The desert station's main room had become a pressure cooker of desperation.
Axel stood at the map table, his eyes tracing the lines that represented the Ascendancy's operations. They had disabled the weather weapon. They had rescued Dr. Thorne. But the Ascendancy's leader was still out there, and he was planning something even more terrible.
"We need to find him," Axel said, his voice flat. "Before he can make his move."
"I have a lead," Dr. Thorne said, stepping forward. "There's a facility in the mountains. It's called the Obsidian Vault. It's where the Ascendancy's leader is hiding."
Axel's eyes narrowed. "The Obsidian Vault? We've been there before."
"That was a decoy. The real facility is deeper in the mountains. It's where the Ascendancy keeps its most dangerous secrets." Dr. Th
