MY CRUEL PROTECTOR
I saw Elias Thorne disappear beneaththe waves, a smile on his face as the light of the Sovereignfinally filled the room.
98%... 99%...
Nevan looked at me through the glass. He wasn't theShield anymore. He was just a man who had completedhis mission. He gave me a final, sharp nod—a soldier’sgoodbye.
100%. UPLOAD COMPLETE.
The pod shot forward, propelled by a burst of compressedair. The sudden G-force threw me back into the seat, myvision fading into black. The last thing I saw through therear porthole was the Pharos Node imploding, the titaniumdome collapsing inward like a crushed soda can, swallowing the light, the mercenaries, and the man whohad been my world.