Prologue

Ironically, the man trying to capture us was the person who'd taught us how to escape in the first place.

Zack was the one who said we had to get out. He's the one who gave the order. I think, deep down, that Lydecker shooting Eva was the last straw for all of us, though. I know it was for me. When Lydecker pulled that trigger, he cemented himself in my mind as the enemy. Everything that happened after that just made me more and more sure.

I ran through the woods alone. I was fairly certain I was heading west, but there was no way to be sure. All I knew for certain was that I hadn't gone further than ten miles; the walkie I'd taken off of the guard I'd disabled was still coming through clearly, and I knew they had an effective range of ten miles. As my breath puffed in front of me and my bare feet crunched through the fresh snow, the words that came over the walkie turned my blood as cold as my feet.

"This is Lydecker. I want you to capture if you can. But if any of them make it to the perimeter, you are to terminate. Is that understood?"

"Confirming, sir. You are giving an order to ten-zero-six?"

No. He won't confirm, because he'd never order us dead. We're soldiers; we're his soldiers. Things are FUBAR right now, but he'd never –

"It's my responsibility. Shoot them."

I tossed the walkie away, as if that would somehow change the order I'd just heard Lydecker give. I didn't think about the fact that that irrational act was giving up a tactical advantage; for the first time in my life, I abandoned my training due to emotion. I didn't stop moving, though. I reached deep inside of myself and found the little reserve well of energy I kept stashed away for the most desperate situations. I tapped into the well and somehow pumped my arms and legs faster, increasing my speed. I kept up that amplified speed for longer than I thought possible. I kept it up until my lungs screamed and my head pounded. I angrily forced away my body's signals that I needed to slow down. I couldn't slow down. Not now. Not ever. I'd have to keep moving forever.

My whole world had been turned upside down in the space of minutes. I wasn't sure of anything anymore. Well, that wasn't exactly true. I was sure of one thing.

No one was going to ten-zero-six this soldier. X5-205 – 'Zane!' I corrected myself angrily – was nobody's victim.

Not even Lydecker. Especially not Lydecker.

Zane was a free man.