Page 47

KIAN

K ian's eyes darted from one screen to the next as he monitored four simultaneous operations across Los Angeles. Beside him, Onegus, Turner, Andrew, William, and Roni did the same.

"Strike Three to Command," Bhathian's voice came through the speakers. "Site secured. Three Doomers, fourteen humans in custody. Explosives located and disarmed. No complications."

"Copy that, Strike Three," Onegus responded. "Load the transports and clear the site."

One corner of Kian's mouth lifted in a smile. Trust Bhathian to make it sound routine, as if neutralizing a terrorist cell was no more challenging than a morning training exercise.

"Strike One reports similar success," Onegus updated, glancing at his screens. "Max's team encountered an unexpected additional Doomer."

Andrew leveled his gaze at the chief. "That wasn't in our intelligence."

"No, it wasn't." Onegus's jaw tightened.

"Either our surveillance missed him, or he arrived after Dagor recalled the spy drone.

It could also mean there is a fifth cell we are unaware of.

We need to interrogate these Doomers as soon as possible so we can find out.

We don't have the luxury of missing any of them. "

Kian nodded. "We are heading to the keep first thing tomorrow morning."

Onegus chuckled. "I know it's hard to tell in the underground what time it is, but it's already morning."

"Let me rephrase that," Kian said. "As soon as the Doomers are secured in the dungeon, you and I are heading to the keep. Neither of us is going to sleep until we know for sure that we are not missing another cell loaded with explosives."

Before the chief could respond, another voice crackled through the comm system.

"Strike Four to Command." Magnus's tone was all business. "We have the site secured. I'm happy to report that there's significant structural damage. Some of the guys got overly enthusiastic."

Kian couldn't help but smile. Talk about sending a message to Navuh...

"Define significant," Onegus said.

"Structural integrity is questionable. Several walls were destroyed, with at least two of them being load-bearing. Additionally, one of the Doomers attempted to trigger the explosives manually. Dustin stopped him, but it was close. If he'd been half a second slower..."

The unfinished sentence hung in the air. The explosives in each cell could level several city blocks. If even one had detonated, the death toll would have been catastrophic.

"Understood, Strike Four," Onegus said. "Good work. Special thanks to Dustin from all of us."

"What about Strike Two?" Kian said, noting they hadn't heard from Anandur's team yet.

"Strike Two, copy?" Onegus repeated.

Static filled the war room for several heartbeats before Anandur's voice came through. "Strike Two is still engaged. Facing heavier resistance than expected. These Doomers are on some kind of enhancing drugs and better trained than the others."

Kian exchanged a look with Onegus. "Clarify.'"

"Four Doomers, not three," Anandur reported. Sounds of combat filtered through—gun shots, crashes, grunts, the distinctive whine of exoskeleton servos under strain. "They must have seen us coming because they were ready for us. Probably perimeter cameras that the crew outside didn't catch."

"Do you need reinforcements?" Onegus asked.

"Negative." A crash echoed through the comm, followed by Anandur's grunt. "We've got—shit, watch the explosives! Secure that detonator!"

As the comm cut to static, Kian found himself standing, though he didn't remember rising from his chair. Every instinct screamed at him to suit up and join the Guardians in the field, even though it was entirely irrational.

By now, he should have gotten used to observing missions from a distance instead of being right there with his Guardians, but whenever things went south, he felt this irrational urge to be there and help.

As long seconds passed, Kian could hear his own heartbeat, steady despite the adrenaline coursing through his system.

"Strike Two to Command." Anandur's voice returned, steadier now.

"Site secured. Four Doomers in custody, one seriously injured but alive.

Brundar took some damage to his exoskeleton, but he's functional.

Explosives secured, but barely so. One of the bastards had his hand on the trigger when Marco tackled him. "

"Anyone else hurt?" Onegus asked.

"None. But I have to admit that I was thankful for the exoskeleton. I don't know what they were on, but they were a challenge even with the suits. Without them, we would have had a much harder time."

"Wrap up the operation as planned and clear with your team," the chief instructed. "Good work. We'll see you all at the debriefing."

As Anandur acknowledged the order, Kian turned to study the wall-mounted map of Los Angeles. Four red pins marked the neutralized cells. Four disasters averted. But his mind was already racing ahead.

"Enhanced Doomers," he murmured. "Do you think it's systemic or the locals dipping their fingers into the drug cookie jar?"

"They weren't expecting us," Turner said. "So, they had no reason to get jacked up. I don't know what game they are playing, but we will soon find out."

Navuh's every move was calculated, part of some larger strategy. There had to be a reason for this.

"What's the status on explosive removal?" Kian asked.

Onegus checked the screens. "Trucks are at all sites. Strikes One and Three report explosives loaded and en route to the warehouse. Two and Four are still loading."

The warehouse was in an industrial district forty miles outside the city, far from any residential areas.

Not ideal for long-term storage, but it would do until they could arrange something more secure.

The sheer volume of explosives recovered made Kian's blood run cold.

Each cell had enough to create massive casualties.

Combined, they could have turned downtown Los Angeles into a war zone.

Where had they even gotten that much?

He turned to his brother-in-law. "Andrew, we should try to figure out where all of these explosives came from and how they made their way into the city without anyone the wiser."

Andrew nodded. "Indeed, I intend to secure a sample of the cache for analysis to identify the source. If it's in our database, we'll figure it out."

"Command, Strike One," Max's voice interrupted his thoughts. "We're clear of the site. Prisoners are secured and in transport. Note that our party crasher means a possible fifth cell."

"We'll find out after interrogating them," Kian said. "Good work, Max."

"Well, thank you, boss," Max replied with his usual irreverence, but Kian heard the exhaustion beneath the playful tone.

"Oh, please thank William for me. The upgrades were very useful, especially the electrification of the suit's exterior skin.

Our party crasher found that one particularly shocking. "

"Strike Four to Command," Magnus reported. "Explosives loaded, but we have a problem. Local PD is responding to a noise complaint from the neighbors. Someone must have been immune to Yamanu's thrall and heard the walls coming down."

"I'll handle it," Roni said, pulling up LAPD dispatch on his screen. A few quick keystrokes later, and the patrol car would be redirected to a 'more urgent' call across town. "Magnus, you have fifteen minutes to clear the scene."

"Copy that. Strike Four moving out."

As the teams reported their successful extractions one by one, Kian allowed himself a moment to process the magnitude of what they'd prevented.

The casualties would have been staggering, and the worldwide aftershocks possibly more so. The event could have started a catastrophic chain reaction of events that went far beyond the local casualties.

Tonight, the clan had taken a firm stand and handed the forces of darkness a significant blow. The terrifying part was that they'd stopped it with seconds to spare and purely by chance.