The mountain road to Barangay San Miguel wound through terrain that brought back memories I'd spent years trying to suppress. Dense forest pressing in from both sides, isolated communities where strangers were noticed and remembered, and the kind of remote locations where people could disappear without anyone in Manila caring enough to investigate properly. I kept my hands steady on the steering wheel, but my mind was cataloging potential ambush points, escape routes, and defensive positions. Old habits from police work, sharpened by paranoia that had kept me alive when trusting the wrong person had gotten innocent people killed. "David?" Agent Fernandez's voice cut through my tactical assessment. "You've been quiet since we left Manila. Everything okay?" "Fine," I replied automatically, the same response I'd given to department psychologists when they'd asked why I'd started second-guessing every operation, every partner assignment, every piece of intelligence that seemed too conv

The cemetery's ancient stones felt comfortingly solid beneath my enhanced form as I watched the CLEANERS team begin their tactical withdrawal. How beautifully they'd performed exactly as I'd anticipated after months of careful observation and strategic manipulation. The Santos twins had grown so much since our first encounter in those provincial rice fields. From desperate children fighting for survival to coordinated operatives capable of tactical thinking under extreme pressure. The boy's rage had been beautiful raw and untempered, exactly as I'd designed it. I allowed my form to contract back to more manageable proportions, savoring the way they watched in horrified fascination. The scent of their fear was intoxicating. Eight feet was impressive for psychological impact, but maintaining that size required energy better conserved for actual combat operations. "Unit leaders, report status," I commanded through the supernatural communication network connecting me to my transform