Sera did not ask any more questions. She looked back down at her tools. She was too scared to know the truth.Claire walked toward the heavy metal door at the back of the basement. It led to a small storage room."Set up the big screen in the back room," Claire ordered. "We are going to hold a war council."Kade stopped halfway up the stairs. "A council with who?"Claire answered without stopping her walk. "With anyone who wants to stay alive."The back room was much smaller and colder than the main basement.A long time ago, it was used to store old boxes. Now, it had a cheap folding table, four plastic chairs, and a large TV monitor bolted to the concrete wall. A loud, smelly gas generator hummed in the corner. It sounded like an angry, tired dog.Thick black wires ran all over the dirty floor. A small satellite dish sat on a wooden box, pointing up toward a small pipe that went to the roof.Claire stood at the head of the folding table. She looked powerful. She placed a small, worn

Sera jumped in twice to ask nerdy questions about radio signals. Claire let her ask, but then quickly took control again to keep everyone focused.Kade stayed standing by the metal door like a loyal guard dog. He listened to everything.Landon just watched. He did not say much. But when he finally spoke, the whole room felt a cold chill."That terrible laser weapon," Landon said slowly. "It always leaves exactly seven holes."Several cell leaders on the screen gasped.Dimitri leaned closer. "Yes! That is what the video showed. Seven perfect holes."Rafael looked confused. "Landon, how do you know that? Have you seen the weapon in real life?"Landon’s eyes were dark and empty. He remembered the blood. He remembered the pain. "I have seen what it is meant to do in the end," Landon whispered.Claire did not look shocked. She just nodded her head once, like she had been waiting for him to say it."That is exactly why you are sitting here with me, Landon," Claire said.The meeting finally

The message came with no sound. There was no ring. There was no vibration. Landon only saw it because the screen of his secret phone lit up in the dark. It glowed like a ghost in his hand.Landon stood alone in the upstairs hallway of their safehouse. He was one floor above the basement where his team worked. The hallway smelled like old paint, wet wood, and the burned dust from a bomb two days ago. Near the floor, a row of small, red emergency lights glowed.Outside the boarded windows, the heavy Michigan night was hot and thick. The city was quiet. It was not a peaceful quiet. It was the quiet of a city holding its breath, waiting for something terrible to happen. Far away, the faint sound of a lone motorcycle buzzed through the humid air. Then, silence again.Landon stared at the phone screen.It showed one short line: PRIVATE CHANNEL — RAUTHFor three long seconds, Landon did not breathe. He did not blink. He slowly turned his head to look down the dark stairs. He listened. Ther

Landon stared at the door. Kade’s shadow moved at the bottom. "You want us to fight each other," Landon said."I am trying to help you," Rauth said."You only use people," Landon spat. "You are a monster.""Yes," Rauth said.That single, honest word was the worst thing Landon had ever heard. Landon pressed the red button. The screen went black. The call was over.For a long moment, Landon stood in the dusty room. There was no sound.Bang. Bang. Bang.Kade knocked harder on the door. "Landon!" Kade called out. "Open the door."Landon walked to the door. He unlocked it and pulled it open.Kade stood in the red light of the hallway. Kade’s face was covered in sweat and dirt. He held his large assault rifle tight against his chest. Down the stairs, Landon could hear the voices of the team. Claire’s voice was clear and strong. Juno sounded panicked. Sera was shouting about a broken wire.Kade looked at Landon’s face. "You got a call," Kade said. He did not ask. He knew."Yes," Landon said.

The big war had not officially started yet. But the huge, freezing city of Chicago already smelled exactly like a battlefield.A thick, dark smoke hung low over the icy streets. The smoke smelled like burning plastic and old ashes. It was a faint smell, but it never blew away. Huge piles of broken bricks and twisted metal garbage blocked the narrow alleyways between the tall buildings. High above the streets, the streetlights flickered wildly in the winter wind. Some lights were completely dead and dark. Other lights buzzed loudly, casting a sickly, orange glow against the heavy gray sky.Deep underground, far below the snowy streets, Claire Arden stood leaning over a large wooden table in their secret safehouse.She held a thick black marker tightly in her hand. She did not draw on the map yet. She just stared down at the paper. She traced the shape of the massive city with her dark, focused eyes.She knew every single line on that map. She knew every busy intersection. She knew ev