Silver's POV"Step forward. Wrist out."The Security Inspector’s voice was muffled behind a thick bio-hazard mask, but the command was clear. I shifted the heavy supply bag on my shoulder and stepped toward the scanner.Behind me, the wasteland howled. A toxic storm was rolling in, turning the sky a sickly, bruised purple. The line to enter Sector One—the last Safe Fortress on Earth—stretched for miles. People were crying, coughing, and begging.I held out my wrist, but the scanner shrieked. A harsh red light bathed my face.NAME: SILVER.COMBAT RATING: 0.CONTRIBUTION POINTS: 15.STATUS: INELIGIBLE.I stared at the red holographic text. "There's a mistake," I said, my voice steady despite the sudden drop in my stomach. "I have a dependent slot. My wife has the points to cover me."The Inspector turned his head toward the woman standing just past the turnstile. "Ma'am. Ayana, correct? Do you authorize this man as your dependent?"I looked at Ayana. We had survived the end of the world

Silver’s POVI woke up in agony.My ribs were strapped with dirty bandages. My head throbbed, and the taste of copper filled my mouth. I was lying on a makeshift cot in a dark, damp room that smelled of rust and old oil.I tried to sit up, and a heavy hand pushed me back down."Don't move," a deep voice rumbled.I looked up. It was the Boss from the alley. Up close, he was terrifying. A thick scar ran down the side of his face, and his eyes were cold as slate."Where am I?" I rasped."Bunker 9," he said. "My territory. You're safe, for now."I checked my HUD. My health was at 20/100. My stamina was practically non-existent.[SYSTEM NOTICE: YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED. LEVEL 2.]"Why did you save me?" I asked."Because you're an anomaly," the Boss said, leaning against a concrete pillar. "The System can't track you. That makes you useful. There's a dungeon beneath this subway station—a nest. The System says it's a Level 10 threat. I need someone who can bypass the security protocols to get i

Silver’s POVThe GPO training hall was a massive, sterile cube of reinforced steel.I stood in the center, stripped of my cloak and mask, wearing a standard-issue gray combat suit. The energy-dampening cuffs were gone, but I could feel the heavy gaze of a dozen sniper rifles tracking me from the catwalks above.Director Vance stood safely behind a thick pane of bulletproof glass, his hands clasped behind his back. Ayana stood beside him, her clipboard clutched to her chest. She hadn't looked at me once since the hallway."Every anomaly must prove its worth," Vance's voice echoed through the intercom. "If you can survive this simulation, Silver, you will be granted a place in my elite guard."I didn't answer. I just tightened my grip on the standard-issue combat knife they had given me. My Viper Dagger was gone, confiscated at the door.The floor hissed, and a massive holographic construct materialized ten feet away.It was a Cyber-Hound. A sleek, four-legged machine with razor-sharp c

Silver’s POVMargot’s sniper rifle didn't waver. The red laser sight traced a line directly over Lyon’s heart.Lyon’s golden gauntlets hummed, the energy flaring as he prepared to lunge."Don't," I said, my voice hoarse. I leaned heavily against the rooftop railing, still clutching my bleeding ribs. "If she wanted us dead, we wouldn't be having this conversation."Margot smiled, a cold, calculating expression. She lowered the rifle, resting it against her shoulder. "Smart man. The Glitch lives up to the rumors.""Who are you?" Lyon demanded, his gauntlets still glowing."Margot. I run the Black Market Syndicate in Sector Four. I deal in information, contraband, and survival." She gestured to the heavily armed mercenaries behind her. "And right now, I'm the only thing standing between you two and a firing squad.""You said you hired Vance," I said. "Why?""Because Vance is a liar," Margot replied, her smile vanishing. "He promised me a seat at the table when the Reset happens. But I di

Rowan’s POVThe underground market was a masterpiece of controlled chaos.I sat on a velvet crate of stolen medical supplies, casually flipping a silver coin through my fingers. Around me, the massive subterranean cavern hummed with the desperate whispers of survivors trading ration cards for black-market weapons.I didn't look like a man who controlled the flow of information in the ruins of Sector Four. I looked like a scavenger—torn jeans, a hooded jacket, and a smile that convinced people I was on their side.But in this apocalypse, information was the only true currency. And I knew everything.My wristband, heavily modified to bypass the System's surveillance, pulsed.[ALERT: UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL INBOUND. GPO PURSUIT ACTIVE.]I stopped flipping the coin.The heavy steel doors of the market burst open. Margot stormed in first, her sniper rifle raised. Then Lyon, his golden gauntlets glowing in the dim light. Behind them, a woman in a blood-stained medical vest supported a severe