The giant power core imploded, shattering the thick energy-glass walls of the secure box. Shards of glass rained down like shiny diamonds across the stone floor of the Sanctum of Ages. Silas Kapito stood over the broken body of young General Krov. Silas’s heavy boot pressed down on Krov’s snapped wrist. The black remote control, the weapon that held the minds of the Great Legion hostage, lay useless on the floor far away. Krov screamed in agony, holding his ruined hand. His amber eyes looked up at Silas with pure, desperate hate. "You think you won?" Krov gasped, spitting blood. "The machine scanned you before it exploded, Silas! The data is already in the system!" Silas frowned. He kept his boot firmly on Krov’s arm. He turned his head and looked at the ruined pile of the DNA Resonance Scanner. The machine was destroyed, but Krov was right. One large, glowing blue computer monitor had survived the blast. It hung precariously from the stone wall, sparking with electricity. "Ela