THE GENERAL DIES AT DAWNThe poison tasted like copper and regret.Marcus Chen's vision blurred as he slumped forward in the steel chair, chains cutting into his wrists. Blood dripped from his nose onto the concrete floor of Sub-Level Nine, each drop echoing in the silence. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, that same mechanical hum that had driven three prisoners insane last year.He'd counted the days. Two hundred and seventeen since the trial that wasn't a trial. Since they'd paraded him in front of cameras and called him a monster."Still conscious?" Director Hale stood by the door, checking his watch like he had somewhere better to be. "The sedative should've worked by now.""Disappointed?" Marcus coughed. More blood. "Want to... watch me beg?""I want this over with." Hale adjusted his cufflinks. Italian silk, probably cost more than a soldier's monthly pay. "You made it personal when you refused the deal."Marcus laughed, though it came out as a wheeze. "The deal where I..

THE WATCHERMarcus woke at 0400 hours, two hours before reveille.Old habits died hard. Or didn't die at all.He sat up in the darkness, listening to the breathing of nineteen other cadets in the barracks. Soft snores. Restless shifting. The normal sounds of exhausted kids pretending to be soldiers.Except Marcus wasn't pretending.The Warden System displayed its countdown: [MISSION TWO: 58 HOURS, 12 MINUTES.]Fifty-eight hours until someone sabotaged the live fire range. Fifty-eight hours to figure out who, how, and why.He dressed quietly, military efficiency ingrained after years of pre-dawn operations. Dark sweats, running shoes, nothing that would draw attention. Just another cadet who couldn't sleep.The barracks door creaked as he opened it."Where are you going?"Marcus froze. The voice came from the bunk nearest the door. Danny Park, his assigned roommate. Quiet kid, barely spoke during orientation. In Marcus's original timeline, Danny had washed out after six months."Couldn

THE PRICE OF KNOWING Kane's office smelled like old coffee and bad decisions. Marcus stood at attention in front of the desk while Kane paced behind it. The instructor hadn't said a word in three minutes. Just paced. Back and forth. Back and forth. Finally, Kane stopped. "Sit down." Marcus sat. Kane leaned against the desk, arms crossed. Up close, Marcus could see the exhaustion etched into his face. The gray in his beard seemed darker than this morning. His eyes were bloodshot. "You disobeyed a direct order," Kane said quietly. "Yes, sir." "You entered a hazardous zone without authorization." "Yes, sir." "You risked your life and compromised emergency operations." "Yes, sir." Kane's jaw tightened. "Stop saying yes sir and defend yourself." Marcus met his eyes. "I can't defend what I did. You gave an order. I ignored it. But two people are alive because I did." "And if you'd died? If the building had collapsed on you? How many resources would we have wasted recovering yo