Michael's eyes narrowed slightly as he stood before Commander Cane Reed. The weight of everything he'd heard in the last half hour pressed on his shoulders like a mantle he hadn't yet decided if he wanted to wear."Before we go any further," Michael said, his tone cool but firm, "let me make something clear. I'm not some weapon you can wind up and point at a target. I have my own goals, and no one, not the Families, not some shadow group, not even you, gets to dictate how I achieve them."The silence that followed was heavy, but Cane didn't flinch. In fact, his face remained neutral, save for the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. "We wouldn't have reached out to you if we thought otherwise," Cane replied. "Libertas Aeterna isn't in the business of forcing anyone. We're in the business of aligning interests. If at any point ours and yours don't match up, you can walk away."Michael studied the man for another long moment, then gave a small nod. He extended his hand. "Then we

The sleek, black VTOL aircraft cut silently through the sky, its anti-radar plating absorbing every pulse that tried to find it. Through the front viewport, the lights of Whitewood City had long faded behind them, swallowed by the miles of forested darkness that lay beyond even the prestigious Northern Sector. Michael stood near the side hatch, peering out the narrow window at the rising terrain ahead.The mansion came into view at last, perched like a crown atop a cliff of rock and polished glass. Surrounded by tall fencing, automated turrets, and guard patrols, the Lassette estate was somehow still luxurious enough that one could not tell it was a fortress. And it was clear why the LA had chosen this target as their first strike. Unlike the other heirs and heiresses who made their nests in the thick of the city, Erin Lassette had opted for solitude. Her distance from the core territories made her vulnerable, if only for the short window of time it would take help to reach her from t

The android raised its arm slowly, smoke rising from the cracked joints he’d managed to damage. Sparks flickered across its body like veins of energy. That sight gave Michael the information he needed to know that his presumption was wrong. Even though it seemed like it, the Android had not somehow figured out a way to adapt to Foresight. Rather, it was reading his body movements down to his muscle contractions to predict where and when he would act. But judging from that damage, it could not tell how much power he used nor what the aftereffect would be. That meant that this thing was nowhere near as good as it had been earlier if it now had to compensate like this. The air shimmered with tension as Michael squared off against the android, its polished metal surface gleaming beneath the flickering moonlight seeping through the wide corridor windows. The hum of failing emergency lights and the sound of crushed marble underfoot echoed off the walls as the battle spiraled into its sec

The hiss of the hydraulic door slid shut behind him, sealing Michael in the quiet solitude of his private quarters. He tugged at the strap of his combat vest with one hand while the other worked loose the tight collar of his tactical suit. The fabric clung to his skin, damp with the exertion and heat of the fight. His ribs still ached faintly from all the times the Android had slammed him against some sort of hard surface.He stepped out of the armored boots and moved toward the small alcove where the room’s basic utilities were built into the wall. Water hissed into the basin as he splashed it onto his face, trying to rinse off the sting of salt, sweat, and blood that clung to him.The room was modest but well-appointed, definitely far from the Spartan bunk he’d imagined for a hidden rebel base. A single bed, a mounted holo-screen, and a sleek desk were arranged with military precision. But it was the west-facing wall that captured his gaze.The enti

The living room of the Grey residence in the Southern Sector was quiet, draped in the soft amber glow of evening light filtering through drawn blinds. Despite the modest size of the home, there was a crisp, minimalistic elegance to it with everything clean, organized, lived in. The air hummed with subtle tension as Michael adjusted the collar of his midnight-black suit in the hallway mirror, his gaze flicking to the reflection of the two women waiting behind him.Stella, in a shimmering silver-blue evening dress that reflected the low light like moonlight on water, strolled around the room with a curious eye. She lightly touched a shelf holding several old family photos and a glass-encased trophy from a youth martial arts tournament.“You know,” she said, turning to face Michael, her tone edged with playfulness, “for someone with your name and reputation, this place is a lot smaller than I expected.”Michael didn't turn around. “I'm not like the