The soldiers outside the King Corporation building moved like a coordinated machine. They had weapons that looked military grade. They had body armor and helmets. They looked like they were trained to kill.Victor immediately activated the security protocols. Metal shutters came down over all the windows. The doors locked automatically. The building became a fortress."We have about thirty minutes before they breach the main entrance," Victor said, looking at the security cameras. "After that, we need to evacuate to the underground bunker."Hercules watched the soldiers on the screens. They were setting up explosive devices around the building's entrance. They were not trying to sneak in. They were going to blow their way through."How did they find us so fast?" Hercules asked."They must have been tracking Isabella," Dominic said. "They must have known she would make contact with you. They were waiting for your response."General Thomas was on the phone, calling other members of The

The helicopter flew through the night sky. Sophia sat next to Hercules and explained everything she knew about The Circle's cloning facility.The facility was located underground, beneath a hospital in Switzerland. It had been hidden there for twenty years. Inside, The Circle had been experimenting with human cloning and genetic engineering. They had created hundreds of clones. Some of the clones were copies of famous people. Some of the clones were completely new people, designed to be the perfect soldiers or the perfect leaders."Your real mother was one of the first successful clones," Sophia explained. "But her name was not Victoria. Her name was Dr. Eleanor Mitchell. She was a genetic scientist. She discovered the technology for creating perfect genetic copies of humans.""And The Circle killed her?" Hercules asked."They killed the original," Sophia said. "But they kept her DNA. They created a clone of her. The clone became a member of The Circle. The clone did not remember bein

Hercules and his group ran as fast as they could down the mountain. Behind them, the soldiers were getting closer. They could hear gunfire. Bullets were hitting rocks around them.General Thomas was old. He could not run as fast as the others. Victor grabbed his arm and helped him along.They reached a river at the bottom of the mountain. The river was wide and fast. It looked impossible to cross."We have to swim," Sophia said."I cannot swim," General Thomas said."Then we die here," Victor said.They waded into the water. It was cold and pushed them with incredible force. General Thomas lost his footing and started to be carried downstream. Victor grabbed him and held him above the water.They made it to the other side just as the first soldiers reached the riverbank. The soldiers tried to swim across. Some of them made it. Some of them were carried away by the current.They ran into a forest. They ran until their lungs were burning. They ran until they could not run anymore.Final

Hercules stood alone, facing Dominic and the soldiers. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of battle. General Thomas's forces were fighting The Circle's soldiers in other parts of the bunker. He was alone in this moment."I will never serve The Circle," Hercules said.Dominic smiled coldly. "You already are serving The Circle. Every choice you have made, every victory you have won, has been part of our plan. You think you have been fighting against us, but you have been working for us the entire time."Hercules tried to make sense of what Dominic was saying. Was it possible? Had he really been playing into The Circle's hands the entire time?Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows behind Dominic. It was Sophia. Sophia had a gun pointed at Dominic's head."Do not move," Sophia said.Dominic did not look surprised. Instead, he smiled even wider."Sophia, the Free Alliance operative," Dominic said. "Or should I say, Sophia the clone? Did you think we did not know what you are?"Soph

The convoy of vehicles accelerated toward The Circle's research facility. Armed guards opened fire immediately. Bullets tore through the vehicles. Some of the soldiers in the convoy died before they even had a chance to fight back.But General Thomas's forces were prepared. They had tanks. They had military-grade weapons. They had the element of surprise.The guards at the facility were scattered by the initial assault. The convoy broke through the main gates and entered the facility's courtyard.Soldiers poured out of the vehicles. They took defensive positions and returned fire. The battle raged in the courtyard for almost an hour. Bodies piled up. The smell of gunpowder filled the air.Inside the facility, Eleanor and Hercules made their way through the corridors with a small team of scientists and soldiers. They were heading toward the main server room where The Circle was attempting to upload Chairman Solomon's consciousness into a digital system.They encountered resistance at e