LOGIN"Jackson!" Serenity screamed, jumping out of the snow-crawler. She raised her gun, aiming at the man who looked like her father-in-law.
But her hands shook. How could she shoot Jackson's father?
Jackson groaned, peeling himself off the ice wall. His tactical suit had absorbed most of the impact, but his ribs felt cracked. He spat blood onto the white snow.
"Don't... don't shoot him," Jackson rasped.
"Stay down, little boy," The entity inside Liam sneered. The violet energy crackled around his hands like lightning. "Your father is gone. I am Legion. I am the Future."
He raised his hand again, preparing a blast of energy that would vaporize Jackson.
"LIAM!"
A desperate cry cut through the howling wind.
Margaret stumbled out of the vehicle. She wasn't wearing a mask. The freezing wind bit her face, but she didn't care. She walked straight towards the glowing monster.
"Stop!" Jackson tried to grab her leg. "Mom, it's not him!"
Margaret ignored her son. She walked until she was chest-to-chest with the man she loved. The man she buried.
"Liam," she whispered, tears freezing on her cheeks. "It’s me. It’s Maggie."
The entity paused. The hand raised to kill lowered slightly.
"Maggie?" The distorted voice wavered.
"Look at me," Margaret placed her warm hand on his freezing cold, grey chest. "You promised me we would grow old together. You promised you wouldn't leave me."
The violet light in Liam's eyes flickered. It dimmed, revealing—just for a second—a flash of human blue.
The face of the monster twisted in agony. He grabbed his own head, screaming as if two minds were fighting for control inside his skull.
"Get... out... of... my... head!" Liam roared.
He looked at Margaret. The violet glow was gone. His eyes were terrified, filled with twenty years of torture.
"Maggie?" Liam’s voice was broken, real. "Run... You have to run..."
"No," Margaret hugged him. "We are here. Jackson is here. We came to save you."
"You can't," Liam pushed her away gently. "He is too strong. The Grand Master... he is inside the Core. He is using me as an antenna."
Liam looked at Jackson, who was limping towards them.
"Jack?" Liam smiled through the pain. "You look just like your grandfather. I'm sorry... I missed your life."
"Dad," Jackson choked up. "Fight it. Come home with us."
"I can't holding him back... much longer," Liam’s body started to shake violently. The violet light returned, creeping back into his irises. "He is reclaiming control!"
Liam turned to the massive black gate behind him. He raised his hands. Instead of attacking his family, he focused all his energy on the door.
BOOM!
The ice cracking sound was deafening. The blast doors were forced open by his telekinetic power.
"GO!" Liam screamed, veins popping on his neck. "Go into the Sanctum! Destroy the Core! It's the only way to free me!"
"But what about you?" Serenity shouted.
"If I lose control again... kill me," Liam looked at Jackson with a pleading gaze. "Promise me, son. Don't let me hurt my family."
"I promise," Jackson whispered, his heart shattering.
The violet light swallowed Liam’s eyes completely.
"RUN!"
Jackson grabbed his mother and Serenity. They sprinted past the convulsing figure of his father, through the open gates, and into the dark belly of the beast.
As they crossed the threshold, the gates slammed shut behind them, sealing them inside.
Leaving Liam Sterling alone in the snow, screaming into the void.
The Architect's Temporary Base. Unknown Location."Denied?" Zero stared at the screen. "What do you mean 'Access Denied'?""The bank accounts are frozen, Sir," his subordinate stammered. "Sterling bought the banks. He bought the holding companies. He even bought the electric grid supplying this building."PZZZT.The lights in Zero's office flickered and died. The emergency red lights turned on."He cut our power," Zero whispered, trembling with rage.In one hour, Jackson Sterling had dismantled an empire that took fifty years to build. No supply chain. No weapons. No money to pay the mercenaries."He thinks he can starve us out?" Zero smashed his desk lamp. "He thinks we are businessmen? We are gods!"He turned to his lieutenant."Assemble the Legion. Every remaining soldier. Every working Drone.""Sir? What is the target?""His heart," Zero pointed to a map of Long Island, New York. "The Sterling Manor. We go there tonight. We burn it to the ground. If we can't rule the world, we wil
The Architect's Temporary Base. Unknown Location."Denied?" Zero stared at the screen. "What do you mean 'Access Denied'?""The bank accounts are frozen, Sir," his subordinate stammered. "Sterling bought the banks. He bought the holding companies. He even bought the electric grid supplying this building."PZZZT.The lights in Zero's office flickered and died. The emergency red lights turned on."He cut our power," Zero whispered, trembling with rage.In one hour, Jackson Sterling had dismantled an empire that took fifty years to build. No supply chain. No weapons. No money to pay the mercenaries."He thinks he can starve us out?" Zero smashed his desk lamp. "He thinks we are businessmen? We are gods!"He turned to his lieutenant."Assemble the Legion. Every remaining soldier. Every working Drone.""Sir? What is the target?""His heart," Zero pointed to a map of Long Island, New York. "The Sterling Manor. We go there tonight. We burn it to the ground. If we can't rule the world, we wil
Sparks showered from the ceiling. The sound of tearing metal was deafening.The dining car groaned and tilted violently to the right. Tables, chairs, and expensive wine bottles slid down the slope, crashing into the wall.Jackson slammed one hand into a window frame, his other arm locked around Serenity’s waist. He stopped them from sliding into the pile of broken glass below."Don't let go!" Jackson shouted over the noise.Serenity looked down. Through the shattered window beneath them, she saw nothing but swirling snow and darkness. They were dangling over a canyon."The coupling is breaking!" Serenity yelled, pointing to the metal hook connecting their car to the rest of the train. It was stretching, groaning under the weight.CLANG.The door at the top of the tilted car (the one Zero left through) was kicked open.Two figures rappelled down into the car on zip lines.They wore sleek, matte-black armor. No faces. Just glowing red visors. They moved with robotic precision, magnetize
The Midnight Express tore through the darkness of the Swiss Alps at 300 kilometers per hour.In the exclusive private dining car, crystal glasses jingled softly with the vibration of the tracks. Outside the window, nothing existed but snow and night.Jackson adjusted his cufflinks. Under his tuxedo, he was wearing a ceramic knife taped to his ribs—the only weapon the metal detectors didn't pick up.Serenity sat opposite him, looking breathtaking in a black velvet gown. She held a clutch that contained a small vial of Margaret’s anti-serum."Nervous?" Jackson asked, pouring her water."I’m having dinner with the man who tried to kidnap our children," Serenity’s eyes were cold. "I’m not nervous. I’m restraining myself from stabbing him with a fork.""Patience," Jackson whispered.The door at the end of the car slid open.A man walked in.He looked nothing like a villain. He was handsome, in his forties, wearing a grey suit that cost more than the train itself. He had silver hair and a s
"Close your eyes," Liam commanded softly.The nursery was dimly lit. Aurora and Alex lay on the large rug, pillows under their heads. Liam sat between them in a lotus position. Jackson and Serenity watched from the couch, feeling useless but alert."Grandpa, this is unscientific," Alex muttered, keeping one eye open. "Telepathy isn't real.""Quantum entanglement is," Liam placed a finger on Alex's forehead and another on Aurora's. "Connect."A pulse of violet light rippled through the room.The Dreamscape.Alex gasped. He wasn't on the rug anymore.He was standing on an endless plane of pure white water. The sky was white. The horizon was white. It was a blank canvas."Whoa," Alex looked at his hands. They were glowing. "High definition rendering. Zero latency.""Where are the toys?" Aurora appeared next to him. In the dream, she wasn't wearing pajamas. She was wearing a sparkling fairy queen dress.Liam appeared in front of them. He looked younger here, powerful and majestic."This i
That night, the Palace was quiet. But the air was heavy.In the royal nursery, five-year-old Aurora was tossing and turning in her bed. She was sweating.“No… go away…” she whimpered in her sleep.Around her room, objects began to react to her distress. Her teddy bears floated into the air. The heavy curtains rustled as if caught in a storm, though the windows were closed. The water in her glass began to boil.In the Dream:Aurora was standing in a field of grey ash. The sky was purple.In the distance, a massive Black Tower stretched up into the clouds. It looked like a needle piercing the sky.Standing at the top of the tower was a man. He didn't have a face. Just a smooth, white mask with a single vertical line drawn on it."Come here, little star," the man’s voice echoed inside her head. "Your light belongs to me."Shadowy hands reached out from the ground, grabbing Aurora’s ankles."Daddy!" she screamed in the dream.In the Real World:CRACK!The mirror on Aurora's wall shattered







