CHAPTER 3
Timeline: Day 3 of the Journey — Dawn
The facility rose from the mist like a scar on the land—gray concrete, high chain-link topped with silver wire, no windows, no warmth, nothing but cold, hard angles and silence. We crouched in the tree line, watching the guards patrol the perimeter, their movements sharp and mechanical. Elara had gone in alone an hour earlier to scout, leaving us in the hush of pre-dawn, every breath held, every heartbeat counting.
“Two at the north gate.” Knox’s voice was barely a breath, binoculars pressed to his eyes. “Four on the east wall. Rotation every ten minutes. No gaps. No weak spots.”
“Everything’s weak if you hit it right.” Jax flexed his hands, already shifting into attack mode. “We go in fast. Take the gate before they can call it in. Clea
