The armed men who had trapped Lysander and Kylie within the compound were in contrast to any Syndicate enforcers they had faced before. They moved with the precision and self-assurance of incredibly skilled operatives, their eyes bloodless and calculating. Lysander could feel the burden of their purpose; these were no longer simply squaddies, they were assassins dispatched to put off any risk to the hidden community.

Kylie’s eyes flicked across the room, assessing their options. The ...