"Identify yourself and state your clearance!" a voice boomed from the overhead speakers. "You are in a restricted sector, driving a marked hostile vehicle. Power down all systems and exit with your hands visible, or we will open fire."Zarek looked at the door, a deep frown creasing his face.He pushed it open slowly. He stepped out onto the parched earth, his black coat fluttering in the cold northern wind.He didn't raise his hands. He stood there, blood and oil from the mountain still staining his face, looking utterly unimpressed by the array of weaponry trained on him.A Sergeant stepped forward, his visor polarized to hide his eyes. "I said, identify yourself! This is your final warning.""I am Zarek," he said, his voice low but carrying with a weight that made the nearest Sentinel's aim waver. "And in the back of this vehicle is a high-ranking officer in need of immediate surgical intervention. Move."The Sergeant didn't budge. He signaled for his men to tighten the circle."W

Zarek stared at the man's profile, the sharp jaw, the silver hoops in his brow. He was playing a dangerous game, standing next to a man who might be his greatest victory or his most painful reminder."I don't follow anyone, Volkov," Zarek said, his hand ghosting over the knife at his belt. "I just finished the job. Now, give me a terminal. I want to see the perimeter feed. If the Veldra are coming, I'm going to be the first thing they see."Inside, Zarek was screaming.‘Is it you? Tin, is it really you?’ But outside, the God of War was ready. He had found a lead, and he was going to burn down the world before he let it slip through his fingers again.*****The sirens of the Northern Outpost began to wail, a low, guttural moan that vibrated through the floorboards.On the holographic map, three red icons were accelerating toward the southern perimeter."They're bypassing the main road," Volkov noted, his eye patch flaring red. "They're coming through the Ravine of Echoes. They think