The fortress hung in the sky like a cancer.
Two miles above the Nevada desert, Damien's airborne command center defied every law of physics I knew. Not a traditional aircraft—more like a floating city held aloft by technology that shouldn't exist.
"How the hell is that thing staying up there?" Marcus asked through our comm headsets.
"Anti-gravity generators," Dr. Chen said from the pilot seat of our stolen military helicopter. "Theoretical technology that Damien's apparently made real."
"Theoretical yesterday. Very real today," Alexander said, studying the fortress through military binoculars. "And heavily armed."
The thing was massive. At least a quarter-mile long, bristling with weapons systems and energy shields that shimmered like heat waves. Smaller aircraft buzzed around it like mechanical insects, providing escort and reconnaissance.
