The lock clicked into place. Victoria leaned her forehead against the door of the guest bathroom and closed her eyes. The distant murmur of planning from the living room faded behind the wood. She was finally alone.She pushed herself off the door and turned toward the wide vanity mirror. The bright overhead bulbs illuminated the pristine white tiles and the polished chrome fixtures. She reached up with her left hand and gripped the edge of the crude cotton bandage wrapped around her head. The fabric adhered firmly to dried blood. She gritted her teeth and pulled the cloth away in one rapid motion.Fresh blood welled up along the jagged ridge of her cheek. She tossed the ruined bandage into the porcelain sink.Victoria placed her hands on the marble counter and leaned forward to study her reflection. The brutal reality of the interrogation basement stared back at her. A deep thick scar carved a violent path from her right temple down to her jawline. The flesh was swollen and raw. The

The security badge struck the steel workbench with a loud clatter. Chase looked up from the disassembled assault rifle resting in his hands. Victoria stood in the center of the penthouse armory wearing her ruined tactical gear."That is my formal resignation," Victoria stated. "The encrypted drive next to it contains all my active security clearance codes for the Titanium network.""I do not accept resignations during an active siege," Chase replied. He picked up a cleaning cloth and wiped a smudge of oil from the rifle barrel. "Put the badge back in your pocket.""This is not a negotiation, Chairman." Victoria kept her voice flat and formal. "My father granted my medical discharge an hour ago. I am leaving the city tonight."Chase stopped cleaning the weapon. He set the rifle down on the metal table and turned to face his Vanguard commander."General Qin does not dictate the roster of my inner circle," Chase said. "You are my top operative. We have a war to finish against the Capital

Cold wind whipped across the glass balcony of the Titanium penthouse. Bella Song stood near the reinforced railing and stared at the smoldering ruins of the financial district. She had not spoken a single word to her husband in twenty four hours. She banished Chase to the lower command floors to manage the security grid while she processed the violent fracturing of her marriage.The sliding glass door clicked open.Lin stepped onto the terrace wearing her black leather armor. Victoria followed a second later. The Vanguard commander kept her splinted right hand tucked inside the pocket of a dark wool coat. The fresh scar on her cheek looked stark and raw in the gray afternoon light."You asked to see us," Victoria said. She stayed near the glass door."I asked to see the women holding my husband hostage," Bella replied. She turned away from the city and faced her rivals. "I want the clinical facts. Do not offer me apologies and do not offer me emotional justifications. We are going to

The stone doors of the Hall of Cinders slammed shut and sealed the volcanic cavern. Julio Fang dropped to his knees on the scorched obsidian floor. His breathing echoed loudly in the dark subterranean throne room.He had fled the Titanium Medicine manufacturing plant in North City less than eight hours ago. The prince of the Fiery Devil Sect nursed a fractured collarbone and carried the crushing weight of absolute defeat. He did not bring back the healing formulas. He did not bring back the four elite Manifestation masters who had marched north under his command.Elder Dahk sat on a throne carved from porous black basalt. The ancient warlord wore heavy crimson robes and projected a suffocating aura of localized heat. He looked down at the kneeling prince."You left my courtyard with four elite pavilion masters," Dahk stated. The deep rumble of his voice vibrated against the cavern walls. "You return with a broken shoulder and a handful of terrified outer disciples. Explain your failur

Chase sat at the head of the long mahogany table inside the Apex Corporate Center. He wore a tailored black suit that concealed the dense muscle mass built by his Stage Four foundation, leaving the air in the room feeling heavy and stagnant. He kept his obsidian sword resting across his knees. The neutral boardroom on Miller Street belonged to a third party financial firm and he had agreed to the meeting only to ensure Chairman Vane entered a confined space without heavy artillery.Victoria stood near the glass doors. The commander of the Titanium security forces kept her left hand resting on her sidearm while her fractured right hand remained secured in a medical splint. She checked her digital watch and frowned."He is three minutes late," Victoria stated. She scanned the surveillance feed on her tablet. "My soldiers secured the lobby and the underground parking structure. If he brings Capital executioners we will see them before they reach the elevators.""He is not bringing execut