She was quiet for a moment. Then she turned to the console. “I am not going to stop you. Do as you wish. I have long anticipated this. But I will let you know that once you click this reset button, there is no going back.”I replied.” We are fully aware of that. We don't need a traitor like you telling us anything.”“I was just a bait.” She said with almost watery eyes.Do us the honours then.Her fingers moved across the keys.The screens flickered.A progress bar appeared on the main screen.Ten percent.Twenty.Thirty.I watched the screen. My heart was pounding.Forty percent.Fifty.Sixty.The door behind us opened.They were guards. Six of them. Black uniforms. Blank eyes.Kenji moved swiftly and his knife went into the first guard's throat before the man could raise his gun.Caiman took the second. I shot the third. Rina shot the fourth. Kael took the fifth one. All this happened within a blink of an eye.The sixth guard ran out. Everything happened too fast. Kenji threw his kn

Elena received a notification.She picked up her tablet. I watched her with an inquisitive look. "Who is it?" I said.She didn't answer. Her eyes moved across the screen. Her lips pressed together. She blinked frantically."Elena."She turned the tablet toward me."The Odyssey is a decoy. The control center is on the station. You have 72 hours."Kenji grabbed the tablet from her hand. His fingers were tight on the edges. He read it once. Then again. His jaw tightened."A decoy?" he squinted.Elena nodded. "Someone on the inside sent this. Someone who wants us to know the truth. Do you think it's my cousin?"Caiman stepped closer. "Or someone who wants to lead us into a trap. Think about it." He said firmly.I took the tablet back and scrolled down. There was more."Station designation: Icarus II. Orbital vector: Low Earth. Crew: 12. Weapons: Railguns. Lifeboats: 4."Rina leaned over my shoulder. "Lifeboats?"Elena's voice was quiet. "For the investors. When everything falls apart, th

"Neither are you."Kenji smiled. It was small and sad."I'm already dead, Jax. I've been dead since Tokyo. You just gave me a reason to keep breathing."The railguns hummed louder.I grabbed Kenji's arm. My grip was tight. "No. I'm not letting you do this."Kenji pulled his arm away. "You don't have a choice."The shuttle shook.I looked at the console. The target was locked. The city was in the crosshairs. The railguns were charging.I looked at Kenji. At his tired eyes. At his shaking hands."Kenji."Kenji cut the wire.There was a flash. A blast.The railguns went silent.The shuttle went dark.Kenji flew back. He hit the wall. He didn't move.I ran to him. I grabbed his shoulders."Kenji. Kenji."Kenji's eyes were open. He looked at me. His mouth moved."I'm sorry," he whispered."For what?""For being so angry. For being a weapon. For not knowing how to be anything else."I shook my head. "You were everything else. You were never a weapon. Don't ever forget that."Kenji smiled. B

I woke up from sleep and immediately felt something was off. I blinked frantically and said calmly, "Whooow. What's going on with me?"My hands felt like they belonged to someone else. I flexed my fingers. They moved, but not as they used to. I felt like they were full of sand.I sat up quickly. The room spun. I grabbed the edge of the cot to steady myself. My grip was weak. My knuckles weren't white like they used to be. They were just... knuckles.Elias was already up. He was standing at the window with his back to me and holding a cup of tea. His shoulders were tight."Can't sleep?" I asked.Elias turned. His face was pale. His left hand was shoved deep into his pocket. "I've been up for two hours. The shaking won't stop."He pulled his hands out. They were trembling.I looked at my own hands. "Mine too."Elias walked to the table. He picked up a cup of water. His left hand shook so bad he had to use his right hand to hold it."I think it's the reset," he said. "It's working faster

The wind was a living thing. It didn't just blow. It attacked us like terrorists.I pulled my coat tighter. The fabric was thin and old. It didn't block anything. The cold found its way through every seam, every gap, every loophole. My hands were numb inside my gloves. My face felt raw. My eyes watered.Elena walked beside me. Her steps were slow. Heavy. Her boots crunched on the ice. She hadn't spoken since we left the bunker.Rina was ahead of us. Her head was down. Her shoulders were hunched against the wind.Caiman was behind us. His breathing was labored. His steps were uneven. The reset had taken his strength. He was just a man now. Heavy. Slow. Tired."How far?" I asked.Rina stopped. She pulled a device from her pocket. The screen was cracked. The battery was low. She squinted at it."Two miles," she said."Two miles of this?""Yes."I looked at the white horizon."Then we walk."The wind didn't stop roaring.It howled. It screamed. It pushed against us like a wall.Elena stum