I woke in a room that was neither a prison nor a comfortable space. It was perfectly neutral: white walls, a single bed, a toilet, nothing else. No windows. No indication of time. I had no way of knowing if hours or days had passed since Catherine's arrest at the restaurant.
The system was silent. All of my abilities seemed to be blocked or restricted. For the first time since I received the system, I felt truly powerless.
Then the door opened and James Morgan walked in. My father was wearing a simple gray suit, and his expression was unreadable. Behind him came Svetlana Volkov, the woman who had called me days earlier.
"I am sorry about this," James said. "But we needed to bring you somewhere secure. The network is in chaos, and multiple factions are trying to contact you or eliminate
