The transporter flickered one last time before it vanished into nothing.
Royce stood there for a moment, chest rising and falling as the silence of the alley pressed down on him. It was hidden at the white alley, a forgotten corner where only guards ever came. Only the Commanders enters this place freely.
No one saw him arrive. No one even knew he had left.
He exhaled and stepped out of the shadows, tucking the signal key into the inside of his jacket. His boots tapped softly against the steel ground as he made his way toward the Test Base.
He walked like he belonged, head up, shoulders firm, the perfect soldier. But his mind was racing.
Jayden Cole.
The Absolute Guide.
The truth he now carried was heavy, almost crushing.
