Chapter 379 Going Back
When Tilda wrapped up the report, she sent it straight into Comet’s WhatsApp group.
Jarrett fired back, “Holy crap, that fast? Tilda, you’re a damn legend.”
Astrid dropped a thumbs-up emoji.
Theo answered with a salute emoji.
Zach typed out an astonished emoji.
Tilda replied, “Cut the chatter. Read through it. I’ll reach out to a contact and find out how the other side is moving.”
And just right then, as if on cue… Manfred’s name lit the screen of her phone.
She picked up. “The fact you’re calling me today of all days means it has to be about Hotel Morloss.”
Manfred exhaled heavily. “So the news has reached you. Do you have the full picture?”
“I do. Did they give conditions?”
“They did. They want a broadcast that reaches the whole world. During it, they’ll state demands. They gave Endralsia one hour. Every half hour after that, they’ll kill a hostage.”
Tilda pressed her lips tight. “So they don’t care about money. This is a declaration.”
“Exactly. Hotel Morloss is surrounded by soldiers so tight not even a bug could crawl out. The enemy’s prepared to face death in battle.”
“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s cut to the chase. You wouldn’t call unless you needed me.”
“No wonder they call you Queen. You see right through me. Endralsia’s finest tried hacking Morloss but got blocked. Every feed is jammed and swapped. If we had those cameras, it would give us a real shot at saving lives. Command asked me if I had anyone strong enough. You’re the only one I thought of.”
If the dark web’s Top Hacker couldn’t do it, then no one could.
“I understand, Mr. Parker. I’ll take it, but I have one rule. The breach stays under me alone. Endralsia must stop all digital pushes, or their operation could clash with mine, and that could get the hostages killed. You do not want the enemy to realize something is up. I’ll talk to them. Wait for my call.”
The line clicked off.
Tilda jumped back into Comet’s chat and laid out every word of the call.
Jarrett typed quickly, “Queen, you’re not going to Endralsia alone, are you?”
“No. I already mapped Hotel Morloss. If Parker makes it work, we’ll launch from our Slosa base. And I’ll need you four with me. You’re all in Slosa, I presume?”
The Comet team froze. Their hearts slammed hard. This was bigger than anything they had touched before. Their nerves were screaming at them.
Tilda pushed harder. “You trained all this time to serve your country. You made a promise. This is that moment. You can’t pull back now.”
Theo, usually the one cracking jokes, spoke heavily. “Queen, we don’t have that kind of faith in ourselves. Endralsia threw all their experts at this, and none of them cracked it. What if we blow it? If the enemy finds out, it can and will get worse.”
The others stayed silent with him.
Tilda’s voice came clear and sharp. “I wouldn’t bring you in if you weren’t ready. Your skill is stronger than you think, especially after all the training you’ve gone through. Trust me. I’m the dark web’s top hacker. You can do it. Says me.”
She didn’t type those words. She spoke to them. The four of them could hear her conviction in every syllable.
Jarrett answered, “If Queen says so, then I’ll put my life on the line with her.”
Astrid wrote, “All that training won’t be for naught. This is it. This is the moment. Queen, if you trust us, then we’ll rise to it.”
Zach typed, “I’m heading to base now.”
Theo finished, “Well, if you put it that way, there’s no backing down. We’re all in. Do or die.”
A small smile tugged at Tilda’s mouth. Now all they could do was wait for Manfred’s deal to come through.
She stood and stepped out of the room. Dane and Mystro were outside, deep in talk about the intel from Hotel Morloss.
Mystro rose when he saw her. “Tilda, what’s the word?”
Tilda gave them the short version of Manfred’s call for help.