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CHAPTER 7
THE GIRL IN THE BASEMENTThe address led them to an industrial district forty minutes outside the Academy grounds.Warehouses lined the streets like metal coffins. Most were abandoned, windows broken, graffiti covering rusted walls. The kind of place where screams wouldn't carry and nobody asked questions.Perfect for hiding a kidnapped child.Aria parked two blocks away, killed the engine. "Torres's vehicle was spotted here three times in the last week. If they're holding the girl, this is it."Marcus studied the warehouse through binoculars. No visible security. No guards posted. Too quiet. "It's a trap.""Probably.""And we're walking into it anyway.""You have a better idea?" Aria checked her weapon. "That little girl has maybe sixty hours left before they kill her whether Mercer cooperates or not. People like Torres don't leave witnesses."Marcus knew she was right. The system pulsed: **[HOSTAGE LOCATION CONFIRMED. SUBJECT: MERCER, SARAH (AGE 8). STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS: 3 ENTRY POIN
CHAPTER 6
SAFE HOUSES AND SECRETSAria's apartment was small, clean, and completely sterile.No photos. No decorations. Just functional furniture and blackout curtains. The kind of place someone lived but didn't inhabit. Marcus recognized it immediately—a safe house mindset. Never get comfortable. Never leave traces."Sit." Aria gestured to the couch. "I'm getting coffee. You look like death."Marcus collapsed onto the cushions. Every muscle ached. The system's emergency enhancement had burned through his reserves, leaving him hollow and shaking. He checked the countdown: [MISSION THREE: 68 HOURS, 43 MINUTES.]Less than three days. And he had no idea how to complete it while Director Vance was hunting him.Aria returned with two mugs, sat across from him. She'd changed into civilian clothes—jeans, a fitted black shirt. Without the uniform, she looked younger. More human."Drink," she ordered.Marcus obeyed. The coffee was strong, bitter, perfect. He wrapped his hands around the mug, absorbing t
CHAPTER 5
THE PRICE OF KNOWING Kane's office smelled like old coffee and bad decisions. Marcus stood at attention in front of the desk while Kane paced behind it. The instructor hadn't said a word in three minutes. Just paced. Back and forth. Back and forth. Finally, Kane stopped. "Sit down." Marcus sat. Kane leaned against the desk, arms crossed. Up close, Marcus could see the exhaustion etched into his face. The gray in his beard seemed darker than this morning. His eyes were bloodshot. "You disobeyed a direct order," Kane said quietly. "Yes, sir." "You entered a hazardous zone without authorization." "Yes, sir." "You risked your life and compromised emergency operations." "Yes, sir." Kane's jaw tightened. "Stop saying yes sir and defend yourself." Marcus met his eyes. "I can't defend what I did. You gave an order. I ignored it. But two people are alive because I did." "And if you'd died? If the building had collapsed on you? How many resources would we have wasted recovering yo
CHAPTER 4
SMOKE AND MIRRORSMarcus reached the live fire range in eight minutes flat.Smoke billowed from the ammunition storage building. Sirens wailed. Cadets scattered like ants, some running toward the chaos, others running away. Instructors shouted orders that nobody followed.Fire suppression systems had activated, but the smoke was too thick, too black. That wasn't just ammunition burning. That was something chemical.Marcus pushed through the crowd. His mind raced through possibilities. The mission had accelerated. Something he'd done changed the timeline. But what?"Chen!" Kane's voice cut through the noise. The instructor stood near the main building, coordinating evacuation. "Get back to the barracks! Now!"Marcus ignored him. The system displayed overlay information: [CASUALTIES CURRENT: 2 CRITICAL, 7 INJURED. STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE IMMINENT IN 4 MINUTES, 32 SECONDS.]Two critical. That means two dead if I don't move.He ran toward the smoke."Chen! That's an order!"But Marcus was alr
CHAPTER 3
THE WATCHERMarcus woke at 0400 hours, two hours before reveille.Old habits died hard. Or didn't die at all.He sat up in the darkness, listening to the breathing of nineteen other cadets in the barracks. Soft snores. Restless shifting. The normal sounds of exhausted kids pretending to be soldiers.Except Marcus wasn't pretending.The Warden System displayed its countdown: [MISSION TWO: 58 HOURS, 12 MINUTES.]Fifty-eight hours until someone sabotaged the live fire range. Fifty-eight hours to figure out who, how, and why.He dressed quietly, military efficiency ingrained after years of pre-dawn operations. Dark sweats, running shoes, nothing that would draw attention. Just another cadet who couldn't sleep.The barracks door creaked as he opened it."Where are you going?"Marcus froze. The voice came from the bunk nearest the door. Danny Park, his assigned roommate. Quiet kid, barely spoke during orientation. In Marcus's original timeline, Danny had washed out after six months."Couldn
CHAPTER 2
FIRST BLOOD Marcus hit the obstacle course at a dead sprint. His lungs burned. Legs screamed. But the Warden System's countdown pulsed in his vision: [MISSION ONE DEPLOYMENT: 2 HOURS, 17 MINUTES]. Two hours until three cadets died on this exact course. "Chen!" Instructor Kane's voice cut across the training field. "You're not on the schedule until 0900!" Marcus didn't slow. He vaulted over the first barrier, landed, rolled, came up running. His eighteen-year-old body felt foreign—lighter, faster, but without the muscle memory of a decade of combat. His mind knew how to move. His body had to relearn. Kane appeared in his path, arms crossed. Forty-five, built like a tank, with a gray beard and eyes that missed nothing. "I said you're not scheduled." "Couldn't sleep, sir." Marcus stopped, forcing his breathing to steady. "Thought I'd get familiar with the course." "Familiar." Kane walked a slow circle around him. "You ran that sequence like you've done it a thousand times." I ha
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