(Author's POV)
The moment the jet landed, nobody moved immediately.
The cabin remained quiet.
Most of the team had slept at some point during the flight.
Except Jay.
At some point during the journey she had woken up again, unable to fall back asleep.
Now she sat quietly near the window, staring at the unfamiliar city outside.
New York.
The city looked endless.
Lights everywhere.
Buildings stretching toward the sky.
Millions of people moving around completely unaware of the war slowly building beneath the surface.
"Ready?" Cora asked softly.
Jay simply nodded.
It took longer than expected for everyone to get off the jet.
Mostly because nobody was willing to let Jay walk alone.
Alex stayed on one side.
Cora stayed on the other.
Jay looked annoyed by it.
Everyone ignored her.
As usual.
The convoy waiting outside was already prepared.
Black vehicles.
Tinted windows.
Armed security.
No logos.
No identification.
Jay carefully stepped down from the jet.
Her injury wasn't severe enough to stop her from walking, but it was enough to make every movement uncomfortable.
Before she could protest, Alex's hand settled firmly on her shoulder.
Not controlling.
Just steadying her.
Making sure she stayed balanced.
The entire walk to the vehicles, he never moved far from her side.
Jay shot him an irritated look more than once.
Alex ignored every single one.
The convoy drove directly to the headquarters. Once inside, private elevators took them straight to their designated floor without stopping at every level. There, they passed through luxurious lounges, an elegant lobby, dining areas, conference rooms, and other premium facilities before reaching the residential section and private rooms.
Nothing that could be traced back to jecald.
The drive through New York took nearly an hour.
The deeper they moved into the city, the more Jay watched quietly through the window.
Nobody disturbed her.
They knew she was thinking.
The vehicles eventually stopped in front of what looked like an ordinary commercial building.
Nothing special.
Just another building among hundreds of others.
Jay slowly looked up.
"This is it?"
Luna smirked.
"That's the point."
Deniel grinned.
"If people think it's important, we've already failed."
The group entered together.
The inside looked just as ordinary.
Reception area.
Offices.
Employees.
Computers.
Normal.
Completely normal.
At least at first glance.
Then Jay noticed the security.
The cameras.
The hidden checkpoints.
The armed personnel pretending to be office workers.
The exits positioned too perfectly.
The reinforced walls.
And suddenly—
it didn't feel ordinary anymore.
It felt dangerous.
Very dangerous.
A woman standing near the reception desk nodded respectfully.
"Welcome back."
Luna nodded.
"We're heading down."
The woman immediately stepped aside.
Jay watched as one of the walls silently moved.
Revealing a hidden corridor.
Alex smiled slightly.
"Now we're getting somewhere."
The group followed the corridor until they reached a large elevator.
Not the type found inside buildings.
This one looked more like something designed for military use.
Heavy steel.
Security scanners.
Fingerprint access.
Retina scans.
Voice verification.
The doors finally opened.
Everyone stepped inside.
Jay leaned slightly against the wall as the elevator began moving.
Down.
Then further down.
Then even further.
Level One.
The doors opened briefly.
Rows of screens.
Operations centers.
Intelligence departments.
Hackers.
Analysts.
People monitoring information from different parts of the world.
The doors closed again.
Level Two.
Weapons.
Hundreds of them.
Locked storage rooms.
Training equipment.
Armories.
Security teams.
The doors closed once more.
Level Three.
Training facilities.
And this time even Jay looked surprised.
Large combat areas.
Shooting ranges.
Boxing rings.
Karate mats.
Gym facilities.
Medical training sections.
Tactical simulation rooms.
Everything.
An entire army could train there.
Then the doors closed again.
Finally—
Level Four.
The living quarters.
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Softer.
Calmer.
Safer.
Private rooms lined the hallways.
Common areas.
Kitchens.
Lounge spaces.
A place where people could actually breathe after missions.
"This floor is ours," Cora explained.
Jay nodded quietly.
Still taking everything in.
It didn't feel like a base.
It felt like an underground city.
A hidden world beneath New York.
Hours passed quickly after that.
Everyone settled in.
Rooms were assigned.
Security protocols were reviewed.
Reports were checked.
Plans were discussed.
And for the first time since arriving—
the team gathered inside the main briefing room.
The atmosphere felt different now.
Serious.
Professional.
Dangerous.
A large table occupied the center.
Screens surrounded the walls.
Files waited neatly in front of every seat.
Jay slowly lowered herself into one of the chairs.
Ignoring the pain in her side.
Luna entered moments later carrying another folder.
Nobody missed the expression on her face.
Something was wrong.
The room gradually became silent.
One by one, conversations stopped.
Eyes shifted toward the folder.
Luna placed it on the table.
Nobody touched it immediately.
Then finally—
she spoke.
"We have movement."
The room instantly tensed.
Alex sat forward.
"How many?"
"Enough."
Nobody liked that answer.
Luna slowly opened the folder.
Photographs.
Names.
Locations.
Reports.
Everything spread across the table.
The room became colder.
Because they all recognized the faces.
Enemies.
Old enemies.
Dangerous enemies.
The kind that didn't leave survivors behind.
Jay stared at one photograph longer than the others.
Her expression slowly hardened.
The room waited.
Nobody interrupted.
Then Luna spoke quietly.
"They entered New York three days ago."
Silence.
Nobody moved.
Nobody blinked.
Jay slowly closed the folder.
Her eyes remained fixed on the table.
And when she finally spoke—
her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"They're here."
The room fell completely silent.
And just like that—
the war officially began.