OUR LITTLE SECRET

elgrave had sent their

nforcers, each designed to

dow, coordinated and lethal. But w

almly into

a stasis collar. It

the projectile folded in

aised his visor. "Impossible.

ess you'll need

ted hi

slo

era

ht, watching the world twist. Trees shifted backward,

ia. "We're not the m

feared we'd bec

not to kill, but to dism

nit had retreated, and the Academ

both. "You Wolfe k

rked. "And

n't de

mporary base, te

rl watched him like a ticking bomb

t it. You're powerful. So is she. So am I. We

ce. "Power isn't for flex

protecting the people you care

, shut up before I era

. "Do it. Let'

a didn'

did to us?" he said quiet

ched around a datapad.

inding you what w

"We were experimented on. But I

at p

"You didn't escape.

h that,

red at the

houlder. "We'll ge

e he wants t

hey intercept

layers of firewall. Meant

just a h

purge d

iminated. Effective immediately. No trial

aw clenched. "This isn't defens

ke us out there. Not all with powers, but al

was low. "Then

. "We're four people. One of w

the room. "Then

a file ont

o: Rejected

ds of

the only ones who survived. We're

nd Carl m

ith fanned a

erground networks, even former p

e others came

d fracture reality

ng voice triggered

heat-based t

r Velgrave instruc

. Some furious.

thing: Velgrave had ta

leading the rebellion, they

e underground base, watching the broke

mistake let

"They made a bigger mist

e was a

rebellion. Screens glowed with satellite interference. Maps of Velgrave's secre

the operations room like

e said. "They bleed.

reful. That speech is starting to soun

at do you think this is

," she said. "And I won't t

etween th

as ever. "We need stra

launching something called Protocol Zero in forty-

d over the gl

sa

iliar

dn't spoke

alen

ho raised her - and the one wh

ed into fists.

brow. "He's th

d this wher

hidden in a private folder e

ted ten y

. From Ca

ated, the

led you. Not as a scientist. But as so

f we erased enough - if we fragmented your min

you

older, grayer, but still with that calc

stable. Dangerous. But you are ev

n. Inside is the origin of the Halo gene. The re

ng - I'm sorry I

en flick

le

d forward.

ed. "But I know w