The Shattered Cipher

t her own, forcing her hands to tremble, fingers twitching toward her throat. Rain lashed her face, neon graffiti blurring in Vila Madalena's electric glow. Jace gripped her arm, his scarred face

, broadcast to frame her as the world's traitor. Seventy-two hou

kicked the stairwell door shut. His Glock swept the shadows, the air

both." The guilt of abandoning her sister to the CIA's labs fueled her. "I'm... trying," she rasped, clawing at the Cipher's control.

both." The guilt of abandoning her sister to the CIA's labs fueled her. "I'm... trying," she rasped, clawing at the Cipher's control.

meters. Drones: two, 50 meters. Exit vector: basement, 80 mete

dator's. "Got a contact-hacker, runs a black-market rig. Can jam your implant's signa

, her blood-key-too much for an ex-Syndicate grunt. His tattoo, live or not, scre

over glowing consoles, their faces masked by AR visors. The Cipher buzzed: Anomaly detected: Syndicate signal, 20 meters. So

a red circuit glyph. He banged twice, and a woman-mid-30s, shaved head, cy

tech. Syndicate's got her wired, alright." She tossed Jace a palm-size

lled, her mind clearing, but pain lingered. "How do you k

lit up-Lena Voss, CIA traitor, plotting economic sabotage." She nodded at a ho

nted not just by the Syndicate but the world. Clara's voice echoed: "You failed m

Syndicate's got her in Istanbul, wired to Vaul

leeding her?" The vision-Clara's blood on a

"Crash every market, bank, grid. Global re

ostile team: 15 meters. Sniper repositioned, 100 meters. Jammer efficacy: 60

ark inert. "Check it. I'm clean. You want

t. "Private airstrip, two klicks. But you're

The Cipher sparked: Skill unlocked: Code Shift. Disrupt one system. Cost: 10 Cipher Points. Current points: 0. "Da

rative, but more poured in. Mira hacked a console, lights flickering as she trigg

ion hit-Clara, strapped to a table beside Lena, needles in their arms, a voice saying, "Their blood syncs the vault. Twins are perfect." Le

Cipher's override surged: Directive: sabotage escape. Her hand jerked, grabbing a pipe to smash the jet'

u're stronger than it!" His eyes locked

oice leaked out, robotic: "I... sabotage... the world." The holo-screens in the alle

just framing you-it's rewriting your will." She jammed the keycard in

voice roared: Surrender or Clara dies. A new vision flashed-Clara, in Vault 17, her throat slit, blood flooding the sca