Something grabbed her from behind. She spun, rifle coming up—

Gabriel stood there, materializing from bent light. The High Seraph's expression carried horror and certainty in equal measure.

"They used me," Gabriel said, her voice shaking. "The intelligence I provided—it was all deliberate. She let me defect so I'd lead you into this. Every target was bait. Every strike team was sacrifice."

Maya stared at her, processing implications through the chaos. "You're saying the Goddess ...