"When General Rauth dug up the ancient, dead gods from the earth," Silas explained grimly, "he didn't just find magic power for himself. He found the most powerful, valuable energy source in the entire universe. Dead-god magic is infinite energy." Jin rapidly opened another file. She gasped loudly. "Silas is exactly right!" Jin cried out. She showed them a blueprint on the screen. "Look at this battery design! Omni-Corp is using tiny, microscopic pieces of toxic purple dead-god magic inside their newest cell phones and computer servers! Titan Energy is using the magic to power entire cities on the East Coast!" Landon felt a terrible, sickening knot twist in his stomach. For years, Landon had fought the Iron Order. He thought he was fighting a crazy, evil dictator who wanted to rule the world with dark magic. He thought the war was simply good versus evil. But it was a complete lie. General Kade Rauth was not a supreme, evil king. He was just a violent, angry employee. He was just

The massive, heavy wooden doors of the Vanguard’s safehouse violently exploded inward. Thick wooden splinters and sharp pieces of broken metal flew across the warm boardroom like deadly bullets. The force of the explosion knocked the heavy wooden table completely over. Computer screens shattered. Papers flew into the air like snowy confetti. Landon Hale stood in the center of the flying debris. He did not blink. His dark eyes burned with fierce, bright white light. "Get behind me!" Landon roared at the top of his lungs. Claire, Kade, Marcus, Navarro, Jin, Sera, Juno, and Silas all dove behind the overturned wooden table. Through the thick, gray smoke of the explosion, the new enemy slowly stepped into the room. They were not the dirty, rusted, angry soldiers of the Iron Order. These soldiers were terrifyingly clean. They wore sleek, perfectly smooth armor painted bright, shining white and polished gold. Their helmets had no faces, just sleek, glowing blue visors. They held beau

They waded through knee-deep, freezing black water. Rats scurried away from their flashlights. They were completely exhausted, but they did not stop moving. Finally, they reached a dry, empty underground maintenance room beneath the city subway system. The room had thick concrete walls and a heavy iron door. It was completely hidden from the surface. "We stop here," Landon commanded quietly. "We are safe for now." The team collapsed onto the cold concrete floor. They were covered in sewer water, mud, and dust. They breathed heavily in the dark. Landon leaned against the cold wall. He looked at his marked right hand. He kept his thick leather glove on. He could still hear the terrifying, quiet clicking sounds of the Star Eaters whispering in the back of his mind. The thirty-day countdown was still ticking. Claire sat down right next to Landon. She pulled her knees to her chest to stay warm. "Landon," Claire whispered softly. Her dark eyes were filled with deep, thoughtful worry.

Nestled deep between two massive, snowy cliffs was the corporate facility. It did not look like an old, dirty brick factory. It did not look like a rusted Iron Order bunker. It looked absolutely terrifying because it was so completely perfect. The facility was a massive, smooth, glowing white dome built directly into the gray rock of the mountain. It was made of flawless, shiny white metal and perfect, clear glass. Bright, clean white lights illuminated the snowy cliffs around it. There was absolutely no dirt. There was no rust. There was no smoke. It looked like a giant, futuristic hospital crossed with a military fortress. "That place looks way too clean," Kade muttered nervously, looking out the window. "I hate clean places. It gives me the creeps." "It is heavily guarded," Navarro whispered, looking through his sniper scope from the ship's window. Navarro was right. Patrolling the perfectly paved, snow-free white concrete landing pads outside the dome were dozens of Corporat

The loud, piercing alarm siren screamed through the pristine white hallway. The sound was absolutely deafening. Red emergency lights flashed wildly, spinning across the perfectly clean, shiny marble floor. Landon Hale stood frozen in front of the massive glass doors. His heart hammered furiously inside his broad chest. He stared through the thick glass into the giant server room. He saw hundreds of massive, glowing green glass tubes. And floating inside every single tube was an exact, perfect clone of himself. But Landon did not have time to process the terrifying nightmare. The bright white hallway was suddenly filled with enemies. Dozens of Corporate Liquidators poured out of the side doors. They wore sleek, shining white-and-gold armor. Their faces were completely hidden behind smooth, glowing blue glass visors. They raised their heavy, humming plasma rifles. "Target the intruders," the lead corporate soldier announced in a calm, flat, robotic voice. "Liquidate them immediat