The city felt wrong. Even from the rooftop of the Joel Tower, Cruiser City’s skyline looked sharper, colder, like it was watching me. My pulse throbbed in rhythm with the distant hum of activity below, but something heavier pulsed in my chest, anticipation, fear, the kind that makes your skin crawl. Phase Three was still out there. Somewhere. Waiting. Learning.
Vordon stood beside me, shoulders squared, jaw tight. His presence was steady, but I could feel the tension coiling beneath the surface. Pride, fear, frustration, he carried it all in perfect silence. He glanced at me, sharp blue eyes meeting my hazel ones. “You think it’s ready to strike?” he asked.
“I don’t think,” I said, biting back the panic threatening to rise. “I know it is.” My voice trembled slightly, but I masked it with
