J A X O N

Our group's mood was light as we returned to the hotel. Arlo told many dirty jokes, which Finn scoffed at, though I listened with open ears, even adding in a few of my own. Benton said many times how much he'd rather be still brainwashed than hear us speak. All in all, spirits were high.

However, they sunk slightly when we saw Kane and Riley in the room looking strangely shell-shocked. Something had gone wrong, I immediately knew it.

"What's wrong?" I asked, eyes darting to Riley. "You obviously didn't get captured."

"No," Kane said, not softened by my attempt at humor. "But we found what was on the flash-drive Jake stole."

"What do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad news?" Riley asked. I knew if Kane had his way, he would have simply told us the worst news possible.

"The good news," Finn sighed, sitting in a chair and leaning his chin into his open palm.

"The good news is that the ONNT has apparently stopped attacks on various United States government officials," Riley told us, for once not staring bored at her nails. "They foresaw them and were able to fend off the Imperium assassins."

"Were the assassins killed?" Benton asked, standing tall over his sitting brother.

"Three killed themselves rather than accept capture. The others escaped unharmed." She held up a finger. "But that's not all. The ONNT has also been gathering U.S. forces against Imperium. Mostly weapons, but their soldier counts are also slowly growing."

"It won't be enough," Benton said as he stared out the window. "Especially if their forces are growing slowly." He turned to us. "Orion caters to thieves, liars, murderers. He caters to people who have grown up in poverty and violence, recruits who believe one last, cruel war will bring them the validation they deserve. With his armies filled with such people, his numbers already outweighed our own. After the Russian loss, he began bringing in even more soldiers to make up for it." He paused. "Both Delphinium and I have seen his ranks. The ONNT will not be enough. Our country will not be enough—maybe not even many armies together. He simply has too great a pull on people who are lured in by his message."

"It was that depressing message that reminded me you two are brothers," I said and gave Kane a grin when he squeezed the bridge of his nose.

Shooting Benton a glance, Delphinium said slowly, "He's right. Orion has been building his troops. For as long as I've known him, he's talked about seizing the Romanian borders. And now he's closer than ever. That's what he's been gaining recruits for."

"Now for more bad news," Riley said, gesturing to Kane.

The strongman remained as serious as ever. "Orion's goals were also saved onto the file. Or goal."

"What, world domination?" Finn asked. "We've heard that before."

Kane shook his head. "That's what we've heard, yes. But that term is incredibly vague. It doesn't encompass...everything he plans to do." He'd hesitated. Kane rarely ever stumbled over words—that's how I knew this was grave.

"Hunt told us about how some of us are able to hold the enhanced gene while others aren't," Riley said, making the attention switch back to her. I remembered too well; it was what made us able to hold our power where others couldn't. "Well, Orion's found that there are more like us—powerless, but with the ability to potentially hold power. Roughly a fourth of the world's population, in fact."

Kane chose his words carefully. "Orion sees that fourth of people as superior to the ones whose bodies reject the enhanced gene. They're lower than us. Less evolved."

"Because of that, he wishes to eradicate them," Riley told us, voice grave as death. "Orion wants to wipe out three-fourths of the earth's population to preserve the master race, as he calls it. We are the future of humanity. Enhancement is the future of humanity. The others are not. They will be exterminated once Orion has full, unbridled control."

"Why?" Finn managed to ask, sounding as though his voice was caught in his throat. "How are his followers buying this?"

"He wants to build a superior race, simple as that. Easier to gain control, easier to grab power and stay at the top once he does."

"As for his followers," Kane added, staring at the computer screen, "He says whatever lies he needs to in order for them to listen: killing billions to reverse overpopulation, to help end world hunger and poverty, to eradicate terrorism. Anything they'll believe. Any of the lies he believes himself, to forward the greater good."

"And once they've bought it, there's no going back," I said, almost to myself, as I realized out loud. "They'll be loyal to him even as he kills those billions of people. They'll be loyal to him even when his guns turn to their own un-enhanced selves. They'll be slaughtered and they'll think they're dying for that greater good."

"Say what you want about him, but Orion's a genius," Arlo said, frustratedly throwing his hands in the air. "He clearly thought this through."

"Now do you see?" Benton asked gravely. "Even after everything he's done, we've underestimated his power. With the way he's been rising, he just might be able to wipe out those billions of people."

Everyone was quiet with the weight of what had just happened. It was apparent that we had to stop him now more than ever. "That can't happen," I said, leaning against the wall. "We have to fight."

"We have to try," Delphinium spoke for the first time, meeting my eyes.

"This changes nothing. It only strengthens our purpose," Benton said, gaze falling over our group. "Small steps, remember?"

"What are we doing next?" Finn asked no one in particular. "What can we do next?" He was right—without the backing of the ONNT, things would be much more difficult to get done. We were on our own.

His question fell upon our silent group. No one answered and it was then that I realized how bad things had gotten.

Kane glanced downward again. "Krasowski just got a top-secret email."

I pushed off the wall and went to stand where I could peer over the strongman's shoulder. "They have reason to believe the top Imperium engineer killed himself." I read on. "After destroying the blueprints for the Mind Sweeper."

"Is that...good?" Finn asked, eyes flicking between Kane and me.

"The destruction of the blueprints is good..." Kane trailed off, scanning more of the email.

I finished his unsaid statement. "But the engineer is dead. That means they'll be searching for another. And soon, especially if he plans to invade shortly."

"Small steps," Riley murmuring, glancing up at Benton. "We should intercept the new engineer before they get to Romania. If we can bring them back with us, they might hold some information we don't know."

"It's not a bad idea," Kane said slowly. "We'll just have to wait for more information."

"And once we do, we'll go after them. Imperium won't have another engineer that can build Mind Sweepers," Benton said, adamant on making moves against his former master.

Kane leaned back in his seat, watching the computer for an update. Everyone else was quiet until Finn asked, "Remember back when we thought Adiago Hundsen was as bad as things could get?"

"Things can always get worse," the strongman said softly.

"We were so stupid and young then," Delphinium said, eyes glued to the floor as she remembered.

Benny gave me a pointed glance. "Some of us still are."

Now I remembered why I hated him. "You don't know what you're talking about. And we haven't forgotten how you contributed to our problems."

"I know exactly what I'm talking about," he said, that smug smile still in place. But I seemed to have struck a nerve. "You've forgotten that I can hear your every thought. Every plea for attention, every beg for validation, every regret you have about the family that never loved you—"

I surged forward, partially fueled by my anger at him and partially out of my love for fighting. I nearly reached him before Kane reached out, looking extremely bored, and pushed the two of us apart.

"We just finished fighting," Arlo told me. "God, you're like an addict."

"I can always take another," I said, wiping my mouth.

"Spoken like a true addict," Benton drawled. He grinned at me, but it was more of a flash of teeth than an actual smile. I was sure his expression was mirrored on my own face. "Old habits die hard, don't they, Williams?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked through gritted teeth. My fists were itching to hit him again.

"I know why you love the fight so much. You crave it—the adrenaline, the power, the challenge." His leering smile grew. Everyone watched as the tension in the room built. "You need to beat someone. You need to win. And once you do, you'll have validation that you're good enough. I know how many enemies you've beat." He cocked his head to the side. "And yet you're still not good enough."

Kane pushed me back again, looking extremely tired. I looked away from my friend to see Benton still glaring at me with that flat black stare. "Are you one to speak?" I asked, each word sharpened to kill. "At least I have the decency to feel bad for the things I've done. Delphinium had the good sense to fight back against Orion when you two were still at the fortress. What did you do? Nothing. Well, at least until he put you into that machine, right?"

The assassin snarled and then stared at me so intensely I knew he was reading my thoughts. I forced myself to think of his dead body just to spite him.

"My money's on Jaxon," I heard Riley say, to which Arlo said his was on Benton. It made me wonder if they could go a day without betting on something I did.

"I'll admit, I really didn't think anyone could top Arlo and Jaxon's arguing," Finn remarked, watching the scene we were causing.

"I like to think Arlo and I have a charming banter." I turned my head to see Arlo nod his approval just to prove Finn wrong.

"Interesting," Benton said, looking at me like I was a child. "You even fight with your friends. I wonder why that could be."

I whipped around to glare at him again. "How many friends do you have?"

"There's an update," Kane said, looking extremely glad to have changed the subject. For once, he seemed to not mind having the attention turned to him. "The engineer, Arden Rong, will be shipped out to Romania in a day."

"We should leave tonight," Benton said, instantly getting deathly serious again. "The ONNT will be making moves for her now as well. Better to be safe than sorry."

"We stay another night," Jake said, suddenly speaking for the first time. I gave the assassin a sickly-sweet smile when Jake overruled his idea, but Jake caught my glance. "Now, if you two are done arguing like children, we have work to do."