The thick steel door of the high-pressure chamber blew off its hinges and crashed into the far wall. Blue plasma-fire and thick black smoke rolled into the hallway. Silas Kapito stepped out of the burning box. He was no longer a broken boy. The drug "Numb" was completely burned out of his blood. The sensory overload was gone. He had used "The Catch" on his own brain, grounding the terrible pain into his heavy tungsten spine. He stood tall in the dark hallway. His marble-white skin was perfect. His dark metal lattice glowed with a calm, silver light. "The fog is gone," Silas said, his voice deep and rumbling. "I am ready." But something else had changed. When Silas opened his solid black eyes, he did not see the world the way he used to. Before, his "Overclocked" mind was fast. He could see a bullet moving through the air. He could count the drops of rain. But he was still just looking at physical objects. He was looking at stone walls, dark shadows, and dirty floors. Now, the w

Chairman Sterling pressed his thumb down on the blue detonator. But nothing happened. There was no massive explosion. The Core Reactor did not crack. The planet did not blow in half. Sterling stared at the small device in his shaking hand. The bright blue light on the button had turned a dull, dead grey. He pressed it again. He hit it against the broken glass of his ruined cockpit. "Why isn't it working?" Sterling screamed, spitting blood. "Burn! Burn it all!" Silas Kapito stood outside the broken glass. His solid black eyes were completely calm. He used his new Kinetic Vision. He had seen the blue electrical pulse inside the detonator before Sterling even moved his thumb.Silas had used a tiny "Vibration Tap" through the air, sending a microscopic kinetic wave that perfectly matched the frequency of the device’s battery. He had short-circuited the detonator instantly. "The era of the machine is over, Sterling," Silas said. His voice was a deep, flat hum. Silas reached through

The red sirens screamed in the small, clean computer room. The blue screen flashed with terrifying warning lights. Silas Kapito stared at the video feed from the vault. He watched Battery Three jam the sparking black power cables directly into Chairman Sterling’s chest. The old man woke up instantly, his body arching off the floor as massive amounts of raw, overloaded electricity pumped into him. But Silas did not watch the torture for long. He closed his eyes. His "Neuro-Sync Alpha" mind processed the disaster with cold, calculating speed. "She is trying to overload the entire grid," Silas said, his voice a flat, deep hum. "If she connects the human nervous system to those raw cables, the feedback loop will blow the Central Broadcast Tower before we can use it." "We have to stop her!" Ren shouted, running toward the heavy metal door. "Stop," Elara commanded gently. The Mother Battery floated a few inches off the floor, her silver eyes glowing with a calm, ancient wisdom. Elara

The heavy iron door of the Central Broadcast Tower swung open. Silas Kapito and his pack stepped inside. The air smelled like old copper wire and ozone. Standing in the center of the massive room was Cassius. The Rank 5 Elite student wore his heavy, ugly, junk-filled armor. His eyes glowed bright red, and he held a massive plasma cannon pointed directly at Elara’s chest. "I am the new God of the Citadel," Cassius sneered, his finger tightening on the trigger. "And I am canceling your broadcast."Silas did not blink. His 0.08-second reflexes fired. Silas stepped in front of Elara. He raised his good right hand, intending to use "The Catch" on the plasma blast. But suddenly, someone else moved faster. Anya, the girl in the dark green uniform, lunged forward. She swung her glowing energy-sword in a wide, desperate arc. The glowing blade sliced clean through the heavy barrel of the plasma cannon just as Cassius pulled the trigger. BOOM! The weapon misfired violently. A massive exp

The heavy iron door of the Central Broadcast Tower swung open. Silas Kapito and his pack stepped inside. The air smelled like old copper wire and ozone. Standing in the center of the massive room was Cassius. The Rank 5 Elite student wore his heavy, ugly, junk-filled armor. His eyes glowed bright red, and he held a massive plasma cannon pointed directly at Elara’s chest. "I am the new God of the Citadel," Cassius sneered, his finger tightening on the trigger. "And I am canceling your broadcast."Silas did not blink. His 0.08-second reflexes fired. Silas stepped in front of Elara. He raised his good right hand, intending to use "The Catch" on the plasma blast. But suddenly, someone else moved faster. Anya, the girl in the dark green uniform, lunged forward. She swung her glowing energy-sword in a wide, desperate arc. The glowing blade sliced clean through the heavy barrel of the plasma cannon just as Cassius pulled the trigger. BOOM! The weapon misfired violently. A massive exp