K A N E

The broadcast came out of nowhere. We were communed in Hunt's office—the rest of our friends having joined us, still reeling from Riley's revelation. A crackling static filled the room, making me whip toward the sound. It was the screen on the wall, somehow turned on by itself.

A chill shot down my spine when Imperium's half moon with spiked rays appeared on a black background.

When the voice began to speak, it had a strange echo, and I knew it was playing on every screen in the area—perhaps every screen in the world. "You don't know who I am," it said, unearthly in its deepness. Though I'd never seen nor heard him before, I knew it was Orion. "You don't know where I lie. Let me tell you, I am everywhere. Everywhere.

"You may not see me yet. But you will, for I am undeniable. I am imminent. Looming.

"This world has delved into chaos. Children die of starvation. Criminals roam the streets. Around us, society burns. Your families cannot help you. Your leaders cannot save you. This is why it is time for a new age, a new empire. Imperium has the power to regulate life on earth. It can finally bring control back to a chaotic world. And it will.

"I gave your leaders every chance to peacefully give in to me. They did not. I do not wish to wage war, but I will. One leader to rule all leaders. One war to end all wars.

"I have begun my conquest of the lands of the earth. Romania has fallen. Ukraine will be next. I will expand outwards. Your weak leaders will die at the end of my sword. Every knee will bow, every voice will tremble under the name of the Exalted One."

My grip on my weapon tightened. Romania had fallen. Ukraine was in the process of following behind, leaving surrounding nations weak and vulnerable. Orion would seize them all.

"This message is a warning to the nations that still stand. Accept me, and there will be no bloodshed. Peace will reign. Deny me, and you will fall with the rest. I will bathe entire cities in blood if it leads to the order of the human race once and for all." Someone behind me sucked in a breath through their teeth.

"Some may call me a tyrant, a terrorist, a madman. Simple minds cannot understand my great purpose. I am a visionary. I am willing to do what needs to be done." Beside me, my brother was burning with an animalistic rage—his hands were shaking with it, especially with the sound of the voice that used to command him filling every room.

Orion finished by saying, "This is the beginning of a new age. We will wash our old selves in blood and be made new and pure. The sun will rise on the empire of Imperium. It is inevitable."

With Orion's last warning, the thunderous voice ceased and the screen went black.

As the screens shut off, I could hear clamoring in the hallway of ONNT agents discussing what just came to pass. Though we'd been expecting this, though this was the only way it could end, I felt the sense of horror in the room. We weren't prepared for this.

We'd all been hoping to cripple Imperium so badly that they could never reach this point. We'd worked for it these past months. And still, it continued to flourish like an epidemic.

Perhaps Imperium was as inevitable as Orion claimed.

Hunt looked like he was about to say something, but his secretary knocked on his door and popped her head in the doorway. The first thing I noticed was how the whites of her eyes were visible. And how tightly she gripped the door, like it was her one stability.

"Imperium's army is marching through Ukraine. The invasion has begun," she said, voice shaking. "We're going to war."

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

We were so tightly packed within the military plane, I felt like I'd be swallowed by claustrophobia. Though the ceiling was high enough, it was a cage of metal. Rows upon rows of seats lined the massive aircraft, a soldier strapped into each one.

No one said anything, we simply sat amidst the roaring of the engines and stared at the metal-plated ground. I didn't meet the eyes of the real, hardened soldiers. Out of the hundred-or-so soldiers here, our team were the only ones not accustomed to this sort of all-out warfare. None of us had been in the governmental military, not even Finn, who'd trained to be an ONNT soldier. The strict sense of order and duty among the ranks was different compared to our usual chaotic style of combating our enemies.

I raised my eyes to survey my teammates, sitting across from me in the long rows. When I first joined the team, I never expected to be going to war with them. We were criminals, not soldiers. Alas, here we were.

None of them were scared. Or at least, no one seemed to be. Their faces were set in determination, jaws set and teeth gritted. Delphinium, Neve and my brother sat together, the three Imperium escapees. The first two were somewhat calm and collected. But Benny sat rigid in his seat, like a viper about to strike.

Arlo and Jaxon smiled at each other, the promise of bloodshed in their grins. But I didn't miss how Arlo clasped Finn's fingers ever so slightly between them.

On their other side, Jake looked as if he was going to melt the Imperium army to death with his glare alone. Somehow, he managed to keep his bored sense of superiority even while surrounded by the same people that would would ordinarily be sent after him in the criminal underworld.

When I caught her eye, Riley gave me a wry smile. It wasn't a promise that we'd make it out of this alive. It was the spark of hope for a better future. I blinked, thinking of what I'd told her earlier. And what she'd said to me. I wouldn't admit it, but I was glad I'd told her before we fought to the death on the battlefield. If either of us didn't make it out...at least she knew the power she held over me—and how I'd finally gladly accepted it.

At last, I surveyed Gigi, who sat next to her closest friend, Neve. Since we'd reunited, she'd made sure to keep to herself. I knew she and my brother had painful history, but after the first day's encounter, they seemed to have come to some sort of truce. Given her past, I expected her to be the most hungry for battle today. But she sat with quiet stillness, bow held across her lap. The muderousness was gone. A cold sense of duty remained.

I took in all our weapons. Soon, they'd be coated in Imperium blood. Knives, daggers, guns. Would it be enough to deter the invading army? Nothing had stopped them from marching on so far. And they'd taken Romania in less than a day. How long would it take for them to cut through our army as they'd cut through the Romanian's?

As I figured was standard for soldiers nearing the battlefield, I thought of my family. Not my team, although they'd become closer to me than my blood relatives anyway. But...my mother and sisters. Krasowski hadn't let us contact them, but I figured it was for the best. All my life, my hidden power had been a burden on my family and it had taken its toll. After Benton and my father left, a wedge was driven between my remaining family and I. I'd stolen and lied to sustain them, but I knew there would always be a sense of loss and resentment keeping us apart. My mother had a new life with my younger sisters. Benton and I were in her past, and perhaps it would be better if we distanced ourselves for her sake.

I also couldn't help but think of my oldest brother, Alejandro. Because I was so young when he'd died overseas, I didn't think of him often. But he'd been at war too. And he'd given his life for his people.

I wondered if I'd finally see him again today.

The plane began to descend. There were no windows, but I knew that if I could see outside, I'd see a battalion of military planes flanking ours. Thousands and thousands of soldiers would be flown to the battlefield, and more were being transported in trucks and tanks to block the incoming terrorist soldiers. They were meant to hold the line while we pushed Imperium back.

There was a sound like thunder beneath us, and I knew the bombers in the back of the battalion were dropping their explosives onto Imperium's army. But when I heard a deafening explosion over the motor of the plane, I knew it was too close to us to be intentional.

Imperium was shooting the bombers out of the sky.

The plane plunged into a deeper decline and the soldiers swayed to the side with the sudden movement. We were setting down soon.

There was a low whistling and a whoosh as the pilots prepared the plane to land. I stared down at my olive green ONNT-issued uniform, readying myself to get up.

The plane had barely touched down on the ground when the soldiers began unstrapping themselves and shouldering their gear, working with swift, practiced moves. Drawing my spears, I followed their example and stood.

We were beginning to slow now, the ground slightly bumpy and causing us to be jostled around. I kept strong footing and steeled myself for what was about to come.

The second the plane stopped moving, the back was opening with a low whine. Soldiers crowded around the exit, ready to aid their already-fighting brethren. As the large back doors opened wider and wider, the sounds of battle grew and the blinding rays of sunlight washed over us. And when it was completely lowered, we rushed down it, finding ourselves in the thick of the battle.