Aden Aden — Aden

Marcus stepped forward into a thin shaft of moonlight. He looked terrible. His coat was torn, a dark smear of what could only be blood staining his left side, and his eyes were wild with a brand of fear Elias had never seen in him. He was clutching a small, metallic briefcase to his chest like a shield.

Twenty minutes later, Elias was pushing his rusted truck through the dense coastal fog. The headlights barely punched through the grey soup, reflecting off the skeletal pine trees that lined the cliffside road. His mind raced back to the academy, to the four of them—Elias, Marcus, Silas, and Clara. They had promised to look out for each other, no matter where life scattered them. Marcus was the one who came up with the emergency protocol. Aden Aden Aden

Elias hadn't seen Marcus in three years. Marcus had gone deep into private intelligence, chasing ghosts in the corporate sector. Marcus stepped forward into a thin shaft of moonlight

"I found it, Elias," Marcus breathed, laughing a breathless, manic laugh. "What we were looking for back at the agency. The reason Silas disappeared. It wasn't an accident. They are clearing the board." He was clutching a small, metallic briefcase to

Marcus looked back toward the access road, his eyes narrowing. In the distance, the faint, synchronized hum of high-end engines began to drone through the fog. Headlights, sharp and blue, cut through the trees.