Jonah’s jaw was locked so tight his teeth hurt. He stared at Rask’s throat. He was calculating exactly how much force he needed to crush the Colonel’s windpipe."Let him go," Jonah repeated. His voice sounded like rocks grinding together."No," Rask said simply.Rask took one step closer to Jonah. He leaned his head forward. He looked deep into Jonah’s burning eyes."This is the moment of truth, Jonah," Rask whispered, so quietly that only Jonah could hear. "If you fight me now, my men will shoot you. They will shoot the woman behind you. They will shoot your friend on the floor. And then, they will shoot the children in the cage just to make a point. You will kill us all with your pride."Jonah’s fists shook. The blue words of the system flashed rapidly in his vision.[CALCULATING CASUALTIES...][JONAH: DEAD][LISA: DEAD][KEVIN: DEAD][CIVILIANS: 84% MORTALITY]Rask smiled wider. "But... if you are truly the smart man I think you are... you will remember why you came here. You will

“I am never truly dead, Jonah,” the soft voice said. It felt like warm honey pouring over his burning brain. “I am the peace you are looking for. I am the end of your struggle. Look at what your fighting has done. Kevin is gone. The little boy is still hungry. The monsters are outside the door. And the monster is inside the fort. You cannot fix this world, Jonah. It is too broken.”Jonah’s breathing became fast and shallow. His heart was beating like a wild bird trapped in a cage. Thump-thump-thump-thump.“Colonel Rask is right,” the voice of Eden whispered again. “Control is safety. If you stop caring, it stops hurting. Let the system shut down. Give up your anger. Just obey. It is so much easier to be a slave, Jonah. A slave has no choices. A slave has no responsibility. If you just submit completely, you will never feel this terrible pain again.”"Shut up," Jonah hissed softly through his teeth.“Let Kevin go,” Eden whispered. “He made his choice. You make yours. Close your eyes. S

The dark sleeping hall was quiet. Only the sound of dripping water and soft breathing filled the huge room. Jonah stood next to his broken metal bed. His hands were loose at his sides. His mind was clear. The red warning lights in his vision were gone. The system inside his head was quiet, waiting for his command.He was not going to hide anymore. He was not going to play Colonel Rask’s game."Come," Jonah whispered to Lisa.Lisa stood up from the cold stone floor. She looked at Jonah’s face. She saw the change. The fake, broken worker was dead. The real Jonah was back. He looked sharp. He looked dangerous."Where are we going?" Lisa whispered back. She held her heavy iron wrench tightly."We need answers," Jonah said softly. "The Siege Zombies outside. The rules inside. There is a connection. I need to see the computer data. I need to see the security cameras."Lisa nodded slowly. "There is a small security room just outside this hall. I saw it when we marched in. But there are guard

Lisa’s eyes filled with tears. She understood what Jonah was saying, but it was too horrible to accept. "Jonah... there are thousands of innocent people here. The children in the cages. The workers. If we don't save the fort, where will they go? The ash storm is outside. The monsters are outside."Jonah walked over to Lisa. He put his big, heavy hands on her shoulders. He looked down into her eyes. He wanted her to understand the heavy burden he was about to pick up."Fort Ashfall cannot be saved by reform," Jonah said softly. Every word was heavy like a brick. "You cannot heal a body that is completely made of cancer. You have to cut it out. This fortress is a machine that turns human souls into fear, and then feeds that fear to the dead. The only way to stop the Siege Zombies is to destroy the very thing they are attacking.""The hierarchy," Lisa whispered."Yes," Jonah said. "The chain of command. The walls. The cages. The rules. All of it.""You want to tear down the walls?" Lisa

"Your guards are blind," Jonah said. His voice was low and rough. "And so are you."Jonah took a step forward. He wanted to reach across the desk and grab Rask by his perfectly clean throat.Suddenly, the walls of the office opened.Whirrrrr.Four heavy, automated machine guns dropped down from hidden doors in the ceiling. The guns aimed directly at Jonah’s head, chest, and legs. Four bright red laser dots appeared on Jonah’s dirty gray shirt.The system in Jonah’s head flashed bright red.[WARNING. AUTOMATED DEFENSE TURRETS ACTIVE. SURVIVAL RATE IF ENGAGED: 0.00%]"Do not move, Jonah," Rask said calmly. "These guns are controlled by motion sensors and my own voice. If you take one more step toward me, they will cut you into a hundred pieces. The carpet is very hard to clean. Please, stand still."Jonah stopped. He looked at the red laser dots on his chest. He looked back at Rask."You hide behind machines," Jonah said."I use tools to maintain order," Rask corrected him. He leaned ba