Novels by Matt Gray

Chapter 144Joe grabbed his pulse rifle. "Adrian, you can't stop a meteor! We have to evacuate!""You can't evacuate five million people in four minutes, Joe," Adrian said softly. He didn't run. He didn't panic. He simply closed his eyes and inhaled. He felt the foundation of the city. He felt the three geothermal nodes he had bonded with. He felt the infinite, humming reservoir of the Earth's raw kinetic energy beneath his feet. "Lena," Adrian said, his eyes snapping open. They weren't just glowing, they were incandescent, burning with the power of a City God. "I want a fresh cup of coffee waiting for me when I get back."Before the housekeeper could reply, Adrian vanished. He didn't break the sound barrier; he shattered it. The sonic boom shattered the remaining windows in the East Wing as he launched himself vertically into the stormy night sky. [ SYSTEM SKILL: UNRESTRICTED FLIGHT. ][ POWER SOURCE: FOUNDATION NODES ACTIVE. ]Adrian tore through the atmosphere, ascending faste

Chapter 143The front doors of the Black Estate were gone, replaced by a temporary, shimmering field of localized gravity that kept the rain out but let the smell of ozone and wet pavement drift into the foyer. Adrian Black stood at the bottom of the grand staircase, holding a cup of espresso. He watched with profound, arrogant satisfaction as Lena, Lady of the Belmont bloodline and master assassin, furiously scrubbed the marble tiles with a toothbrush. "You missed a spot near the credenza, Lena," Adrian said, taking a sip. Lena’s cybernetics whirred. Her arm violently jerked toward the credenza, the toothbrush scrubbing so fast it blurred. A single tear of utter humiliation tracked down her wrinkled cheek. "I hate you," she whispered through clenched teeth, unable to stop her own hand. "I hope you choke on that espresso, you uncultured swine.""And I hope you get that grout clean," Adrian smiled warmly. "It’s really starting to pop."Just then, the gravity shield at the front e

Chapter 142Adrian couldn't hold it in anymore. He threw his head back and laughed. It was a booming, genuine roar of laughter that shook the room."Oh, Lena," Adrian wiped a tear from his eye. "You are truly a magnificent lunatic.""Release me!" she demanded. "Kill me like a man, you brute!"Adrian stopped laughing and a wicked, incredibly arrogant smile spread across his face."Kill you?" Adrian tsked, shaking his head. "No. Death is too easy. Death is messy. It leaves blood on the floor. And we both know how much you hate stains."Adrian walked over to her and placed a hand on her forehead."System," Adrian commanded. "Access the cybernetic neuro-processors in the target's cortex."[ ACCESSING... ][ FIREWALL BREACHED. ADMIN OVERRIDE ACCEPTED. ]"What are you doing to me?!" Lena panicked, her eyes darting wildly."I'm instituting a new protocol," Adrian smiled viciously. "I call it the Cinderella Protocol."[ WRITING NEW DIRECTIVES TO HOSTILE CYBERNETICS... ]"I am locking you out

Chapter 141Adrian expanded his awareness all around. As he keyed into his power, he didn't need to look for any code, he simply felt the earth. He felt the rumble of the subway trains, the hum of the power plants, and then... a steady, rhythmic thump-thump, thump-thump echoing through the subterranean crust of Sector 2. It perfectly matched the beating of Lena's heart."Gotcha," Adrian whispered.He opened his eyes and right then, they were blazing like miniature suns."System," Adrian commanded out loud, ensuring Lena heard every word. "Target the subterranean vault at Sector 2, Grid 44-Alpha. Reroute the city's high-pressure water mains directly beneath the vault."Lena jumped to her feet. "What are you doing?!""I'm washing the dishes," Adrian sneered.[ INITIATING MUNICIPAL OVERRIDE... ][ WATER MAINS REROUTED. PRESSURE BUILDING. ]*LMiles away, beneath Sector 2, the massive steel pipes of the city's water filtration system groaned. Millions of gallons of highly pressurized, p

Chapter 140 The flight back to the Black Estate wasn’t really much of a sprint. What was the point of running blindly anyways? Adrian Black had realized his mistake. He had let his emotions blind him, treating the elderly housekeeper like a fragile porcelain doll while she quietly laid landmines in his boots. But the panic was gone now. The lord of the City didn’t panic when he found a rat in his house; he simply called the exterminator. And tonight, he was the exterminator.He touched down on the ruined front porch of the estate, stepping over the shattered oak doors he had destroyed earlier.The house was completely silent. The red emergency lights bathed the foyer in a bloody hue.Adrian didn't rush up the stairs. He walked slowly, his boots makinh loud wet sounds against the frictionless hardwood floor he was now effortlessly countering with microscopic gravity grips on his soles.So, Lena had tried the grease again. He reached the second floor and walked down the East Wing co

Chapter 139 The heavy caliber bullet left the barrel, traveling at supersonic speed.It hit the invisible kinetic shield two inches from Adrian’s heart, flattened into a coin of hot lead, and dropped to the floor with a pathetic tink. Cornelius stared at the flattened bullet in awe. He dropped the gun, backing away until his spine hit the steel wall of the panic room. His knees gave out, and he slid to the floor, weeping."What do you want from me?" Cornelius sobbed, holding his hands up in surrender. "You took my son's company! You ruined my daughter's marriage! You took my fleet! I have nothing left! What more can you possibly want?!"Adrian closed the distance in a heartbeat. He reached down, grabbed Cornelius by the lapels of his silk jacket, and hoisted the old man effortlessly into the air.Adrian slammed him against the steel wall."Don't play the victim with me, you pathetic old coward," Adrian snarled, his face inches from Cornelius's terrified eyes. "I know about the Aeg