as'

o straight

n weakness in a place like this. Instead, I cut through the east mezzanine, p

d up. Good. Attent

ers for the top fifteen, isolated from the general dormitories. Fewer eyes.

ncrete. A maid-bot rolled past with a basket of pressed uniforms. Two third-rank trainees e

espect. Out

ist scan. I stepped insid

le

racked movement through doors, pulse readings through SmartWeave uniforms, time stamps for showers,

cabinet. My reflection in the metal panel stared back,

fect

rfec

and a modified injector wrapped in gauze. I didn't take another dose yet, I couldn't

en outside t

coinc

ntion. He'd just... been there. A silent radiu

ing the embedded data strip in the collar. No alerts yet. No

t

wall console br

N BRIEFING; T

N TACTICAL

VE MI

ct ti

ity. Close quarters. Shared transport. Overnight barracks. No locked doors. No private

ecked the wristband. One glance in the pa

s. Bored.

I l

elites heading to Tactical Hall Seven. I passed Rank 6 and Rank 9

didn't

icio

rlooking the indoor aerial sector where drones were being prepped. Two inst

proach with the calculating stare of som

as I crossed th

ir

ong on my wristband. "Report say

by Instructor Val

on, looking for a twit

n't fi

oce

nding rows of metal benches facing a projection wall. Rank 1 throug

ar the far end o

ok up when

room c

l. He didn't scan the rows; he didn't need to. His presence pressed agains

enter aisle, hands in his pockets

calm, it fou

for

nds. May

as e

m, quickly killed when Major Th

ng began i

ploy to Ashfall Ridge for surveillance, extraction

nd academy walls where feral hybrids roame

bases, and border patrols that shot first

lled scen

safety net

y breath

tion wall. "Top fifteen will be split into five units. Team assign

, supply protocols, injuries, d

thin

with someone who'd alr

I wouldn't have twenty-four ho

tary precision. Dismissal ca

st

did

tending not to measure the others. I thought I could slip out ahead

m the door when the

tepped in

Ro

e R

servant earlier,

e to my throat, then

ok like

dn't

never do. That's

to sides

ed to bl

they're already whispering about toda

t still bene

"Something was off. They don't

looking for a rumor to ch

umors," he said.

ut briefly to s

dn't

n't n

like a wire pulled taut bet

ide. "See you a

t without l

lt colder t

essant st

my m

tarting

dn't even to