The tires of Miranda’s heavy modified SUV screeched slightly as she pulled up into the hidden alleyway that led to the Nest. This place was an absolute dump from the outside, looking like nothing more than an abandoned auto-repair shop covered in layers of grime and old graffiti. But inside, it was a high-tech fortress designed to disappear from every radar in the city. She killed the engine, hopped out of the driver's seat, and walked toward the back of the vehicle.She began hauling a massive load of equipment, her arms full of plastic crates, wires, and strange metallic boxes that looked completely out of place in a normal office setting. Balancing the heavy load against her hip, she punched in the secure code on the keypad by the heavy steel door. The lock clicked, and she pushed her way inside, the cold air from the high-powered server cooling units hitting her face instantly.Jonah was sitting at a makeshift desk surrounded by three giant monitors that were blinking with green l

Kaelen blinked, his eyelids feeling like they were coated in sand as he forced them open. The first thing that hit his vision was a stark, sterile white ceiling panel. The fluorescent lights glowing down from above were completely blinding, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut again as a sharp ache throbbed right behind his temples. He groaned, a dry, raspy sound escaping his throat.He tried to shift his weight to sit up, but the moment he moved, he felt a heavy, unyielding resistance. He opened his eyes fully this time, braving the harsh glare, and looked down at his arms and torso. He was completely strapped down. Heavy, thick green canvas straps—those brutal, military belt-like ropes—were securely buckled across his chest, thighs, and wrists, pinning him flat against the stiff mattress of the medical cot.As he lay there panting, his back hurt a bit, a deep, radiating ache flaring up along his spine. A tiny, localized sting on his lower back served as a painful

The heavy steel door of the medical ward slid open with a sharp, mechanical click, and Kaelen was instantly surrounded. He wasn't just given an escort; he was being led to the General's office by a bunch of guards who looked like they were bracing for a prison riot. He whistled sarcastically when he saw the dozen soldiers flanking along his sides, their rifles held firmly across their chests, their eyes glued to his every movement. "Wow," Kaelen muttered, a lazy, mocking smirk pulling at the corner of his lips as he looked at the wall of camouflage and body armor around him. "A dozen of you? I’m truly honored. You guys really must be afraid of me if it takes a whole squad just to walk a guy in hospital slippers down the hall." One of the soldiers didn't find the joke funny at all. His face twisted into a harsh scowl, and he reached out, his heavy gloved hand shoving Kaelen roughly between the shoulder blades. "Shut the fuck up and keep moving, Hart. You

It had been three whole days since she took that risk and sent those photographs to Aurora. Three days of absolutely nothing. No texts, no signs of life, just pure silence. It was driving her insane, but Aurora’s words kept playing on a loop in her mind: 'Wait, keep your head down, don't get caught again.'Honestly, it was the hardest thing Mirella had ever done in her life. She was naturally curious, and this house was literally overflowing with interesting, shady things just begging to be looked into. Instead, she had to force herself to sit still. To pass the time, she decided to play detective from afar. She started memorizing the exact layout of the house, especially since she noticed a few things had changed since she first got here.Her strategy for this? Total camouflage. She just acted like she was laying around the house, doing random girly stuff like painting her nails, scrolling through old photos, or staring at the ceiling like a bored teenager. It worked surprisingly wel

The room was nice enough. Too nice, actually. That was the problem. Nice rooms were meant to make you comfortable, and comfortable people made bad decisions. Or that's what Kaelen kept telling himself as he stared at the ceiling for the hundredth time that morning.He'd been here for over a day now. The general had made sure of that. No visits. No interruptions. Just Kaelen and his thoughts and the slowly building weight of knowing he had to make a choice. The general was clever about it. He wasn't forcing anything. He was just letting the silence do the work, letting Kaelen sit in this room and think about what accepting the offer actually meant.But Kaelen had already decided. He'd known since the moment the general first mentioned it. The answer was yes.The door suddenly swung open. A soldier stood in the doorway, rigid and formal."You're free to go," the soldier said. "General's orders."Kaelen sat up. He felt something shift in his chest, a feeling like static electricity. This