<h4>Chapter 117: Into the mes</h4>


    The explosion tore through thepound with a violent roar, sending debris and mes cascading through the air. Dominic felt the heat sear his skin as he was thrown backward, mming into the wall. His vision blurred, and the world around him spun in chaos.


    "Dominic!" Alyssa''s voice cut through the ringing in his ears, sharp with urgency. She rushed to his side, pulling him out of the rubble as the ceiling above them groaned, threatening to copse.


    Dominic coughed, tasting blood. "We have to" . He staggered to his feet, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his ribs. He could barely see through the thick smoke filling the room, but he could make out Marcus and Eleanor moving through the wreckage.


    "Everyone out! Now!" Marcus shouted, his voice muffled by the rms and the crumbling walls. He helped Eleanor to her feet, supporting her as they made their way toward the exit.


    Volkov was nowhere to be seen.


    Dominic''s heart pounded as he scanned the wreckage. The control room was in shambles, fire licking at the edges of the walls, but the satellite console remained intact, Eleanor''s final override still holding. The satellite was down.


    But Volkov was gone, and so was his detonator.


    "He set off more than just this building," Alyssa said, pulling Dominic toward the exit. "We have to get out before the wholepound goes up."


    As they sprinted down the corridors, the explosions continued, each one shaking the ground beneath their feet. Dominic could hear the distant sound of more detonations echoing through thepound, growing closer.


    Outside, thepound was a warzone. Drones whirred overhead, scanning the chaos below, while Volkov''s remaining guards fought to contain the damage. Fires zed across theplex, smoke rising into the sky like dark pirs. Alyssa and Dominic joined Marcus and Eleanor, who were crouched behind arge piece of debris, catching their breath.


    "We need to move," Marcus said, ncing up at the sky. "Those drones will spot us any second now."


    Eleanor, still shaken but determined, pulled out herptop. "I can scramble their tracking for a few minutes, but after that, we''re on our own."


    "Do it," Dominic said. He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain in his side. "We need to find Volkov. He''s not leaving this ind alive."


    Alyssa nodded, her expression hard. "We end this. Now."


    Eleanor''s fingers flew across the keyboard, and within seconds, the drones above them veered off course, their targeting systems confused. "That''ll buy us some time," she said, closing theptop. "But it won''tst long."


    "Good enough," Dominic said, standing up. "Let''s move."


    The team moved swiftly through the burningpound, sticking to the shadows and avoiding the roving patrols. The smoke made it difficult to see, and the sound of explosions and gunfire was almost constant. But Dominic''s focus was singr find Volkov and end this once and for all.


    They reached the edge of thepound, where a series of reinforced bunkers stood, their entrances partially hidden by the thick smoke. Dominic motioned for the others to stop, peering through the haze. He spotted movement near one of the bunkers a lone figure moving quickly toward a waiting helicopter.


    "It''s him," Dominic whispered, his eyes narrowing. "Volkov."


    Alyssa tightened her grip on her weapon. "We can''t let him get away."


    Dominic nodded, signaling to Marcus and Eleanor. "We''ll take him together. Move in fast. No mistakes."


    The team spread out, nking the bunker as Volkov made his way to the helicopter. His back was turned, and for a moment, it seemed as if they would reach him before he noticed.


    But just as Dominic stepped into the open, Volkov turned, his eyes locking with Dominic''s. For a split second, there was silence. Then, Volkov raised his weapon.


    Dominic was faster.


    A single shot rang out, and Volkov staggered, clutching his side as blood blossomed from the wound. He dropped to one knee, his face twisted in shock and pain.


    Dominic approached slowly, his gun trained on Volkov as hey bleeding on the ground. Alyssa and Marcus nked him, their weapons ready, but Volkov didn''t move. His eyes burned with hatred, but there was something else in them now fear.


    "It''s over, Volkov," Dominic said, his voice cold and final. "You lost."


    Volkovughed, a wet, hacking sound that sent blood trickling down his chin. "Lost?" he rasped. "You think... you''ve won? This is only... the beginning."


    Alyssa stepped forward, her gun pointed at Volkov''s head. "End it, Dominic. He''s done."


    But before Dominic could respond, Volkov reached into his pocket, pulling out a small device a secondary detonator.


    Dominic''s eyes widened. "No!"


    Volkov pressed the button.


    For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, the ground beneath them rumbled. The entire ind shook as a series of massive explosions ripped through thendscape. The sky lit up with fire as the remainingpounds and instations were consumed in a chain reaction of destruction.


    "We need to go!" Marcus shouted over the deafening roar.


    Dominic turned to Volkov, who was lying in a pool of his own blood, the life fading from his eyes. "It''s... toote," Volkov whispered, his voice barely audible over the chaos. "You can''t... stop... what''sing."


    With a final, rattling breath, Volkov went still.


    Dominic didn''t wait. He grabbed Alyssa''s arm, pulling her away from the burning wreckage. "We need to get to the chopper, now!"


    The team sprinted through the devastation, the ind copsing around them. They reached the waiting helicopter just as the final explosions tore through thest of thepound''s defenses. Eleanor scrambled into the cockpit, firing up the engines as the ground continued to shake beneath them.


    As the helicopter lifted off, Dominic looked back at the ind once a symbol of Volkov''s power, now reduced to rubble and fire.


    "We stopped him," Alyssa said quietly, her voice barely audible over the sound of the rotors.


    Dominic nodded, but his mind was still racing. Volkov was dead, but his final words echoed in Dominic''s thoughts.


    You can''t stop what''sing.


    The world had been saved, but the cost had been high. And as they flew away from the burning ind, Dominic couldn''t shake the feeling that the real battle had only just begun.