Jax didn't even have time to pull his trigger. The woman in the white suit just looked at him, and his rifle turned into a handful of wet sand. He stared at his empty palms, then back at the woman."Who invited you on my boat?" I demanded, stepping between her and Jax."The Pearl invited me, Osric," she said. Her voice was flat, like a recording. "I am the Administrator. You’ve successfully triggered the lockdown. Now, the rest of the world has to pay for your little rebellion.""The blockade is already failing," I snapped. "I pushed the UN back.""You pushed back a few ships," she countered with a cold smile. "But you didn't stop the quarantine. Look at the horizon. It's not just Oakhaven anymore.""Osric, look at the satellite feed!" Kael’s voice screamed from the cabin. "It’s happening everywhere! Every major port on the planet... London, New York, Tokyo... they're all being sealed!""Sealed how?" I asked."Walls of water, Osric!" Kael shouted. "Just like the ones you made! But the

I slammed into the stone floor as the white light finally released its grip on my body. The metallic screech from the bay was still echoing in my ears. I couldn't see straight, but I felt Jax’s rough hands grabbing my shoulders."Osric! Get up! We have to move!" Jax shouted."The eye... it's still out there," I groaned, wiping blood from my nose."Forget the eye for a second!" Jax hauled me to my feet. "Abyss is already retreating to the lower vaults. He says his scanners picked up something small and fast entering the airspace!""A ship?" I asked."No," Kael said, her voice trembling over the comms. "It’s too small for a ship. It’s a drone, Osric. But it’s not using a standard signature. It’s stealth. I can only see it because of the heat it's throwing off.""Is it UN?" I asked."Worse," Kael said. "It’s coming from the Sunken Vault. It just bypassed the water walls like they weren't even there.""Abyss, you coward! Where are you going?" I yelled as I saw the Black Market King disapp

"Lower the rod!" I shouted, my voice cracking as the Gardener stepped closer. "We aren't weeds! We're living people!""The Gardener doesn't care, Osric!" Kael’s voice screamed through my headset. "The sensors show a massive energy buildup! It’s going to vaporize the entire square!""I won't let it!" I roared. The Gardener paused. The mirrored mask tilted toward the shoreline. A low, rhythmic horn blast echoed from the sea."Osric, look at the horizon!" Jax yelled, pointing his rifle. "It’s not the UN this time!"I turned my head. Thousands of small lights were bobbing on the waves. It was a swarm of fishing boats and makeshift barges. They were packed with people."Who are they?" I asked."Refugees!" Kael cried. "The water walls in the other cities are crushing the piers! Everyone who escaped is coming here! Oakhaven is the only clear port left!""Identify the biological influx," the Gardener commanded. "They’re survivors!" I yelled at the giant. "They’re looking for help!""They ar

I didn't bother greeting the men in suits as they stepped off the pressurized lift. I just kept my back to them, staring through the thick glass of the new dome. Outside, the purple glow of the harbor water lit up the seabed like a neon nightmare. "Is this supposed to impress us, Osric?" A man with a German accent asked. I knew him from the news. He used to run half of Europe. "Building a palace under the sea while the world burns?""It’s not a palace, Chancellor," I said, turning around slowly. "It’s a cage. And you’re the ones who begged for an invite.""We didn't beg," a woman from the American delegation snapped. She was clutching a briefcase like it was a shield. "We came to discuss the illegal seizure of Thorne assets. This facility is built on international waters using stolen technology.""Stolen?" I laughed, walking toward her. "I am a Thorne. This is my house. And right now, the only thing 'international' about these waters is that everyone is drowning in them. You want to

I didn't give him a chance to move. The gray sludge of the mimic was still steaming on the floor, but the real traitor was the man standing by the elevator. It was Silas’s old lieutenant, Miller. He was the one who had cleared the mimic's security codes. He was the one who had brought the Navy to my door."You really thought a bag of gel could take my place?" I asked, stepping through the rising water."It wasn't just a bag of gel, Osric!" Miller shouted, his back against the jammed lift doors. "It was a mirror! It was supposed to show you how little you actually matter to the world!""I matter enough to be the one holding your life in my hands," I said."The Navy is right above us!" Miller screamed, pointing at the cracked glass ceiling. "They have the God-Slayer blueprints! They don't need you anymore! They just need the Pearl, and they’ll rip it out of your skull once the Gardener finishes you!""Is that why you did it?" I asked. "For a seat at their table?""I did it because you'r