A blue laser beam shoots past my ear, melting the concrete wall inches away and showering us in hot sparks.The heavy transport vehicles push forward into the underground hangar, their massive tires crushing the metal debris beneath them. Armed guards pour out of the back doors, raising their weapons as the thousands of newly awakened people panic, scrambling in every direction to escape the crossfire."Get down!" I shout, grabbing Lyra by the arm and pulling her behind a thick concrete support pillar.She doesn't panic. Her eyes scan the advancing security line with sharp calculation, immediately tracking the positions of the enemy commanders."They brought a full tactical squad," Lyra says, her voice steady and calm despite the deafening noise of gunfire echoing throug

The holographic face of the council woman vanishes into thin air, leaving only the cold hum of the small communication device in my hand.I stare at the empty space where her face just stood. The message is clear: walk right into their central headquarters, or watch every remaining stasis network across the wasteland burn to ash. They think we have nowhere else to run, and that we will walk right into their trap like obedient test subjects."She is lying," Lyra says instantly, her voice cutting through the cold wind blowing across the rocky ridge.I turn to look at her. She stands with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed as she stares down at the flashing red light on the communication device. There is no hesitation in her face, only a cold, sharp focus that proves her tactical mind is already two steps ahead of the council."How do you know?" I ask, walking closer to her."Because the council never negotiates," Lyra replies, her tone completely fl

A red laser dot centers squarely on my chest, steady and cold as death.Jax holds his energy pistol without a single tremble, his eyes locked on mine with absolute triumph. The heavy steel door of Project Heaven stands open behind him, glowing with a bright blue light that reveals rows of ancient server racks stretching into the dark underground."Drop the rifle, Kian," Jax says, his voice bouncing off the concrete walls. "Don't make this harder than it has to be. You've walked right into the final trap, and there is no way out of this room."My fingers loosen around the empty rifle, and it clatters against the dusty floor. Every muscle in my body tenses, ready to lunge forward despite the odds, but a quick glance at Lyra stops me.She stands completely still beside me,

The steel pod slams into the docking bay with a loud crash, throwing us forward against the front control panels.Sparks fly from the short-circuiting dashboard as the automated locking clamps secure our vessel from the outside. Before I can even catch my breath, a loud hydraulic hiss fills the air, and the outer hatch of the pod slides open to reveal a massive, sterile white room.Dozens of armed guards stand in neat rows around the perimeter of the platform, their plasma rifles raised and pointed straight at our heads. Behind them stands a tall woman in a sharp silver uniform, her cold eyes watching us with absolute amusement."Welcome to the central station, Kian," the woman says smoothly, her voice echoing off the metal walls. "We have been expecting you for a very long time."I look at Lyra. Her face is completely blank, but her fingers are twitching slightly near her belt. She knows as well as I do that we walked right into a trap from the moment th

White light floods my eyes, burning so bright that I cannot see anything at all.The pain in my head stops all at once, replaced by a strange and heavy numbness that spreads through my arms and legs. I am no longer sitting in the metal chair on the falling space station. The sound of the blaring alarms and rushing air vanishes, and in its place comes absolute, suffocating silence."Wake up, Kian."A voice cuts through the blank space. It is smooth, familiar, and sharp as glass.I open my eyes slowly. The white glare fades away, and I find myself standing in the middle of a massive, glowing white room that looks identical to the testing facility in Sector One. Rows of glass stasis pods line the walls, and right in front of me stands Jax, wearing a clean corporate uniform with not a single speck of dust on it.He holds a data tablet in his hand and smiles a cold, knowing smile."Welcome back to the primary loop," Jax says, taking a slow step t