The Verance headquarters was a fortress of shadows and silence.
Slade stood in the main room, staring at the wall of monitors. The fragments were scattered, their leadership decimated, their network in chaos. But they were still out there. Still gathering. Still planning. The message from the unknown sender had been clear: the alliance was still alive.
"The fragments are regrouping," Lyric said, her voice tired. "They're planning a new summit. A new alliance. This time, they're going underground. Literally. They've found a location deep in the Austrian Alps. A former military bunker. Unmarked. Off the grid."
Slade's eyes narrowed. "How do we know this?"
"Because I've been tracking their communications. They're using a new encryption protocol, but I've cracked it. They're planning to ac
