Nik listened as the sounds from over the mountain faded, marking the end of their assault. One after another, prisoners emerged from the caves, their steps quickening as they inhaled the air of freedom. Valentine was probably rounding up the last of the remaining guards.

  Nik regarded the crowded hillside. The sight was satisfying, but a new concern emerged. There were more people than expected. Where are they going to put everyone? Vector wasn't a large facility, and not everyone they rescued could provide a useful function for operations.

  "Let go of me, you Filth!" a voice echoed from the caves, a voice Nik recognized. Turning his attention, he saw Warden Maks dragged out of the cave by Edy, Valentine, and a woman clothed in prisoner's garb. A trail of blood leaked from his thigh.

  Valentine, rather than plunging into the heart of the crowd, guided Maks along the shadow of the mountain's rock face. As the prisoners recognized Maks, a surge of rage rippled through them.

  They converged on Valentine's group like a swarm of vengeful bees, their faces twisted with years of pent-up fury. If not for Valentine's daunting presence, the crowd would have undoubtedly engulfed Maks in their wrath.

  "Wait!" Nik's voice cut through the mounting chaos as he elbowed through the seething mass. "We need information from him first!" he shouted, but his words were swallowed by the roar of the angry mob. Abruptly, gunshots pierced the air, a sharp interruption that made everyone instinctively duck, pausing the imminent onslaught.

  "I believe Dr. Krylov is trying to speak," the woman in the prisoner's uniform called out. She lowered her weapon and nodded at Nik. Though Nik didn't recognize the woman, he seized the moment to address the crowd.

  "First," Nik said, steadying his voice amidst the startled crowd, "tell me where your forces are stationed outside the camp. And don't try to deny their existence. I spent enough time in chains to know you're they're always hunting for more people." His gaze locked with Maks. In the past, Maks had always shown a cold, detached demeanor during interrogations, but now, his face twisted into a snarl of raw, animalistic fury.

  "Your little operation was in vain. My men know to rally at different nodes in the cluster." Flecks of spittle flung out of Maks' mouth while he struggled to escape Valentine and Edy's grip.

  "I thought as much." Nik shook his head. "In that case, maybe you can tell us what the Nexus is." The color drained from Maks' face.

  "How do you know abo-"

  "Please." Nik waved him to silence. "The ‘how’ is not the concern. I just need to know the what, so I'll ask again. What is the Nexus?”

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  "It's the pinnacle of power in the new world," Maks snarled. "Something that you couldn't begin to compete with." A twisted smile spread across Mak's face. "And one day, those who control the Nexus will find you, and when they do, you will know the true torment of the Eschaton. That day isn't far off, either. They'll already know about your little game since you cut this facility off."

  "Blah blah blah," the woman mocked. "One day this, true torment that. At this point, who cares? I think it's time for you to make yourself useful." Nik turned just in time to see the woman holding a reclaimer.

  "Oh shi-" Edy began but was cut off as Valentine, with swift reaction, threw down Maks and pulled Edy to safety just as the woman fired the reclaimer. With a loud snap, Maks and a twenty-foot cone of rock behind him were instantly erased.

  "Wow!" she exclaimed. "I think I have a new favorite gun." Nik felt himself burning with anger.

  "Why did you kill him?" he yelled. "We could have gotten more information out of him!"

  "I've dealt with his kind before. He wasn't going to spill anything more valuable," the woman replied coolly.

  "You don't know that!" Nik fumed.

  "Why didn't you have this kind of spunk when I tried talking to you in the chutes?" she asked. Nik felt his tongue jam into his throat. This was the woman from the chutes?

  "Let me introduce you to Akira Kita," Edy interjected, an awkward smile on his face.

  "Kita?" Nik gurgled through the lump in his throat.

  "Kit," she corrected.

  "Kit," Nik echoed, his voice shaky. "You were the one who knew my identity all along?"

  "Oh, please," Kit scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Did you honestly believe you were a mystery to everyone here?" Nik felt dumbstruck. "A lot of people in the mines knew. They never said anything because they were trying to keep your secret safe."

  "My secret? They were protecting me?" Nik's confusion continued to grow.

  "Of course." Kit looked annoyed by Nik's ignorance. "Do you really think that THE Niklos Krylov could go unrecognized?"

  "But the guards and the Warden..."

  "They were idiots, more concerned about their next meal and hooch jug." Kit waved out toward the quiet crowd. "These people were all free once, and I'm willing to bet that most of them know the face of the famous Dr. Krylov." Nik looked out to see several people in the crowd slowly began nodding in agreement.

  "They've been searching for Niklos Krylov. The world has been searching for you. Hell, even Frontier wanted to find you, and we hate STMs. It's about damn time you showed your face again."

  Nik turned back to Kit. "Frontier?" he repeated. Despite all his time spent on the Bilocation Network and in the mines, he had never encountered the term 'Frontier.'

  "Think of it as its own cluster not associated with any of you." Kit nodded to Valentine and Edy. "Plus, we actually know how to conduct a military operation."

  "A new cluster?" Nik's mind was reeling. Autonomous organizations were already forming under his nose. How much had he really missed? "Do you think I could meet with them?"

  Kit looked around. "Well, many of us are from Frontier, so yeah, I guess you already have. If you ask nicely, I might introduce you to High Command."

  "High Command? Why didn't we think of that?" Edy spoke up. "That sounds way more fire than HQ."

  "Well, it does sound better, but Vector sounds better than Frontier," Valentine added. "Maybe we should get acquainted. I'm sure a lot of these people wanna see home again.” He waved to the crowd of onlookers.

  Kit nodded. "Hope you guys like sunshine and water," she said.

  Edy dropped to his knees and threw his hands skyward. "Hallelujah!"