J A X O N

"Hello?" The voice came quickly and suddenly over the radio. It had been some time since we'd last used it to communicate with our spy. We'd even thought Rong to be captured or dead. But here she was, out of nowhere.

"We're listening," I told her, exchanging a glance with Kane as he and the others entered the main space at the sound.

"I need to make this quick. They already suspect me the most of the group of new initiates, especially after what happened at the fuel factory. I didn't know they would try and root the spies out like that. They watch me all the time now."

A sliver of fear began to worm its way into my heart. "Have you found anything new?"

"Two things of importance. The first is only a rumor, but..." She let out a breath. "Orion is making something. There are whispers among the ranks, but no one knows what he's doing deep in the underground.

"Second, a new weapon is being created—it has been for a while now. I'm meant to help build it. I think...it's meant for you."

In the corner, Gigi looked up from where she'd been listening in silence. "What kind of weapon," she demanded to know.

"I don't know yet," Rong said, sounding half-panicked in a way I'd never heard her before. "They don't tell me anything other than what I need to know now. But they're nearly ready. I know that for sure."

"Ready..." Finn's unfocused gaze was fixed on the radio. "Ready to use it on us?"

"Ready to mobilize. Ready to invade. They've already seized hundreds of kilometers of land around the fortress. Orion has finally created whatever he'd been waiting for, and the weapon in question is being created later today. The soldiers are preparing. It'll be any day now."

Now that fear had its claws around my heart, threatening to squeeze. But Rong wasn't finished. "I pray that you're ready. I pray that you have the weapons you need." She paused, as if the next sentence would be difficult to say. "I pray that my death will be quick. They know everything. They will know about me, if they don't already. This will be the last time we speak."

The air was heavy with the future—unknown to us and even more terrifying for her in the midst of our enemies. I fiddled with a screw on my arm, not knowing what to say.

"You are the reason we were able to find the Hydrocarbon Petromensium facility. You helped us gain the means to creating weapons to even the battlefield," Finn told her, and though he looked as grave as the rest of us, his voice was strong. "You've warned us about Orion's weapons and troops. If we win this war, it'll be because of your contribution. Thank you."

"My death will be honorable," she said, and I wasn't sure if there was a crack in her voice or just static. "Death to Imperium."

"Death to Imperium," we all chorused. The line on the other end went dead.

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War was on our doorstep. And as long as the ONNT was in shambles and we were alone, we would have no chance at being a united front on the battlefield. We needed to condemn Marcella Krasowski for her traitorous crimes and reinstate Hunt. Now.

That was why I followed Kane and Riley through Krasowski's first floor window. Once I stepped foot into the dark living room, Jake, Arlo and Finn followed suit. Gigi and the three assassins were stationed at high points around the house, prepared to shoot in the event that Krasowski was prepared for us.

No one made a sound as the six of us began to stalk down the hallway. I looked down at the minimalistic trinkets placed on her table with a curled lip. A coat was slung over a chair in the small dining room. She was certainly home.

Without warning, she rounded the hallway corner. Arlo and Kane drew their weapons instantly, making her stop. Riley's malicious smile grew. The director's eyes roved over our group, taking in the weapons gleaming in the low light, Jake and I looming in the back. She still wore her usual pantsuit; she must have just arrived from a late night at work.

"I expect you're here to kill me," she said a bit flatly—she didn't believe we actually could. "It's a shame I've been granted a group of Imperium soldiers to guard my property.

We had foreseen this—hence why our best shooters were surrounding the house. "You're going to die for what you did," Riley said, sounding as though she was enjoying every word. "What you revealed to Delphinium is despicable. Your legacy will sink into darkness."

Krasowski took the bait Riley had carefully laid. "As usual, you're mistaken. I will rise above anyone clawing at my power. That includes you and your pitiful crew. You may kill me, you may try to stamp my name out. But my path is on an upward slope. I will go down in history."

I scoffed. "It's one of you and six of us. How are you expecting to take us on?" Outside, it was silent—either our four teammates were working silently or the Imperium soldiers hadn't showed themselves yet.

"Because I know you. You won't get rid of me because I'm the only key to knowledge on Orion." She eyed Riley. "You poisoned me to get hidden information from me. I wiped all trace of the intelligence from our database and my files. The information is now only held in my mind, as your memory is sadly gone."

"You had those four men killed," Riley said, eyes narrowing in realization. "Did they find out the information you were meaning to leave hidden? How unfortunate."

"The ONNT is...divided. Not all of my insubordinates agreed with my turn to Orion. Those four were especially loud. I caught them discussing the hidden intelligence the day I was poisoned. Soon after, I rid myself of them." I wondered what intelligence was so integral to Imperium that they'd gone to such lengths to hide. Did it have anything to do with whatever Orion was doing deep underground? Or the weapon meant for us?

"You're admitting to all this," Kane said softly. "You don't care to keep up a good reputation with us anymore." It was a well-placed push. But she didn't know that. She simply thought we were stalling.

"What's the point?" Krasowski asked, shrugging. "You'll soon be dead. Some part of me will be sad to see you go, my greatest creations. I suppose I have you to thank for pushing my great purpose further. If it hadn't been for my experiment, none of you would be here now."

She took a step toward Arlo, who was eyeing her like she was the first person he'd ever encountered that was more insane than he was. "All of you are to be killed. But Orion allowed me to take my pick of you nine to have my way with. You, Arlo Damari, are familiar with scientific experimentation. I think it would be a joy to pick you for my own scientific purposes."

I didn't think I'd ever seen Arlo show an ounce of fear. He usually smiled in the face of danger and enjoyed life-or-death situations. But as the ONNT director threatened him with a future of experimentation, a flicker of panic flitted across his already-pale face.

I wasn't the only one who'd seen it. "Step away from him," Finn said, voice like stone. I'd seen him agitated before, but not like this. Not filled with burning fury. "You're never going to touch Arlo. Or any of the rest of us."

At last, he held up the hidden recording device I'd given him. "You foolishly admitted to everything. Mr. Hunt will have your title again. You'll be lucky if you don't die in prison. I don't normally condone murder, but I think I speak for us all when I say that we wish a brutal death upon you. May you rot in hell with the rest of Imperium."

Krasowski's dark eyes flickered from Finn's face to the recording device he held above her. Lightning fast, she reached out for it with a claw-like motion. A small inferno filled Finn's open palm, nearly singeing her lunging body. "You know," he said, the fire flickering in his eyes, "I think I might even enjoy watching you burn." If I hadn't understood his sudden desire to protect Arlo, I would have been surprised by Finn's uncharacteristic outburst. But all I did was smirk at Krasowski's panicked face. Finally.

"No. No." She took two steps back when she realized how deep in shit she was. "No, my soldiers—"

"Your soldiers are dead. Benton, Delphinium, Gigi and Neve have taken care of them. They won't come for you," Finn said with a stone coldness I'd never expected from him. "Mr. Hunt was ten times the leader you were. And now the council will finally be rid of you." At that, Arlo was looking at him with something like awe on his face.

He kept her in place under the threat of his scorching flame over her sweating face as Kane and I surged forward to grab her. With a thin arm in each of our grips, we shoved her toward Riley and Jake, who gagged her and put a bag over her head.

As we dragged her—struggling the entire way—out into the cold night, that malicious smirk still twisted my mouth.

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Soldiers parted for us when we strode through the ONNT headquarters with our prisoner in hand. No one came to stop us when they realized whose face was under the bag.

Krasowski had stopped fighting long ago, as Kane and I were easily twice her size and twice as strong. But as we pushed through the large conference room filled with the gathered members of the council, she went stiff and began to wrench her arms from our grips. Knowing she couldn't go anywhere, we shoved her forward and Jake aimed his gun at her head, being sure to let her know exactly what would happen if she ran. The council watched on with dark glee in their eyes.

"We've brought Marcella Krasowski before you as a criminal, traitor and liar," Finn said, addressing the council with open arms. "We know how she was able to blackmail her way into the director's seat while the rest of you were forced to follow her lead. But that tyranny ends today."

He placed the recording device on the long table and let the entirety of the council hear Krasowski confess to her crimes. With each traitorous word, the council grew visibly more riled—the director had apparently hidden her actions with Imperium very well. This was the first time the council heard about her affiliation with Orion—or the first time they could do anything about it.

"There you have it," I said when Krasowski's confession was over. "We've captured the traitor, brought her to you, and demand that she be arrested for her crimes against us and our purpose." Throwing a glance at the director, I saw that she was struggling a great deal to keep herself still under the threat of Jake's gun.

The woman with the short blonde hair had a hungry look in her eyes when she said, "You've done very well when we could not. Give her to us and she will suffer for her crimes."

"Wait." Finn threw a hand out to stop the rest of us from giving her over too early. "In exchange for the prisoner, we want Mr. Hunt reinstated as director."

"Done." They looked like they'd accept any deal to have the upper hand on Krasowski again. "He has the job. Shall he accept, he can start immediately."

Kane and I shoved Krasowski forward with satisfied smiles as the woman and Finn shook hands.