The Forge was silent, save for the low hum of life-support systems. The air felt heavy with the smell of scorched ozone and the metallic tang of blood.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNcIjtx4dj
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In the center of the med-bay, Maya lay strapped to a reinforced table. A team of V.N.S.O. specialists—men and women who had traded their lab coats for tactical vests long ago—worked with steady, manual tools. There were no AI-assisted surgical arms here. Thorne didn't trust them.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhM6MdnPCqp
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Leo sat on a stool in the corner, his head in his hands. He hadn't washed the Atlantic salt from his face. He couldn't leave her.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFFZUaTHrw
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"The neural lace is anchored to the brain stem," Vance whispered, leaning against the doorframe next to Leo. She was monitoring a series of old-school cathode-ray screens. "Every time we try to bypass the encryption, the chip sends a shock to her heart. The Director built a 'dead-man's switch' into your sister, Leo."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SK51CDaf3
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"There has to be a way," Leo said, his voice cracking.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAQvvAk0Up
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"There is," Thorne said, stepping into the room. He looked tired, his eyes shadowed. "But it's not a medical solution. It’s a tactical one. We need the master override key. And that key isn't in a computer. It's in the hands of the man who funded the Ouroboros Circle's 1930s revival."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoSfj6PUrn
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"The Director?" Leo asked.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJ1uRmWnFe
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"No," Thorne replied, his jaw tightening. "The Director is the shadow. We need the man in the light. Secretary General Aris Vane."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqb9MTbli4b
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Leo stood up abruptly. "The head of the UN? He’s the one who signed our charter. He’s the one who created the V.N.S.O."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ixWz53gKf
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"The perfect cover," Thorne said. "He created us so he could keep his enemies close. He used us to clear the path for the Circle, thinking we were too 'low-tech' to ever figure out the truth."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlkbBg7SxK
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Suddenly, the red emergency lights of the base began to pulse. Not the rhythmic warning of a drill, but the frantic strobe of a breach.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw67UQeXEWh
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"Major!" Brick’s voice exploded over the comms. "We’ve got 'Peacekeeper' dropships on the radar! UN signatures, but they’re running the same cloaking frequencies as the Vipers!"9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqO6AszyZ9
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"He's cleaning house," Vance said, her fingers flying over her console. "Vane is disavowing the V.N.S.O. He’s telling the world we’ve gone rogue and kidnapped a high-level corporate asset—Maya."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdN6JrgtWW0
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"Leo, get her up," Thorne commanded, drawing his sidearm. "We can't finish the surgery here. If they take this base, they’ll just 'factory reset' her and we lose her forever."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQzNtu9w6d
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Leo rushed to the table. He didn't wait for the doctors to finish. He began unhooking the manual clamps. Maya’s eyes shot open—they were brown, but clouded with agony.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkDs3afl9b
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"Leo..." she gasped, grabbing his forearm. "They're coming... I can hear them... the signal is getting stronger..."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsJAVVHBhE
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"I know, Maya. I've got you."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNly9Dhcm3W
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He hauled her up, her legs buckling. She was wearing a simple grey medical jumpsuit now, her terrifying armor gone, leaving her looking small and vulnerable.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWdjTPXuQK
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"Brick, Vance, get to the transport! We're evacuating to the 'Dead Zone'—the old 1930s bunker in the Alps," Thorne ordered. "If we're going to be outlaws, we might as well use the fortress our ancestors built."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5haAMXVCa
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A massive explosion rocked the base. The ceiling groaned as dust and debris rained down. Through the smoke, the first wave of "Peacekeepers" descended on fast-ropes. Their armor was white and gold—the colors of the UN—but their movements were the same cold, mechanical grace of the Ouroboros Vipers.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPuAmyNrgD
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Leo scooped Maya up in his arms. He didn't have a rifle; he only had his service pistol and the "Honor Code" burning in his chest.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXL1rEIm2La
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"You said we fight until the end, Major," Leo said, looking at Thorne through the haze.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ReIKe0qos
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Thorne checked the action on his 1911 pistol and nodded. "The end hasn't even started yet, Sergeant. Move!"9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnilKJx2Oyb
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They ran into the dark corridors of the Forge, the sounds of high-tech pulse fire echoing behind them. The V.N.S.O. was no longer a secret government group. They were ghosts, hunted by the very world they were trying to save.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqjP6zVZ7u
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