Chapter 2

The transport's engines roared back to life.

But this time, they weren't waiting for anyone.

The pilot's voice came through the loudspeaker, cold and robotic: "Evacuation aborted! All Alliance craft, return to base immediately!"

The giant metal bird lifted into the air, leaving the eight of us standing on the empty tarmac.

A dead silence fell.

Then it broke.

"You goddamn fool!" Marcus was the first to lunge at Liam, his silver-knuckled fist connecting with Liam's face. "We're all going to die! Because of your precious omega!"

"For a music box! A worthless piece of junk!" another warrior, Sofia, screamed, her eyes wild with despair. "My kid is waiting for me back at the Alliance!"

Liam wiped the blood from his nose, his expression still stubborn. "Chloe isn't a 'piece of junk'! That music box was all she had left of her mother!"

"Her mother's memory?" Ryan sneered. "Fantastic. Now we're all about to become memories!"

Just then, a trembling voice came from behind the ruins. "Liam? Why are you guys still here?"

Chloe staggered out, clutching a small, rusty music box. Her face was streaked with tears, the picture of a damsel in distress.

Marcus’s rage boiled over. He lunged, ready to strangle her.

I caught his arm. "Calm down, Marcus." My voice was quiet, but it held an authority he couldn't defy. "Anger won't save us."

I scanned the group, including the shivering Chloe. "The only thing that matters now is how we survive."

Ryan gritted his teeth, forcing his fury down. "Do you have a plan, Elena?"

I pointed to a skeletal skyscraper stabbing at the skyline. "The old NY-United tower. It has a reinforced deep-level bunker. It'll hold them off. For a while."

"And then what?" Sofia’s voice shook. "We wait in there to die?"

"No," I said, pulling a comms device from my tactical pack. "We wait for rescue."

At that moment, the Alliance Command's final broadcast crackled through the sky.

"ATTENTION! THE ALLIANCE IS OFFICIALLY DECLARING THIS ZONE UNDER PERMANENT QUARANTINE! NO ONE IN, NO ONE OUT! THIS IS THE FINAL BROADCAST!"

A suffocating silence fell again.

Chloe collapsed, the music box slipping from her grasp and clattering on the ground. "We're... we're really going to die here?" she sobbed.

Liam immediately dropped to his knees, pulling her into a tight hug. "No, Chloe. I won't let you die."

I watched them, feeling nothing.

Then, as despair settled over my pack, I pulled out a special encrypted satellite phone.

"Maybe there's one last hope."

Every eye snapped to me. I dialed a number only a handful of people knew.

"This is operative 'Moonblade' Elena," I said, my voice calm and firm. "Requesting emergency extraction. Coordinates sent. Awaiting pickup."

A familiar voice answered. Cold. Professional. "The Council President has been waiting for your call, Moonblade. A special ops team will arrive in 72 hours. Your request for a discretionary slot was approved. We have seven seats for you."

"Acknowledged." I ended the call.

My team let out a ragged cheer, celebrating their new lease on life. Ryan grabbed my arm, his eyes wide. "Elena... who are you?"

I just smiled, not answering.

Instead, I leaned in, my voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Ryan, there are seven seats on that rescue transport."

His smile froze on his face. "But... there are eight of us."

I nodded, a cold light in my eyes. "Yes. Eight."

The blood drained from his face. He understood.

Meanwhile, Liam, oblivious, was gently wiping Chloe's tears away.

His voice was a soft caress.

"Don't worry, Chloe. I'll make sure you have the best life in our new home at the Alliance. I swear it, on the Moon Goddess."

A cruel smile played on my lips.

All this affection…I wondered if they’d still be this close when they were fighting for the last seat out.