Chapter 40The new arrangement took shape faster than Levi expected, Reyes's full backing translating within days into resources he'd never imagined having access to only weeks before.A dedicated analysis team, working under Osei's direction, began cross referencing every recorded gate opening across citadel territory against subtle energy signatures Pandora helped them identify, patterns that, once mapped properly, suggested considerably more structure to gate emergence than anyone had previously realized."This one," Osei said, tapping a location flagged on the display, a stretch of coastline nearly sixty miles south of the citadel, "shows the same resonance profile as your first three trials. Pandora believes it's worth investigating.""How confident is worth investigating?" Levi asked."Confident enough that I'm assigning you a proper support team this time," Reyes said, entering the briefing room with the same brisk efficiency that had marked every interaction since the district

Chapter 43The eighth trial began the same way every recent trial had, Osei's team flagging a candidate location, the support team assembling with practiced efficiency, Levi stepping through a shimmering gate with considerably less hesitation than he'd carried into his very first one months before.This time, the location sat deep within a stretch of collapsed subway tunnels running beneath the citadel's outer districts, close enough to familiar territory that the team had barely needed a full day's preparation."Confined space," Corwin noted, checking his equipment one final time before Levi approached the gate's violet shimmer. "Whatever's waiting on the other side, you won't have the farmland's open ground to maneuver in. Keep that in mind.""Noted," Levi said, and stepped through.He woke in darkness, the tunnel's ceiling pressing low overhead, water dripping steadily somewhere in the distance, the air thick with the particular staleness of a space that hadn't seen open sky in a v

Chapter 45Levi woke back in the waking world tunnel, the support team already crowded close, weapons drawn against the visible exhaustion and fresh bruising evident across his frame."You were gone considerably longer this time," Reya said, relief warring with concern as she helped him upright. "We were about ready to send someone through after you.""You wouldn't have found me the same way," Levi said, still catching his breath. "Trial time doesn't match up cleanly with waking time. Long story. I'll explain everything at the debrief."The bag at his hip felt considerably heavier than it had going in, and when Corwin's scanner passed over it, the specialist's eyebrows shot up so fast Levi almost laughed despite his exhaustion."That's reading over thirty distinct fragment signatures," Corwin said, staring at his device like it might be malfunctioning. "Levi, what exactly happened in there?""Found a cache," Levi said simply. "Guarded. Had to fight for it. I'll explain the rest proper