MAD PEEKED AROUND a corner, a fresh magazine in her rifle. The Sovereignty resistance inside the building had been minimal; most of their forces were lying dead and already half-buried under snow outside.

Still, Mad refused to let herself relax. A single man hiding in a doorway with a knife could end her before she even knew what was happening, and the idea of dying when she had come so far really pissed her off. Leandro Tick brought up the rear, scanning the hallway and ...