Chapter 12: Fragile Victories

Back at Coalition headquarters, the team received a hero’s welcome. But the celebration felt shallow to Mira, who couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that their mission hadn’t ended as they hoped. Despite their triumph, they hadn’t eradicated the Collective, nor had they completely neutralized the threat of the virus.

The Coalition's leadership congratulated them on their success, praising their bravery and tactical prowess. But amid the applause, Mira remained silent, her thoughts consumed by doubt. Victor noticed her unease and approached her after the debriefing.

“You don’t look like someone who just saved the world,” he said quietly.

Mira sighed, leaning against the cold, steel walls of the briefing room. “We only stopped *one* facility, Victor. There could be others, and we still don’t know how far Kintz’s plans reached.”

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Victor nodded. “We’ll get them, Mira. It’s not over yet, but we’ve dealt them a serious blow.”

“I hope so,” Mira said, her voice uncertain. “But what if they’re already rebuilding? What if there’s another threat, one we haven’t even seen yet?”

As they talked, Lila burst into the room, her face pale. “Guys, you need to see this.”

They followed her to the control room, where Lila pulled up a live feed from the Coalition’s global surveillance network. A news report flashed on the screen—chaos in multiple cities worldwide. There were riots, and mysterious outbreaks of violence, and people collapsing in the streets.

“This can’t be real,” Raul said, his eyes wide.

“It’s the virus,” Lila said, her voice shaking. “They’ve released it. We were too late.”