The war room looked like controlled chaos. Maps of Haven covered every surface, surveillance photos lined the walls, and Sophia's holographic displays showed security systems that would make Fort Knox look like a convenience store."This is suicide," Sarah said bluntly. She'd returned after the attack, though the tension between her and Marcus was palpable. "Haven's security includes automated defense turrets, supernatural detection wards, and at least two hundred trained combatants. We'd need an army.""We have an army," Marcus pointed to the refugee data. "Four hundred people who owe us their lives.""Four hundred untrained civilians, forty captured extremists who hate us, and sixty contaminated refugees who might explode if they sneeze wrong." Amanda was studying Haven's layout with professional interest. "Not exactly a strike force.""Then we don't strike. We infiltrate." Marcus zoomed in on the ceremony venue. "Victor's expecting a military assault. Big, loud, obvious. So we do t

Morning came too fast. Marcus woke to find the facility buzzing with activity as final preparations began. Sophia had pulled an all-nighter perfecting the equipment they'd need—communication devices small enough to hide, weapons modified with supernatural suppressants, and recording equipment that could capture evidence even in magically shielded environments."Cutting it close, aren't we?" Marcus said, finding her in the tech lab surrounded by half-assembled gadgets."Close is generous. I'm basically MacGyvering our infiltration gear from spare parts and prayers." She handed him a small earpiece. "This is your lifeline. It'll keep you connected to me and the team. Range is limited inside Haven due to their dampening fields, but it should work for about half a mile.""Should work?""Nothing is guaranteed when you're dealing with technology designed by someone as paranoid as Victor." Sophia moved to another workbench. "I've also got these—data miners disguised as regular network nodes.

Marcus's mind raced through possibilities, discarding each one as quickly as it formed. Victor was too powerful to fight directly. The ceremony was too advanced to stop conventionally. Their team was scattered and trapped.Then Amanda whispered, "The bridge anchor. It's keyed to your genetics."Marcus looked at the device Victor held, understanding dawning. "If I'm the key, I can also be the lock.""What are you thinking?""Something stupid and probably fatal." Marcus raised his voice to Victor. "You said the old ones need me to stabilize the dimensional boundaries. What happens if I destabilize them instead?"Victor's expression shifted from smug to concerned. "You wouldn't. The backlash would kill you.""I'm human now. Fragile. Easy to kill. But my genetic template is still bridge-compatible." Marcus moved closer despite Raven's warning gesture. "If I can get my hands on that anchor, I can overload it. Collapse the gateways before they fully form.""And die in the process," Victor s

The military immediately quarantined everyone who'd escaped Haven. Medical tents, security checkpoints, and enough soldiers to invade a small country. Marcus and his team were separated from the refugees for debriefing."Mr. Vale." A woman in an expensive suit approached, flanked by government officials. "I'm Secretary Chen, Department of Supernatural Affairs. We need to talk about what happened out there."Marcus was too tired to be diplomatic. "Victor Ashford tried to open permanent gateways to an old one realm. I stopped him. Haven collapsed. That's the summary.""We watched it happen. The whole world watched it happen." She pulled out a tablet showing news coverage from dozens of networks. "You're either a hero or a terrorist, depending on who's reporting."On the screens, Marcus saw himself from multiple angles. The footage Victor had broadcast showed Marcus infiltrating Haven, showed the confrontation, showed the gateways collapsing. But different networks were spinning it diffe

Marcus tracked the contaminated refugees through Washington using his bridge senses. Their unstable energy signatures burned like beacons against normal reality, leaving trails only he could follow."They're scared," he said as the team raced through city streets. "Confused. They don't understand what's happening to them.""Can you talk them down?" Richard asked."I can try. But they're becoming less human with every phase shift. Eventually they'll be pure dimensional energy with no consciousness left."Secret Service agents followed in black SUVs, radios crackling with urgent chatter. This was turning into a diplomatic incident on top of everything else.Marcus felt one of the refugees nearby—a young woman named Iris who'd been kind to him at the facility. Her signature was flickering wildly, phasing between dimensions so fast she was barely real anymore."There!" He pointed to an alley where reality was distorting. Iris stood in the center, her form shifting between solid and trans