The transport did not head toward any city Elian recognized. Instead, it banked sharply, carving a path through the churning clouds of the aurora-static sky. Through the small, reinforced porthole, Elian watched the landscape shift from the lush, wild forest to a jagged scar of blackened concrete and reinforced steel. They were approaching the Iron Citadel. A sprawling fortress that seemed to have been built directly into the side of a dead, volcanic mountain. It was not a remnant of the old world. It was a testament to the new one Hayes and his ilk were constructing.
The tapping against his ankle persisted, rhythmic and sharp. Dot. Dash. Dash. Dot.
Elian closed his eyes, focusing on the vibration. L-A-Y-E-R. T-W-O.
He understood. This wasn't just a prison. It was a data center, a plac
