Things had been quiet for a while, but deep down, everyone knew it wouldn’t last. That kind of calm always meant something was coming. The Obsidian Hand; the same shadowy group that had once tried to control Elias Thorne was still out there, watching, waiting. And now, they wanted what Jason and the team were hiding: the Collective Echo.

But they didn’t come with guns or soldiers. Not yet. They started slowly, silently. Just testing.

Cipher was the first to pick it up.

“There’s something off,” he said during a secure call. He looked exhausted, his hair messier than usual, dark circles under his eyes. “I’m seeing weird activity. Micro-data...