The moment they realized the Obsidian Hand had been expecting them, it hit like a blow to the chest. Jason didn’t flinch. He looked around the dark perimeter of the hangar and spoke quietly, but firmly.

“It’s an ambush. They knew we’d come for the components.

Leah felt it in her gut, the kind of tension she used to feel back on the force just before walking into a trap. Her instincts were screaming.

“They’ll want us alive,” she said, scanning the shadows. “They won’t kill us straight away. They’ll try to capture. That means they’ll be cautious. Looking for live targets.”

Fuse adjusted the strap on his rifle, already...