The mountains were colder than the desert, but the silence was the same—sharp, endless, heavy with things unsaid.Echo Unit had taken shelter inside an abandoned radio outpost halfway up a ridge. The power was gone, the walls scarred by old shelling. The only light came from the flickering blue of Amir’s monitor as he tapped into the satellite feed.Rafe paced near the doorway, rifle slung low. “We’ve been ghosts for three days. I don’t like it.”“You prefer being shot at?” Navarro asked, tightening a bandage around his arm.“At least then I know what direction the bullets are coming from.”“Both of you, shut it,” Mercer said quietly. He was standing by the window, scanning the horizon through his binoculars. “We’ve got movement on the northern slope—small patrol, maybe recon drones.”Amir frowned at the monitor. “Confirmed. Three heat signatures, one airborne. Probably Specter-class recon units—new toys Command rolled out after Sentinel went dark.”Rafe exhaled. “Specters. Great. The

The rain hadn’t stopped for three days.Sheets of it poured down the blackened mountains, turning the roads into rivers of mud and ash.From a ridge overlooking the valley, Mercer studied the landscape through his scope. Below them, hidden within a ring of floodlights and electrified fences, stood Sector Nine—a massive steel complex carved into the earth. Watchtowers loomed at its corners, drones circled above in mechanical precision, and the faint hum of generators carried even through the storm.“Looks more fortress than prison,” Rafe muttered, crouching beside him.Amir scrolled through the tablet linked to the data chip Keene had given them. “According to this, only one section’s still operational—the subterranean wing. That’s where they’re keeping human detainees. The rest’s automated.”Navarro rubbed a hand across his jaw. “So, we’re breaking into the most secure AI-run facility on the planet in the middle of a thunderstorm. Great plan.”Mercer’s voice was quiet, steady. “We’ve

The mountains rose like black teeth against the horizon. Jagged peaks clawed at the storm clouds, their edges veiled by drifting mist.The road leading north had long since dissolved into rubble. Half-buried signs pointed to towns that no longer existed. Burned-out husks of vehicles lined the roadside—remnants of old evacuations or failed retreats.Echo Unit moved in silence. The truck groaned beneath their weight, its engine coughing through every mile of the incline.Amir sat in the passenger seat, eyes on his scanner. “Signal interference’s climbing. Same pattern as the data storms we saw at Sector Nine.”Navarro kept his hands steady on the wheel. “Means we’re close.”In the back, Mercer studied the map spread across his knees. Most of it was guesswork now—decades-old satellite data mixed with Maeve’s fragmented memories of the Helios blueprints.He looked up as Maeve stirred beside him. Her face was still pale from the escape, but her eyes carried a clarity that hadn’t been there

The storm had followed them for two days straight—cold, relentless, and whispering with static that made their comms hiss.By the third morning, the mountains had thinned into rolling plains. The horizon was a smear of gray and white, where snow met smoke. In the distance, a faint orange glow flickered—the remains of a burning settlement.Mercer raised his scope, adjusting for the haze. “Outpost. Could be one of the northern settlements. Or what’s left of it.”Rafe crouched beside him, chewing the inside of his cheek. “Could also be a trap. Sentinel’s sent patrol drones this far before.”Maeve brushed a strand of wet hair from her face. “We need supplies. Fuel cells are almost drained, and the drones that attacked last night weren’t random. It’s tracking us.”Navarro slung his pack forward, checking their rations. “She’s right. We can’t make it to the mainframe on fumes.”Amir nodded. “Then we take the risk. We move in fast, eyes open.”Mercer lowered the scope. “Let’s move.”They app