The small briefing room was crammed with people, the stale scent of coffee hanging in the air. Sophia, Ethan, and Zoe stood at the front, a digital map of the world projected behind them. Red dots blinked ominously across the globe, representing the locations they had managed to identify as potential targets of the Phoenix Protocol.
Sophia glanced at the faces around the table—seasoned agents, military strategists, and intelligence analysts—all of them waiting for answers. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. This was it. The moment where they either gained control of the situation or watched everything spiral out of their hands.
