June 6, 2507

  Current location: Noir Aussicht

  9:02 am

  We burst into the courtyard to find chaos unleashed. Prisoners and guards locked in brutal combat, the air thick with smoke from grenades and disorienting flashes from stun bombs.

  "How do we get out?" I asked. Rellik's response was to shove a gas mask into my hands.

  "Put it on!" he commanded, pulling back his arm to launch a sticky grenade at the glass dome overhead.

  The explosion shattered our artificial sky, letting toxic green smoke pour through the breach. "Ready?" Rellik asked, raising a grappling hook toward our escape route.

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  "Always."

  The hook shot upward with a swoosh, catching firmly on the dome's edge. Rellik secured the device, wrapped an arm around me, and we were airborne. The ground fell away as we zipped through the poisoned air toward freedom.

  We tumbled onto the roof together, Rellik's protective grip still tight around me. "Okay, you can get off me now," I said, pushing him aside as I got to my feet.

  Standing at the building's edge, I gazed at the sickly sky. "I'm gonna fix this, I'm gonna end Noir," I declared.

  Rellik joined me at the precipice. "Not by yourself. Welcome to the rebellion, Jason."

  "Let's go. I need to show you the others," he said, grabbing a rope secured to a chimney. After he rappelled down, I followed, landing beside him as he led me to a shipping container.

  "Jason, are you ready to ride?"

  The container doors swung open to reveal one of Noir's own jeeps.

  "Who's driving and where are we going?" I asked, though Rellik was already climbing behind the wheel. I slid into the passenger seat.

  "To say our prayers," he said, firing up the engine. A smile crossed his face. "And for you to meet some new friends."