The Verance headquarters hummed with the quiet rhythm of recovery.
Slade sat at the central table, reviewing the new intelligence Lyric had compiled. The fragments were scattered, their leadership decimated, their network in chaos. But the war was still raging. New threats were emerging. New challenges.
Lyric was at her station, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "Slade. I've found something. A journalist. She's been investigating the fragments for years. She knows things."
Slade looked up. "What things?"
"She knows about the labyrinth. The Society. The Inheritors. The Congregation. She's been piecing together the fragments' history. She's been watching us."
Slade's eyes narrowed. "Who is she?"
"Her name is Clara Ross. She works for a major news outlet. She's been tracking the f
