Dante's hand was slipping. Blood from his shoulder wound made the cable slick. The steel cut into his palm, peeling skin. His fingers were losing their grip millimeter by millimeter.Carver's hand remained steady. Strong. Extended toward him like a businessman offering a contract.Below, the crowd had grown to hundreds. They chanted in unison. "FALL! FALL! FALL!" The sound was primal, a gladiator arena baying for blood.Reaper was ten feet down the cable, looking up with desperation. "Boss, don't trust him!"Dante's eyes met Carver's. He saw calculation there. Amusement. Absolute confidence. The look of a man who'd already won and was simply waiting for everyone else to realize it."Five seconds until you fall." Carver's voice was conversational. "Four. Three."Dante's free hand shot up. He grabbed Carver's forearm with the grip of a drowning man.The pull was immediate and effortless. Carver hauled him into the helicopter like he weighed nothing. Dante landed hard on the deck, gaspin

Scarlett's eyes were bulging from her skull. Her consciousness was fading like a guttering candle. Her legs kicked weakly, the movements growing slower with each passing second.Dante's internal war raged. She deserved this. She'd betrayed him countless times. Tried to have Sophia murdered six times. Desecrated Aunt Marie's grave. Given Emma's location to monsters.Carver's voice cut through his thoughts. "Two seconds, Dante. Let her die or save her. Choose."Reaper was whispering urgently. "Let her die, Boss. World's better without her."Elena nodded. "She gave us to The Broker. She deserves exactly what she gets."But Dante wasn't seeing Scarlett the betrayer anymore. He was seeing Scarlett from five years ago. Before Marcus. Before Victoria's poison corrupted everything. The woman who'd smiled at him genuinely when they'd signed the marriage contract. Who'd said she hoped they could at least be friends."Stop." His voice was quiet but carried absolute finality.Carver's eyebrow rai

Marie's fingers moved across a control panel. The screens flickered and transformed into holographic displays. Three-dimensional projections filled the room with technology far beyond anything Dante had ever seen. Even in his black ops days."The Archive isn't human-made." Marie's voice was matter-of-fact. Like she was discussing the weather. "Leonard discovered it thirty years ago. Ancient technology. Left by... something else."Scarlett's laugh was sharp. Disbelieving. "You're talking about aliens? That's insane!""Call it what you want." Marie manipulated the hologram, zooming in on complex geometric patterns. "The technology exists. It works. And it gives its user complete control over modern infrastructure. Power grids. Communications. Military systems. Banking. Everything connected to any network anywhere on Earth."Dante was studying the patterns. They didn't follow human design principles. Too elegant. Too efficient. Like nature had designed them instead of engineers."If that

The military base loomed against the darkening sky. An abandoned Cold War facility. Massive concrete structures designed to withstand nuclear strikes. Multiple entry points. Overlapping fields of fire. A perfect killing ground.Dante's team had assembled in the tree line half a mile out. Reaper checked his weapons with mechanical precision. Elena was studying satellite feeds on a tablet Marie had provided. Shadow had disappeared into the shadows, doing what he did best—scouting. Scarlett stood apart from them, nervous but determined.The base itself was crawling with activity. Nathaniel's forces had fortified every approach. Two hundred plus operatives visible on thermal imaging. Professional military. Dug into defensive positions. Controlling the interior completely.From the west, Carver's mercenaries were approaching. Eighty elite soldiers. Cutting-edge weapons that made even Dante's black ops equipment look dated. They were moving with disciplined efficiency.And somewhere three s

Shadow dove without hesitation. His body intercepted the bullet meant for Sophia. The impact hit his chest like a sledgehammer. He went down hard, blood already spreading across his tactical gear.Sophia screamed. Caught him as he fell. Her hands came away red.Victoria's laugh echoed through the hallway. "How touching. The silent assassin dies for a whore's bastard daughter."Emma was crying. "Miss Hayes, I'm scared!"Shadow coughed. Blood flecked his lips. His voice was barely a whisper. "Run... window... left..."Victoria's soldiers were advancing. Weapons raised. Professional. Unhurried. They had all the time in the world.Sophia was torn. She couldn't leave Shadow. But Emma was in danger. The soldiers were ten feet away. Eight feet.Shadow's hand pushed her away with surprising strength. "GO!"Sophia grabbed Emma's hand and ran left. Down the hallway. Away from the guns.She found the window Shadow had mentioned. Reinforced glass. She grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall mou