to love

cities below. Even as a child, I would stare out the win

o

tal with a bio-engineered nightmare on our tail-and eve

phere with inhuman grace. Its eyes glowed white-hot, and it moved like it did

yelled, fingers dancing over the

aptor-09. Damon's airborne pr

Lira muttered from be

cally. Warning sirens screamed. Kael yanked us into a dive

!" he s

cking my breath out. I ground

f-flooded, glowing with green decay. We wouldn't survive a cra

m now!" I shouted. "

d. "Then let's kil

our transport folded inward. We drop

called, punching the contr

n

ng HUD snapped into place over my vision. I could feel the fly

os

os

fi

ed between the blasts, impossibly fast-but not perfect. One shot scorched its win

" I said. "I ne

at sky," Kael wa

hard-straight

into my spine. Li

at's when Kael rolled the ship,

" he

red

he shot hit

re and shrieking sparks, its broken

nds later, the ship

t, the sile

a shaky breath. "W

, I muttered, reclin

ulder. His hand was warm-even throug

us," he s

ting his gaze. "W

m light

t. A voice fi

. Com

That's... i

uno. If you're hearing this... you've made it

s narrowing. "You didn'

id, jaw tight. "She died two

who the hell is broadcast

es locked

s to think we're sti

ssage

far ahead, through storm and smoke, a sing

Va

r's fina

s most dan

************

h of the

in didn't

agged peak slicing the clouds, its base ringed with collapsed b

st

s we descended into a canyon carved

tered. "High Council tech, pre-Rebellion. Your

d like irony,"

ack slash halfway up the slope that looked less like a cave

nded with a

ce. The wind outside

s?" Kael asked, ad

. "But I'm g

"That's the

ed into

l remains of old tech. Kael led, silent and sharp. Li

ding, memories scraping at the edg

uth of the Vault

t a natu

and sealed with a panel of hexagonal gla

a sca

ward, and the

d his weap

lit up, and a so

Voss. Genetic m

plit open

dimly lit, lined with flick

terile. Like the past had b

ld be wrecked," Lira mutt

type to leave things

pped i

sealed

glass floor revealing dozens of data cores glowing faintly beneath

ped fo

me to

r stood

ghost

d expression. "If you're seeing this... then you

hands c

ree. But I knew Damon wouldn't stop. So I left the truth here-about the project, abo

age fl

ral Seed. The original source code.

ned. "If he

" Kael finished grimly.

e Seed, you must sync your neural sig

"What happe

ghost looked

el everything I felt. And you'll

jection

le

nsole and placed m

lled the

hed: my mother crying in a lab. Damon is standing over her.

th

ge. My face.

et

ng in the snow

ot wa

it

sion s

into my body. Kael c

you see?

ed. "Theta. She

wide. "Then we ne

was t

eep inside the mountain,