The command post van felt eerily lifeless, resembling a tomb rather than a hub of frantic activity. The air was thick with tension, punctuated only by the urgent reports crackling through the radios.

“—the fire department has arrived, but the safe house is fully engulfed in flames—it’s a total loss—”

“—The server farm has been completely obliterated, sir. They deployed an electromagnetic pulse followed by an intense surge of heat. There’s absolutely nothing ...