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They didn’t go home.Home was predictable. Home was traceable.Instead, they regrouped in a half-forgotten subway station beneath the city—concrete walls sweating moisture, flickering lights buzzing overhead like nervous insects. Wilson had chosen it for one reason: Iron Hand hated places that couldn’t be controlled.Davion stood near the edge of the platform, staring into the tunnel’s darkness as if it might answer him back.“This is where it changes,” he said quietly.Beverly leaned against a pillar beside him. Her shoulder was bruised, her knuckles wrapped, but her eyes were sharp. “Then say it out loud.”He turned to face the group—Beverly, Irene, Wilson, Elias. No speeches. No dramatic buildup.“We stop reacting,” Davion said. “We hit them first.”Elias stiffened. “They’ll come hard.”“I know,” Davion replied. “That’s the point.”Wilson pulled up a holographic display from his tablet. “Iron Hand cells are already mobilizing. Three confirmed locations. One unconfirmed.”Irene cros
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The warehouse was supposed to be abandoned.Davion stood across the street, hood pulled low, staring at the rusted structure like it might blink first. The coordinates had led them here—an old shipping hub by the river, half-collapsed, windows boarded, lights dead.Except it wasn’t dead.A single light glowed on the top floor.“I hate this,” Irene muttered beside him.Wilson adjusted the strap of his bag. “Yeah. That makes all of us.”Beverly didn’t speak. She was watching Davion instead, reading the tightness in his jaw, the way his fingers flexed like he was preparing for impact.“This is bait,” she said quietly.“I know,” Davion replied.“And you’re still going in.”“Yes.”She exhaled sharply through her nose. “Then we’re going in together.”Davion met her eyes. For a moment, he almost argued. Almost said it was too dangerous.But Iron Hand had taken enough choices from him already.“Together,” he agreed.They moved fast.The door creaked open with a sound that echoed far too loudl
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The city didn’t sleep.Screens flickered in shop windows, phones buzzed nonstop, and Davion’s name burned across headlines like a scar the world had just noticed.IRON HAND EXPOSEDGENESIS DESTROYEDCHILD SOLDIERS FREEDDavion watched it all from the hospital window, the glow of the city reflecting faintly in the glass. His reflection looked older. Not braver. Just tired.Beverly sat on the edge of the bed, legs crossed, scrolling through her phone with a frown.“They’re calling you a hero,” she said.He snorted softly. “They always do. Until they don’t.”She looked up at him. “You don’t believe it.”“I believe the kids are safe,” he replied. “That’s enough.”A knock interrupted them.Irene stepped in, her expression tight. “You need to see this.”She handed the phone to Davion.The video was shaky—clearly recorded in a rush. Dark room. Emergency lighting. A familiar voice filled the speakers.Dr. Kael Vire.Alive.Davion’s breath stopped.“If you’re watching this,” his father said ca
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Smoke rolled through the underground tunnel as the survivors ran.Davion was barely aware of his feet hitting the ground. Beverly had a hand locked around his wrist, pulling him forward, refusing to let go like she thought the second she did, he’d disappear into the wreckage behind them.“Almost there!” Wilson shouted ahead. “Exit door’s thirty meters!”Behind them, Genesis groaned like a dying beast. Metal screamed. The floor trembled. Lights exploded overhead, plunging parts of the tunnel into darkness.The children—free children—ran in a terrified cluster, guided by Irene and Reika, their faces pale but awake, alive in a way Davion had never been at their age.The tunnel burst open into night.Cold air slammed into them as they spilled out into the forest beyond the facility. The hidden base, once invisible, was now exposed—fire licking out of vents, alarms howling into the dark.They didn’t stop running until the ground finally stopped shaking.Then—Genesis collapsed.The explosi
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The lights went red.Not blinking red. Not warning red.Blood-red.“Yeah,” Irene muttered beside me, tightening her grip on her gun. “That’s never a good sign.”The hallway shuddered like Genesis itself had taken a breath. Somewhere deep inside the facility, something massive powered up—low, mechanical, angry. The sound crawled under my skin.“Core’s awake,” Wilson said, tapping furiously on his tablet. “Security protocols just jumped to max. We’ve got—” He stopped. Swallowed. “We’ve got two minutes before lockdown seals every exit.”Beverly turned to me. Her eyes met mine, sharp but steady. “Davion. Your call.”I didn’t hesitate.“We move. Now.”We ran.Boots slammed against metal floors as sirens wailed overhead. The rescued girl—Mira—stayed close to Beverly, her fingers knotted in Beverly’s jacket like she was afraid the world would disappear if she let go.I knew that fear.The doors ahead split open with a hydraulic scream, revealing the core chamber.And my chest tightened.The
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Alright. Continuing directly from Cameron being taken, keeping it intense, emotional, dramatic, teen-author style.Next chapter — ~1000 words.⸻CHAPTER — BRANDON’S POVThe door slammed shut behind Cameron with a sound that felt permanent.Not loud—final.I stood there for half a second longer than I should’ve, staring at the empty space where he’d been, my palm still pressed against the cold barrier like he might somehow push back through it if I stayed still enough.“Cam,” I whispered.No answer.The room hummed softly, indifferent.Then the lights shifted.The control room dissolved into something else entirely—walls sliding, screens retracting, the space reconfiguring itself like it had never been meant to hold us for long. I turned slowly, heart pounding, fists clenched so tight my knuckles ached.“Okay,” I muttered to myself. “Okay. You don’t panic. You don’t lose it. You don’t—”A screen blinked on in front of me.Just one this time.Cameron’s face filled it.My chest seized.H
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