Sergeant Bannon Kreel woke up smiling.The sun was already up, bright and shameless, shining over the Herold staging yard like it approved of what was about to happen. Engines rumbled in long lines, and the smell of diesel was mixed with hot metal and sweat. Soldiers moved around like they owned the morning, laughing too loud, dragging crates like they were carrying groceries.“Move it!” Kreel shouted, climbing onto the bumper of a troop truck. “I want this convoy ready before the clock even blinks.”A corporal below him rolled his eyes and barked at the men. “Ammo first. Tools next. Keep the crates sealed. If you drop anything, you’ll pick it up with your teeth.”A soldier chuckled. “Relax, corporal. It’s just a tech building.”“Just a tech building,” another repeated, grinning. “A rich one.”Kreel watched them with satisfaction. These weren’t thinkers. They were followers. They were hungry, and hunger made men brave in stupid ways.He slapped the side of the truck. “Listen up!” he

Ethan shook his head once. “I don’t want to kill you,” he said. “That’s why I’m standing here alone.”Senn burst out laughing. “Alone,” he repeated. “He thinks that’s impressive.”Ethan’s eyes stayed on Kreel. “You can turn around,” he said. “You can go back and tell your superiors the road was blocked. You can blame me. You can call me stubborn. But you will be alive.”Kreel’s smile faded, replaced by a look of sharp interest. “Alive,” he repeated. “And if I turn back, what happens to me?”Ethan answered honestly. “Your leaders might punish you,” he said. “But you will still breathe.”Kreel chuckled, almost gently. “You’re asking men under Herold command to choose breathing over orders,” he said. “Do you know what that sounds like?”Ethan’s voice softened, but it didn’t weaken. “It sounds like being human,” he said.Senn clapped slowly, sarcastic. “Wow,” he said. “He’s begging.”Ethan looked at him for the first time, calm and direct. “I am,” he said. “As a human being.”Kreel laughe

Another shot cracked, and the second gun truck’s driver went limp. The vehicle jerked forward, then drifted into the ditch with a grinding scrape.A soldier stumbled back, staring at the driver. “He’s hit!” he yelled. “The driver’s hit!”Kreel raised his voice, trying to glue the convoy back together with sound. “All units, form up!” he shouted. “Return fire! Suppress the rooftops and the trees!”A frightened soldier shouted back, “What rooftops? There are no rooftops!”Ethan still hadn’t moved. He stood beside his Range Rover like a statue that didn’t care about noise.Senn noticed that, and the fear in him shifted into rage. “It’s him!” he shouted. “He planned this!”Kreel glared at Ethan, but he couldn’t reach him. Not while bullets were dropping the leaders like stones.Another sharp crack sounded, and the radio man near Kreel folded over, mouth open, falling sideways like his spine had melted.A young soldier froze, shaking. “They’re not shooting us,” he whispered. “They’re shoo

After about two hours since the massacre of the leaders of the Herold squad close to the Xavier tech branch, the first survivor stumbled into the Herold checkpoint with dust in his hair and fear in his eyes. His uniform was ripped at the elbow, and his rifle strap hung loose like he had forgotten what it was for. Behind him, more soldiers arrived in ones and twos, breathing hard, looking back over their shoulders as if the road itself was chasing them.A checkpoint officer stepped out from under the shade netting and stared at them in disbelief. “Where is your sergeant?” he demanded. “Where are the command vehicles?”No one answered fast enough.The officer marched closer and slapped the first survivor across the face. “Speak!” he barked. “Or I’ll report you as deserters.”The survivor’s mouth trembled. “Sergeant Kreel is alive,” he said quickly. “But the other leaders… the drivers… they’re dead.”The officer narrowed his eyes. “Dead how?”“Shots,” another survivor said. His voice cr

The Presidential Villa had not changed in decades, but the air inside it always did when men with power disagreed.It was four days since the failed mission to annex the second Xavier tech branch and Darius Herold stood at the long strategy table, hands braced against its surface, eyes fixed on the projection of Linbourgh glowing across the wall. Red markers blinked where convoys had failed. Blue outlines showed Xavier Tech properties that still stood untouched, stubborn, and defiant.Behind him, the doors opened.Vincent Korr entered without asking for permission.The guards shut the doors immediately, sealing the chamber. No aides. No witnesses. Just two men who both believed they were necessary.Korr broke the silence first.Korr inclined his head slightly, the gesture was respectful enough to pass protocol, but restrained enough to avoid submission. “General,” he said. “Thank you for granting me the time.”Darius remained facing the projection. His silence was deliberate, stretch