CRACK.The sound was not a boom. It was a sharp, terrible crack. It sounded like a giant bone breaking in half.The thousands of people trapped inside the great hall of Fort Ashfall stopped breathing. They all looked up. They looked at the massive inner wall.The thick concrete was splitting. A long, dark line moved quickly down the gray stone like a black snake. Dust poured out of the crack. Small pieces of rock fell to the floor. Pitter. Patter."The wall is breaking," a worker whispered. His voice was full of pure terror. "They are coming inside."Outside the wall, the Siege Zombies did not stop. They did not get tired. They did not feel pain. They just kept hitting the thick steel and concrete with their heavy metal fists.BOOM. CRACK.Another line appeared in the stone. Then another. The wall looked like a broken mirror."Keep the lines straight!" a guard yelled. He raised his heavy black rifle. He pointed it at the crowd of terrified workers. "Do not move! Discipline is survival

Jonah did not speak. He did not slow down. He just kept walking. His heavy boots hit the stone floor. Thud. Thud. Thud. Every step made the floor vibrate."Open fire!" the guard yelled.ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!The elite guards shot bright beams of super-heated energy at Jonah. The beams were designed to burn through solid steel.The energy beams hit Jonah directly in the chest and shoulders.But Jonah did not fall. He did not even stumble.The glowing red energy inside his body acted like a perfect shield. When the hot energy beams hit his skin, they simply splashed away like water hitting a rock. His dirty gray shirt burned away, showing his massive, glowing chest, but his skin was not hurt.The guards took a step back. They were panicking. This was impossible. Nothing could survive those weapons."Shoot him in the head!" a guard screamed.They aimed higher. But they were out of time.Jonah moved.He did not run like a normal man. He blurred. He crossed the twenty feet of empty space in half

Slowly, the prisoners stepped out into the purple light.They looked terrible. They were just skin and bones. They wore dirty rags. Their faces were pale from living in the dark. Some of them were missing fingers. Some of them had terrible burns. They were the forgotten people. They were the victims of Rask's perfect machine.But when they stepped out of their cages, they did not look scared anymore. They saw Jonah standing in the middle of the hallway, holding his son. They saw the giant man who had broken the unbreakable door.Jonah looked at the crowd of broken people."You are not science experiments," Jonah said loudly. His deep voice carried down the entire hallway. "You are not slaves. The man who put you in these cages is losing his war. The walls are falling. It is time to leave this dark hole."A low murmur of voices spread through the crowd. Hope. It was a dangerous, powerful thing.Suddenly, the loud sirens began to scream.WEEEE-OOOO! WEEEE-OOOO! WEEEE-OOOO!Bright red em

The loud, mechanical roar of the lockdown alarm filled the dark service tunnel.BWWWWAAAAAHHHH. BWWWWAAAAAHHHH.Thick metal walls slammed down from the ceilings. Heavy steel doors locked with loud, explosive bangs. Colonel Rask had turned Fort Ashfall into a giant, sealed cage. There was no way out.Jonah stood in the dark tunnel. The red emergency lights flashed on and off. They painted his face in angry, bright colors. He held his son, Kevin, with one arm. He held a heavy black rifle in his other hand.Behind Jonah, the crowd of freed prisoners stopped moving. They listened to the heavy doors locking all around them. The thin man with the gray beard held his new gun tightly. His eyes darted from the dark corners to the low ceiling."We are trapped," a young woman whispered. She held a heavy shotgun. Her hands were shaking again. "He locked us in. We are going to die down here.""No," Jonah said. His voice was deep, calm, and solid like a rock. "He locked the doors to stop us from le

Jonah turned to Lisa. "Find the explosives. He must have demolition charges somewhere. Find them, and rig this entire room to blow."Lisa nodded. Her eyes were sharp. She put her wrench away. "I saw heavy steel crates in the back. Give me ten minutes."Lisa ran down the long rows of black shelves. She found a section marked DANGER: HIGH EXPLOSIVES.She opened the heavy green crates. Inside, she found exactly what she needed. Thick blocks of gray C4 plastic explosive. Small silver blasting caps. Long spools of red and black wire. Electronic timers."I have it!" Lisa shouted across the room. "I am setting the charges! I am going to put them directly over the main power lines running under the floor!"Lisa moved fast. She was an expert mechanic. Her small hands worked quickly, cutting wires with a small knife, pushing the silver caps into the soft gray clay. She stuck the blocks of C4 to the heavy support pillars in the center of the armory."Kevin," Jonah said softly. "Sit down. Rest."