Page 28 of The Echo of Forever

I kept driving, though, passing the house my uncle Arland shared with his wife and two teenage sons.

I could see movement behind one of the upstairs windows, probably the youngest, who had a habit of watching the compound through binoculars. He was a smart kid, but paranoid about everything and everyone.

Solei’s place came into view, and Oliver’s sat across from hers; they lived alone but rarely slept at the compound like me.

The three of us spent most of our time in our apartments scattered across town, preferring to be in the mix more than not.

The security center stood at the far end of the first curve, a utilitarian building with reinforced walls and a communications tower disguised as a chimney—no windows on the ground floor and narrow ones on the second. The place looked like what it was, a bunker masquerading as a house. At least twelve people worked there at any given time, monitoring everything from the compound’s perimeter to what was happening in the surrounding neighborhoods.

It was because of them that I caught wind of the car, Forever had been driving, circling the compound multiple times the first night we spoke. The one way she’d be able to infiltrate is if I lether, and part of me wanted to witness what exactly she would do if I did.

Two identical houses flanked the security center, home to our full-time staff and their families. These were the people who kept the compound running and safe, people who chose freedom over submission when it’d been their time to choose their fate.

I parked but didn’t immediately get out, taking a minute to close my eyes and breathe.

This place had been my playground as a child and now my responsibility as an adult. It represented generations of Cannons who refused to bow, who carved out this patch of independence through blood and sacrifice. My father had died trying to tear it and us apart for more power, while my mother had left to protect it.

Bringing her back, dead or alive, was weighing on me.

After a minute to myself, I stepped out of the car and entered the security house after keying in my unique code.

Two guards were at the entrance and straightened as I approached. I gave both a nod and pushed through the reinforced door, into a room full of surveillance monitors. Every inch of the compound, inside and out, was covered.

Joel, our head of security here, spotted me immediately and crossed the room. He was a former marine, who’d only enlisted to get away from the Collective after rejecting.

“Mr. Cannon,” he greeted, waiting expectantly for why I’d come.

He never engaged in small talk and was all business, no matter who stood in front of him. That’s what I liked.

“Did my uncle pass down the order?” I asked.

Joel nodded and gestured toward a central monitor that displayed a digital map of the compound. “Full lockdown protocol initiated thirty minutes ago. We’ve doubled theperimeter guards, activated the secondary sensor grid, and recalled all off-duty personnel.”

I studied the screen, noting the blinking dots that represented our security team positions.

“Everyone’s been notified. Your sister is running weapons checks on the east perimeter. Mr. Oliver hasn’t returned yet.” His eyes flicked to mine. “Your grandmother insisted on maintaining her evening walk, by the way. She had a fall while you were away, and I assigned two guards to shadow her.”

Nothing would stop the old lady from her walk but bad weather.

“Show me the adjustments to the night protocols,” I said, moving deeper into the room.

He pulled up another screen and displayed the rotation schedule and entry protocols.

“We’ve eliminated all standard entry codes. Everyone enters through checkpoint alpha only, with biometric confirmation and visual verification.” He pointed to a series of red markers on the compound’s border. “Trip wires every fifteen yards, motion sensors overlapping at thirty-yard intervals, and thermal imaging covering all blind spots.”

I nodded, examining the security web they’d created.

“The staff housing?”

“Secure. Families have been advised to stay indoors after dark. The underage kids will continue their homeschooling as scheduled.”

The measures were thorough, exactly what I’d expect from Joel and his team. I glanced around the room at the operators monitoring their stations.

“What about the subterranean sensors?” I asked, thinking of the network of tunnels that ran beneath parts of the property, escape routes built by my grandfather decades ago.

“Upgraded last month,” Joel replied without pause. “New pressure plates and sound detection. Nothing larger than a rat moves down there without us knowing.”

“Good. Keep me updated, no matter how small.”