The transition tunnel swallowed them in darkness.Five people walked in silence. Six had entered the Gauntlet. Only five remained.The walls were smooth metal. Cold. Sterile. Their footsteps echoed, each one a reminder that someone was missing.Tyler's face was still wet. He'd stopped making sounds, but tears kept falling. Elena walked beside him, holding Sienna's torn jacket. The fabric was stained with blood and sand.Jax's jaw was locked tight. Fists clenched. Every muscle radiating controlled fury. He hadn't spoken since they left the arena.Daniel stared at nothing. Moving on autopilot. Shock had taken him somewhere else entirely.Kade led them forward. Shoulders rigid. Eyes fixed ahead. He couldn't look at the others. If he did, he'd see their pain. And he couldn't afford to feel right now.They had to keep moving. That's what Sienna died for. So they could keep moving.The tunnel opened into a wider chamber. Rest area between zones. Basic supplies. Water. Medical kits. Benches.

Yuki's katana gleamed in the white light of Zone 6.Kade tightened his grip on his knife. The blade felt small. Inadequate. Like bringing a toy to a war.Behind him, his group watched from the cave entrance. Unable to help. Unable to look away.Around them, fourteen wildcards formed a loose circle. Watching. Waiting to see the outcome.Mason stood off to the side. Arms crossed. Annoyed that his duel had been stolen."Begin," Yuki said. Not a question. A command.She moved first. Fast. Katana cutting horizontally at chest height.Kade ducked. The blade whistled overhead. He rolled left. Came up. Slashed at her exposed side.She twisted. His knife caught only air. Her boot came up. Caught his ribs. He flew backward. Hit snow hard. Pain exploded through his chest."Too slow," Yuki said. Already closing distance.Kade scrambled up. Barely blocked her next strike. Metal screamed. The impact jarred his arm. She was strong. Stronger than she looked.She pressed forward. Three quick strikes.

Two days had passed since the last fight, but the station still felt uneasy. Like it was holding its breath.Kade sat on a broken bench near the wall, rolling his shoulder slowly. The deep gash Marcus had left was closing faster than it should. The system worked silently inside him, repairing muscle, sealing skin. It didn’t erase the ache. Or the memories.Jax paced back and forth near the platform edge, boots scraping against concrete. “We’re low on food,” he said for the third time. “Another day, maybe two. Then we’re screwed.”Elena stood near the stairs with Daniel and Tyler, rifles ready, eyes sharp. Ever since Sienna’s upload, none of them could relax. It felt like the world had shifted, like something big was moving toward them.“We can’t just sit here,” Tyler said. “Someone needs to go out.”“I’ll go,” Jax said instantly.Kade stood. “Me too.”Elena frowned. “You’re still healing.”“Fast enough,” Kade replied. “Besides, you need someone watching the system alerts. That’s me.”

Tyler's blood looked black in the dim light.Elena pressed torn fabric against his leg, trying to stop the bleeding. Tyler's face had gone pale, lips trembling."I'm fine," he whispered. "I'm fine."He wasn't fine.Kade stood by the window, staring out at the frozen street. His hands hung at his sides. Empty. Still.Jax was gone.The words kept circling in his head, but they wouldn't land. Wouldn't become real.Daniel paced near the door, rifle gripped tight. "We need to move. That thing is still out there.""His name was Jax," Kade said quietly.Daniel stopped. "What?""Not 'thing.' Jax. His name was Jax."Elena looked up from Tyler's wound. "Kade—""He had a name."Silence filled the room.Then, from somewhere outside, a sound drifted through the walls.Mechanical breathing.Distant. Patient. Searching.Daniel's face went white. "It's close.""We can't stay here," Mei said. She stood near the back wall, device in hand. "The Reaper triangulates heat signatures. Body warmth. He'll fin

Marcus met them at the edge of Zone 6, hands shoved in his pockets against the cold."The power plant is two miles east," he said. "Abandoned since the War. Perfect place to hide something you don't want found.""If we destroy the station," Mei said, "the Reaper can't recharge. He'll degrade."Daniel frowned. "What does 'degrade' mean?""His cybernetics fail," Marcus explained. "Processors overheat. Hydraulics seize. He becomes slower. Weaker. Eventually it shuts down completely.""How long?" Kade asked."Depends on his activity level. Could be hours. Could be days." Marcus checked his device. "But you have a four-hour window. After that, he'll return to the station on schedule.""Then we move fast," Kade said. He turned to the group. "Mei, Elena, and I will handle the sabotage. Marcus, you stay with Daniel and Tyler.""Why do we keep splitting up?" Elena asked, frustration bleeding into her voice.Kade met her eyes. "Because if something goes wrong, someone survives."Tyler shifted h