Page 177 of Villainous Rise

Havoc ran a hand through his hair. “Sometimes it’s all I can do to watch that damn feed.”

I closed my eyes, shaking my head.

“He can’t get to you,” Havoc continued, his voice firm. “He can’t get to anyone. The Vault’s systems were specifically designed for his powers. Multiple redundancies, constant monitoring.”

I believed what he was saying. Deep down I did. But it didn’t matter. That name. That damn name.

“Then how is his old alias connected to all of this?”

Havoc’s expression darkened. “That’s what we need to figure out. But I promise you, Annie, he hasn’t escaped. Whatever’s happening, it’s not him directly.”

“I want to see him,” I said, my voice thin and brittle. “I need to see him with my own eyes.”

Havoc’s expression hardened. “Absolutely not.”

“Please. I need to know he’s still there. That he can’t⁠—“

“No, Annie.” Havoc’s tone left no room for argument.

Something inside me cracked. The careful walls I’d built over years, the compartments where I stored my fear, my trauma, everything shattered at once.

“You don’t understand!” My voice rose, edging toward hysteria. “I need to see him! I need to know he’s contained!”

My hands clawed at my cuff. Every cell in my body screamed with the need to verify what Havoc was telling me.

“Annie, stop.” Havoc gripped my shoulders. “This is exactly what he would want—you, terrified, irrational.”

“I don’t care!” Tears burned hot trails down my face. “Please, Havoc. Please. Just let me see the feed.”

My breath came in ragged gasps. The room tilted and swayed around me, reality fracturing at the edges. All I could see was Halcyon’s face, all I could hear was his voice whispering in my ear.

“He’s in my head,” I choked out. “He’s always been in my head.”

Havoc’s face blurred through my tears. “That’s why you can’t see him. He still has his hooks in you, Annie. Seeing him would only make it worse.”

I sank to my knees, my legs no longer able to support me. The panic was a living thing now, clawing through my veins, squeezing my lungs until each breath was a desperate battle.

“What if he’s controlling someone? What if he’s using someone?”

Havoc knelt beside me. “Then we’ll handle it.”

I curled forward, arms wrapped around myself, rocking slightly. The rational part of my brain knew he was right. But that part was drowning in a flood of terror.

“I can’t do this again. I can’t live with him—“ I couldn’t continue.

The power contained within my cuff felt like it was pulsing in time with my racing heart. The power I’d taken from him. The power that could make me a monster too.

CHAPTER 31

CIPHER

I flew toward the Tower at maximum speed, the wind tearing at me. The Hammer in my forearm pulsed with power, connecting to every electronic system in my path. I could feel the tower’s defenses before I even reached them. Motion sensors, power dampeners, and automated turrets designed to repel any unauthorized Super.

The Hammer’s energy surged through my arm and the Tower’s security grid appeared in my mind like a three-dimensional blueprint, each system highlighted and accessible. With barely a thought, I disabled everything.

The Hammer’s interface showed me Havoc’s private security measures activating, a secondary system most people didn’t even know existed. I disabled those too, feeling a grim satisfaction as each barrier fell.

The glass door leading from the launch pad to Havoc’s office was the final obstacle. I could see them through it, Havoc was kneeling beside Annie, who was curled into herself on the floor. Her face was buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking violently.