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The drive to the northern sector felt way too long. Maybe it was the tension sitting between them, or maybe it was the fact that every single highway sign looked like it was warning them instead of giving directions. Beverly kept tapping her fingers on the wheel, a habit she only did when she was nervous… or annoyed.Davion wasn’t sure which one it was.“So,” she finally said, eyes locked on the road, “they’re starting this Omega thing tomorrow? As in tomorrow morning?”“Yeah,” Davion replied, scrolling through the re-decoded files again. “At exactly 08:00. Whoever’s behind it doesn’t waste time.”Beverly snorted. “Yeah, well, neither do we.”He looked up at her. “You sure you’re in for this?”She glanced at him, offended. “Are you actually asking me that? After everything?”Davion held up his hands. “Just checking.”“You don’t ‘check’ me,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I literally saved your life like… twelve times.”“Seven,” Davion corrected automatically.“Whatever,” she muttered.T
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The rain started again that night. It drummed softly on the motel roof as Davion sat by the window, laptop glowing faintly in front of him. Beverly was asleep on the other bed, her jacket still on, one hand clutching her phone. She’d insisted she wasn’t tired—but the moment she lay down, exhaustion won.He scrolled through lines of recovered code from Genesis, the remnants of what was left before the explosion. His eyes burned, but he couldn’t stop. There was something in there—something Reika had said before she disappeared.“You think Genesis was the end? Hale was just the beginning.”He paused, zooming in on a corrupted data block. A file name flickered into focus: IRON HAND: OMEGA LINE.“Of course,” he muttered. “You never die, do you?”A faint rustle came from behind him. “You’re still awake,” Beverly murmured, her voice rough with sleep. “Figures.”Davion didn’t look back. “Found something.”She groaned and sat up, squinting at the screen. “You’re kidding me. You’re actually wor
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Chapter 20 — FirestormThe world didn’t stay quiet for long. By morning, every news outlet was flooded with the Iron Hand broadcast. Screens replayed Davion’s message on loop, clips dissected by talking heads who called it a “terrorist hack,” “a hoax,” or, worst of all, “the truth the government didn’t want you to see.”Beverly watched from the cracked motel TV, one knee pulled to her chest. Her hair was still damp from the rain, eyes shadowed from lack of sleep. “You think it’s enough?” she asked softly.Davion was standing near the window, the blinds barely open. He hadn’t taken off his jacket since they’d arrived. “Enough for what?”“To change anything,” she said. “People are angry, but… what if it just fades? What if the government spins it their way again?”He didn’t answer at first. Outside, the city was a storm of noise—sirens, protests, shouts echoing down the street. “It won’t fade,” he said finally. “Not this time.”“You sound sure.”“I have to be.”Beverly exhaled slowly. “
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The train to Redwater creaked like it was falling apart. Every time the wheels hit a rough patch, the carriage shook, making the lights flicker. Beverly sat near the back, her hood up, backpack wedged between her feet. Davion sat across from her, a worn-out map spread over his lap, lines of red ink running across it like veins.“You sure this guy won’t sell us out?” she asked, glancing around. The carriage was mostly empty—just an old man sleeping and a kid with headphones.“Positive,” Davion said, but his tone didn’t sound convinced. “Theo used to be Iron Hand’s systems tech before he defected. Helped me once, back when I first went underground.”“Defected, huh?” Beverly leaned back. “Guess everyone’s got their reasons.”“Yeah,” Davion murmured. “Some of us are just trying to survive ours.”The train lurched, and a tinny voice over the speaker crackled, Next stop: Redwater District. Authorized personnel only.Beverly smirked. “Guess we’re authorized enough.”Davion folded the map. “O
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The motel room felt too small. The wallpaper peeled, the TV hummed even when it was off, and the single flickering bulb above the table made everything look sickly and gray. Beverly sat on the edge of the bed, her phone on her lap, scrolling through the news feeds. Every headline screamed terrorist, traitor, national threat. All words that used to mean something abstract—until they were aimed at them.Davion stood by the window, the blinds half-closed. His reflection looked older than he remembered—eyes dark, hair a mess, a faint scar still healing across his jaw. “They’ve doubled patrols near the city gates,” he muttered. “We won’t be able to move without getting flagged.”Beverly didn’t look up. “Then we stay put.”He turned to her. “And wait for what? For them to find us?”“Davion—”“No.” He paced across the room, voice rising. “You saw the feeds. They’re blaming us for the explosion at Genesis. Every camera in this city is scanning for our faces. Hiding won’t fix that.”She tossed
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Chapter 19 — The Ghost NetworkThe hideout smelled like dust, metal, and exhaustion. Davion leaned against the cold wall, scrolling through lines of encrypted code on the cracked tablet he’d salvaged from Genesis. His eyes burned from lack of sleep, but he couldn’t stop—not yet.Beverly sat across from him on the floor, hugging her knees. The flickering light above them made her look pale. “You’ve been staring at that screen for three hours,” she said quietly. “You’ll burn your brain out.”“I’m close,” Davion muttered. “There’s something hidden in this backup file. I can feel it.”“You always say that.”He didn’t look up. “And I’m usually right.”Beverly sighed, standing to stretch. The hideout—an abandoned underground storage facility near the docks—wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was safe. Or as safe as they could get after blowing up the most secretive government lab in the country.She walked over to the small window slit above them. The city outside was quiet again, too quiet.
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