Chapter 37 · What does that mean?

Kane cursed under his breath.

She pushed the rifle harder against him. "What does that mean?"

"It means the ship shouldn't be here."

"Ship?"

"Fighter. Prototype. Whatever you want to call it."

"Who built it?"

"Victor."

"Victor hasn't designed anything like this."

"He will."

"When?"

Kane looked at the cracked cockpit glass. A dark shape moved behind it.

The fighter's power core had just come online.

"Three years from now," he said.

Selena's eyes sharpened. "You knew."

"I knew the mark."

"You knew the future."

The hangar doors began to close behind them. Somewhere above, the purge timer dropped under three minutes.

Kane reached for Selena's rifle.

She snapped it up beneath his jaw.

"Touch that weapon and I swear—"

"If you shoot me, the core locks us in here."

"Then tell me why Victor's future war machine is buried under my command center."

"Because he didn't bury it."

"Who did?"

The cockpit lights came on one by one.

A voice crackled through the hangar speakers. It sounded like Victor, but younger. Cleaner. Almost amused.

"Authority recognized. Kane Vale. Neural pattern confirmed. Welcome back.