The penthouse of the Mori Tower became a symphony of shattered glass and screaming data.
As the twelve "Vultures" surged into the room, they moved with a synchronized, mechanical grace that made my skin crawl. They didn't shout; they didn't hesitate. They were a single weapon with twelve bodies, all wearing the face of the man I loved.
"Go, Zainab! Get to the pillar!" Alexander roared.
He didn't wait for them to reach him. He lunged forward, his good arm swinging a heavy metal pipe he’d ripped from the ventilation shaft. The first doppelgänger met him with a calculated strike, but Alexander didn't play by the rules of the grid. He fought with the desperation of a man who had already died once. He took a hit to the ribs just to get close enough to drive a knife into the prototype's throa
