The air inside Genesis was thick, like it wanted to choke you before the fight even started. The hallways stretched forever, white lights buzzing above us like some kind of hospital that lost its soul. Every footstep echoed too loud, like the place itself wanted us to know we didn’t belong here.Davion walked in front, shoulders tense, jaw locked. Beverly stayed at his side, fingers brushing the edge of his jacket, like she was close enough to catch him if he cracked. The others trailed behind—Wilson gripping his bat like it was the only thing keeping him steady, Irene with her laptop bag bouncing against her hip, Reika spinning her knife even though her eyes looked dead serious.“Okay,” Wilson muttered, voice breaking the silence. “Not to sound like the coward in the movie, but this feels like the part where half of us get slaughtered.”“Don’t say that,” Irene snapped, eyes darting around. “Don’t even put it in the air.”Reika smirked. “Relax. If half of us die, I’ll make sure you’re

The floor wouldn’t stop shaking. Dust poured from the ceiling, chunks of concrete smashing into the glass around them. Sparks popped like fireworks, and somewhere deep in the core, an engine screamed its death song.Davion stood frozen, chest heaving, staring at his father dragging himself up through the wreckage. Iron Hand was bloodied, his clothes torn, but his eyes… his eyes still burned like fire that couldn’t be put out.“You think this building collapsing matters?” Iron Hand’s voice cut through the alarms, steady, unbroken. “I built this from nothing. I can build it again. But you—” He pointed at Davion, blood dripping from his hand. “You’re just a boy playing soldier.”Davion’s fists curled. He could hear his friends breathing behind him—ragged, tired, broken—but waiting. Waiting for him.“No,” Davion said, voice low. “I’m done playing.”Beverly stepped forward, blood on her face, fists raised. “We’re finishing this.”Iron Hand smirked, wiping blood from his mouth. “Then try.”

The elevator doors slid open with a hiss that felt way too calm for what waited inside.Davion’s heart hammered like a drumline in his chest as he stepped out first. The air in the Genesis core was different—colder, sharper, like it had been filtered a thousand times until nothing human was left. The whole place glowed with this eerie blue light that made everyone look like ghosts. Cables ran across the walls like veins. A single column of humming servers pulsed in the center, stretching up into darkness that had no ceiling.“This is it,” Reika whispered. Her voice was barely a thread.Beverly tightened the strap of her pack. “Then let’s kill it.”Wilson let out a shaky laugh that didn’t sound like a joke. “No pressure, right? Just… save the city and not die.”“Shut up, Wilson,” Lina hissed, though her own hands were shaking so hard the gun in them rattled.Davion swallowed hard and stepped closer to the core. The hum of the servers vibrated through the floor, through his shoes, strai

By the time the smoke of Genesis faded into a bruised gray horizon, the sky had started to bleed morning.Davion sat in the back of the battered van they’d stolen—technically “borrowed,” according to Wilson—watching the city roll past like a half-burned photograph. The streets were mostly empty, just stray sirens echoing somewhere far away. Every so often he caught a glimpse of flashing lights in the distance, rescue crews swarming the ruins they’d left behind.They didn’t speak much at first. Everyone was too tired, too wrung out to bother filling the silence. The only sounds were the van’s rattling engine and the soft crackle of the radio Wilson had finally coaxed back to life.“…sources confirm an explosion downtown… power surges across three districts… authorities are investigating an unknown group calling themselves—”Wilson smacked the dial until static swallowed the reporter’s voice. “Nope. We are not giving free PR to whatever rumor mill is about to ruin my morning.”Beverly s

The cabin felt different after sunrise. Less like a hideout and more like… a question.Davion woke to the smell of something vaguely edible—burnt toast?—and the sound of Wilson humming way too loudly for someone who’d nearly died two nights ago.“Rise and shine, revolutionaries,” Wilson called from the tiny kitchenette. “Breakfast of champions: toast, slightly on fire, and coffee that could probably dissolve metal.”Davion groaned, dragging himself upright from the couch. Every muscle ached like he’d gone ten rounds with a freight train. Which, considering Genesis had literally tried to collapse on top of them, wasn’t far off.Beverly sat cross-legged by the window, sharpening her blade even though they were supposed to be safe. Her dark hair caught a stripe of early light, turning it into something sharp and soft at once.“You don’t have to keep watch,” Davion said, voice rough.“Yes, I do,” she answered without looking up. The scrape of steel against stone filled the silence. “Safet