The world returned in shattered, sensory shards. The numbing, unrelenting pressure of the concrete ground on his back. The acrid, chemical taste of smoke burned deep into his nostrils and the wool of his ruined suit. The distant, wavering wail of sirens, building from promise to screaming reality. And beneath it all, the frantic, pounding pulse of his own heart, a lunatic drum against the prison of his ribs.Anton pulled himself up, his muscles grumbling, a stinging, glassy ache biting through the palm of his hand. He looked down. A piece, clear and wicked, stuck in his heel. He stared at it, numb, as if someone else's. It was a small cut, unimportant set against the destruction they had fled. With a grimace, he pulled it out, one shiny bead of blood welling in its place.His gaze went up, drawn to the man beside him.Sabe stood already, a silhouette against the hell-glare of the closed server room door. He was a vision of devastation. Soot painted his face like war paint. His jacket
Last Updated : 2025-10-29 Read more