Checkmate, pawn

Whitmore’s hands trembled slightly as she placed the last of the files onto the table. “They’re coming,” she said quietly.

Jessica barely looked up. She already knew.

“They won’t let this go,” Whitmore continued, her voice edged with something between fear and inevitability. “You’ve burned too much of Vanguard. You’ve pushed too far.”

Jessica exhaled. “Then we finish it.”

Leanna frowned. “We should leave now.”

Jessica shook her head. “Not without the vault.”

Whitmore’s face hardened. “Then you’re walking into a trap.”

Jessica met her gaze. “Then we set one first.”

* * *

They moved fast. No hesitation.

The monastery ruins were silent when they arrived, the entrance to the vault still undisturbed. For now. Jessica led the way inside, the cold air wrapping around them like a warning. The place felt heavier now, as if it already knew what was coming.

Leanna and Olivia split off, moving through the archives. Pulling data. Searching.

Jessica set the thermal charges. One by one. Precise. Calculated. Her movements were steady, but her mind was elsewhere. This was the endgame.

Then they heard it. The sound of helicopter rotors. They were distant, but closing fast. Jessica didn’t hesitate. She pressed the radio.

“They’re here.”

Leanna’s voice came back, tense. “How long?”

Jessica didn’t answer. She just picked up her gun.

* * *

The CIA breach was quick, methodical, and lethal. Jessica took the first two agents down before they even saw her.

Leanna and Olivia moved in sync, covering each other, shifting positions. The vault became a war zone. Gunfire roared against stone, shadows flickered between flashes of muzzle fire.

Jessica didn’t think. She acted. This wasn’t about survival. This was about ending it.

* * *

They reached the core of the vault. The last servers still running. Jessica stood in front of them, breathing hard while Leanna and Olivia waited. Jessica’s hand hovered over the detonator. Her finger hesitated.

Leanna’s voice was calm. “Jess. This is it.”

Jessica nodded. She could run. They all could. Or she could finish it.

Jessica turned, pressing a hand to Leanna’s shoulder. “Get Olivia out of here.”

Leanna’s eyes flicked with understanding. “What about you?”

Jessica chambered a round. “I’m staying.”

Leanna didn’t argue. She just nodded. She grabbed Olivia, dragging her toward the exit. Olivia fought. “No! We do this together—”

Jessica was already turning away.

* * *

The CIA commander stepped into the vault. Black uniform, visor lowered. Jessica knew him. Not personally, but by type. A company man. A soldier who followed orders.

His rifle stayed steady. “Stand down.”

Jessica smirked. “Not a chance.”

She pulled the thermal detonator from her belt, activating it. The commander’s head tilted slightly. Realization.

Jessica’s finger hovered over the trigger. “You know what this is?”

His voice stayed even. “We can still use the data.”

Jessica shook her head. “Not anymore.”

The commander moved to fire. Jessica put a single round in his skull. The gunshot echoed. And then, she pressed the trigger. The vault erupted into flames.

* * *

Jessica ran.

The explosion ripped through the underground corridors, heat chasing her, tearing through everything behind her. She reached the surface as the vault caved in.

Leanna and Olivia were waiting. Jessica nearly stumbled into them. Behind them, the sky was filled with smoke. The last remnant of Project Dominion—gone.

* * *

They drove. Fast. Silent. No one spoke. Jessica stared out the window, watching the smoke disappear into the night. A folded note sat on the dashboard. She hadn’t seen it before. She unfolded it. One line.

"You made the right choice, pawn."

Jessica exhaled slowly. No anger. No reaction. Just silence. She crushed the note in her fist.

Olivia glanced at her. “Did we win?”

Jessica watched the horizon. She wasn’t sure anymore.