“Sir… we’ve lost signal on the Ghostline frequency entirely.”
I pause.
Slowly straighten.
Lost signal is not a victory.
It ismovement.
I lean closer to the screen displaying Ronan Pierce’s former command—each man alone, silent, enduring.
“Escalate again,” I say quietly.
The technician’s hands shake as he complies.
Because if Ronan Pierce is alive…
He will not wait forever.
And when he comes—
I intend for him to find
not heroes…
but remnants.
34
Cal
Location: Underground Detention Site — Isolation Wing
Time: Unknown
The dark doesn’t fall all at once.
It creeps.
The light above my cell flickers—once, twice—then steadies just long enough to make me think it was nothing.
Then it cuts out completely.
Cold slams into the room like a living thing.
Not a chill.
Not discomfort.
Real cold. The kind that sinks into bone and stays there, stealing strength with every breath.
My teeth chatter before I can stop them.
“Easy,” I mutter to myself. “Easy…”
The chains hum softly as the temperature drops. Condensation forms on the stone, damp seeping through my clothes. My fingers go numb first. Then my toes.
This isn’t random.
