The darkness was absolute, pressing in from all sides like a physical weight. Stone dropped into a crouch, his pistol still raised, his senses straining to pierce the void. The command center had gone silent—no hum of equipment, no whir of cooling fans, no sound of Claire's footsteps.
He heard a soft shuffle to his left. Then a whisper.
"Logan. It's me."
Elena. He couldn't see her, but he could hear the tremor in her voice.
"Stay where you are," he said, his voice low. "Don't move."
Another sound, this one from his right. A heavy footstep, accompanied by the unmistakable click of a weapon being c****d.
"Stone." Wrench's voice was tight. "She's gone. I heard a door open. She's heading for the escape tunnel."
Stone moved, his hand tracing the wall, his feet finding the familiar path h
