for the girl who didn't know how dangerous she was."
Celina let her fingers lace with his. "Then stay again. But this time, we fight together."
He nodded, squeezing her hand.
"I wouldn't want it any other way."