They emerged from the subway into the industrial district, the sky above bruised with unnatural hues that shifted faster than weather should. Nathan didn’t look up; his focus was already on the next fragment. The last few nodes had left traces—resonance he could track, faint distortions in space-time, whispers of corrupted memories that clung to the air.“We’re running out of time,” Nyx said, scanning the abandoned factories. Her fingers hovered over the tablet as if feeling the pulse of the city. “The fragments are accelerating their synchronization. If they complete alignment…” Her voice trailed off, leaving the threat unspoken.Dante cracked his knuckles. “We’ve dealt with worse. Let’s just find it and smash it.”Nathan’s eyes narrowed. “Not smash. Contain. The energy isn’t just dangerous—it’s alive in a way. Force alone will make it worse. We need precision.”The team advanced cautiously. The district was eerily quiet. Windows of warehouses reflected the bruised sky in shards, giv

Nathan had barely slept when Dante shoved the door open at dawn. His lieutenant’s face was grim, eyes blazing. “They’ve made a move,” Dante said. “It’s Harper.” Nathan was on his feet instantly, the last trace of exhaustion gone. “Where?” “Old tram depot, south line. Syndicate men staged a power outage, drew Harper in with a false Imperium relay signal. Roarke’s already tailing them.” Nathan’s mind worked faster than his pulse. A direct trap on Harper wasn’t reckless—it was calculated. The Syndicate had finally stopped chipping at the edges. They were cutting straight to his core. “Gear up,” Nathan ordered, already strapping on his sidearm. “If they’ve put Harper in play, they want me out in the open. Let’s give them the mistake they’re begging for.” --- The tram depot loomed like a skeleton of iron and glass, its windows shattered, the tracks rusting into weeds. Power lines dangled dead, swaying in the morning breeze. Nathan approached with Dante at his flank, their boots sile