The agency headquarters rose like a shard of glass over the Thames, reflecting a city that had no idea of the wars being fought in its shadow. To Morgana, it had never looked more like a fortress, or a cage.
She and Callen walked through the lobby with the confidence of ghosts. Her suspension meant nothing now; they were coming with proof, and proof weighed more than rank. Security scanned them, eyes sharp, but the drives in Morgana's coat pocket might as well have been grenades.
---
The War Room
The war room was empty when they entered. Banks of screens glowed in the half-light, maps pulsing red with hot zones, faces of operatives frozen mid-action. Morgana had spent years in this room planning other people's lives and deaths. Today, she had come for the truth.
When Adrian Locke entered, he didn't look surprised to see her.
"Suspension didn't stop you," he said.
"I have something you need to see," she replied. "And something you need to answer for."
Callen locked the door behind them.
---
The Evidence
She set Noor's drives on the table and pushed them toward him.
"These were taken from Emil's warehouse. Noor died for them."
He plugged the first drive into the table's console. Files bloomed across the screens: mission dossiers, surveillance reports, entire decades of classified work siphoned from inside the agency.
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Where did he get these?"
"You tell me," she said. "They came from inside these walls."
The second drive opened Noor's recorded message. Her voice filled the room like a ghost.
> The breach isn't outside. It's inside. Someone with unrestricted access is funneling everything to Emil. I traced it back. It's someone close to the Director. Trust no one. Even him.
When the recording ended, the room felt colder.
"Close to you," Morgana said. "Noor was clear. Someone you trust has been selling you out."
---
The Accusation
For a long moment, he said nothing. Then: "You think that someone is me?"
"You've given me no reason to think otherwise," she replied.
His voice hardened. "I pulled you from the wreckage of your life. I trained you. I trusted you."
"And I trusted you," she said, stepping closer. "But Emil knew where I was every step of the way. He's been in my head. You think that just happens?"
---
The House Built on Secrets
Adrian moved to the center of the room, hands behind his back, staring at the screens.
"This House," he said quietly, "was built to outlast all of us. Thirty years of ghosts. Every one of us carries a piece of its sins. You want to know how I became Director? I buried my predecessor with my own hands after a mission in Istanbul. I was next because there was no one left."
He turned back to her. "You think you know betrayal? This place was founded on it. And if Emil has someone inside, it means we failed him a long time ago."
---
The Argument
"Failed him?" Morgana's voice rose. "He murdered Noor. He's bleeding this agency dry. And you still talk about him like he's some broken son you want to fix."
"I talk about him like someone I created," Adrian said sharply. "I see him for what he is. I also see you for what you could become if you keep letting this anger guide you."
"I'm not him," she said, her voice low and shaking. "I won't be him."
"Then stop following his script," Adrian replied.
---
The Revelation
Callen broke in, throwing a folder onto the table. "We don't have time for this. The drives had more—encrypted access logs. Someone has been piggybacking senior credentials for over a year. And here's the kicker: all the activity started after you reinstated Emil's old clearances last spring."
Adrian froze.
"You what?" Morgana said.
"He was a ghost," Adrian said slowly. "His files had to be reviewed. I reopened them, but those clearances were sealed again. Or so I was told."
"Well, someone used them to walk right through your walls," Callen said. "And now Emil doesn't need a hacker. He's already inside."
---
Infiltration Begins
None of them knew that at that exact moment, a new recruit was walking through the agency's employee entrance two floors below. Average height. Clean background. A file so clean it almost sparkled. The cameras watched him as he received a staff badge and disappeared into the elevator.
His badge read: Elias Kane.
But under the mask, under the calm, forgettable expression, was Emil Kade.
---
The Shifting Ground
Back in the war room, Morgana stared at Adrian, the weight of everything pressing down on her.
"If we don't find who's doing this, this House will collapse," she said.
"And Emil will be the one to strike the final blow," Callen added.
Adrian nodded once. "Then we lock this building down. And we hunt from the inside."
But none of them realized they were already too late. Emil had already set foot inside the very heart of the House.