Thirty-six thousand feet below the surface of the earth, there is no dawn. There is only the crush.Inside the heavy tungsten Mantle-Pod, the silence was broken only by the rhythmic, mechanical hiss of the six Abyssal-Class breach suits powering up. The matte-black, pressurized armor locked seamlessly into place over the Vanguard’s tactical gear."Comms check," Dax’s voice crackled over the localized, short-range frequency. It sounded heavy, distorted by the dense acoustic shielding of his helmet."Reading you, King," Jax grunted, rolling his massive, armored shoulders. "This suit is tighter than a cheap gasket, but I’m breathing."I stayed in the pilot's chair, my hands flying across the terminal. I wasn't wearing a breach suit; my job was to make sure the pod didn't crumple into a tin can while the hatch was open."I'm isolating the Phase-Shield," I said, my voice shaking slightly as I watched the thousands of glowing, hostile signatures swarming the digital radar. "When you open th
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