Eclipse Central Stronghold – Same Time
The command center was a cavern of shadow and steel, buried deep beneath the central spire where the red crest of Eclipse watched over empty halls. Screens lined the walls, showing feeds from fallen territories: Greenday's gardens overgrown with Vex's new order, Rain's silent warehouses, Neo's collapsed mine, Xlomoph's dark cooling towers.
Carol stood before the largest screen, her arms crossed beneath her chest, her long black hair spilling over her shoulders. Her red eyes reflected the dim glow of the tracking array.
One by one, the signals went dark.
Carol's jaw tightened.
She turned to face the center of the room, where Darwin sat in a high-backed chair of black iron and crimson velvet. His red hair burned like a flame in the low light, and the scar on his forehead seemed to pulse with each slow beat of his heart.
