Chapter 164: The Antarctica Base

Ten hours in the pod. Cold. Cramped. Exhausted.

We reached Antarctica. Frozen wasteland. White. Empty. Deadly.

"The base is underground. Hidden beneath ice. Entrance is there." Thomas pointed. Using coordinates from the ship's computer. Downloaded before we left.

We approached carefully. On foot. Freezing. Struggling through snow.

The entrance was small. Disguised. Almost invisible. Perfect hiding spot.

"How do we get in? It's locked. Sealed. Protected." Cole examined the door. Heavy metal. High tech security.

"We knock." I walked to the door. Pressed the intercom button.

"What are you doing?" Nina looked shocked.

"Getting us inside. Trust me." I spoke into the intercom. "This is Lita Dillard. Luna Triad. I'm here to surrender. To negotiate. To end this peacefully."

Silence. Long silence.

Then a voice. "You're supposed to be dead. Victoria was supposed to kill you. The ship was supposed to explode."

"It did explode. Victoria died. We survived. We always survive." I stayed calm. Confident. "Now let us in. Or we'll force our way in. Your choice."

More silence. Then the door opened. Slowly. Cautiously.

"Come in. Hands up. No weapons. No tricks. Or we shoot."

We entered. Hands raised. Surrendering. Playing the part.

Twenty guards surrounded us. Guns pointed. Fingers on triggers.

"Search them. Take everything. Lock them up." A commander ordered.

They searched us. Took our weapons. Our phones. Everything.

But they didn't find Thomas's magic. Didn't detect Sarah and Maya's Luna power. Didn't sense Cole's Alpha strength.

You can't search for power. Only weapons.

"Take them to holding cells. I'll inform the new commander. They'll decide what to do with Luna Triad." The guard commander was nervous. Uncertain without Victoria.

We were led deeper. Down corridors. Through tunnels. Into the heart of the base.

It was massive. Huge. Hundreds of rooms. Thousands of Erasers. An entire underground city.

"This is bigger than we thought. Way bigger." Sarah whispered. Worried.

"Then we adapt. We improvise. We win anyway." I whispered back.

Through the bond I sent strength. Confidence. Hope.

They locked us in cells. Six separate cells. Isolated. Alone.

"Now what? We wait? We escape? We fight?" Cole asked from his cell. Frustrated.

"We wait. Let them relax. Let them think we're defeated. Then we strike." I planned. Patient. Strategic.

Hours passed. Guards changed shifts. Base returned to normal routine.

Then footsteps. Someone coming. Multiple people.

A woman appeared. Maybe fifty. Hard face. Cold eyes. Military bearing.

"I'm Commander Patricia Hayes. Victoria's second in command. Now leader of the Erasers." She studied us. Calculating. Judging. "You killed Victoria. Destroyed our supply ship. Caused massive problems."

"Victoria killed herself. Chose suicide over surrender. Chose death over defeat." I corrected. "And we're here to end this. To stop the Guardian killings. To save supernatural beings."

"There's nothing to save. Guardians are nearly extinct. Three left. We'll kill them within days. Then we eliminate all supernatural beings. Systematically. Completely. Forever." Patricia was cold. Certain. Evil.

"You can't eliminate all of us. There's millions. Worldwide. In every country. Every city. Everywhere." Maya argued.

"We've been planning for decades. We have weapons. Technology. Resources. Allies in every government. Every military. Every power structure. When we strike it'll be global. Coordinated. Final." Patricia smiled. "And there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"When? When do you strike?" I demanded.

"Tomorrow. Dawn. Simultaneous attacks in fifty cities. Killing centers. Extermination camps. Complete elimination. The final solution." Patricia looked proud. Insane. Monstrous.

"You're describing genocide. Mass murder. Evil." Sarah was horrified.

"I'm describing safety. Security. Humanity's survival. Supernatural beings are dangerous. Uncontrollable. Wrong. They must be eliminated. All of them." Patricia believed it. Truly believed it.

"We'll stop you. Somehow. Some way. We'll stop this." I promised.

"No. You won't. You're locked up. Powerless. Defeated. Tomorrow you'll watch. Watch as we eliminate your kind. Watch as we save humanity. Watch as we win." Patricia turned to leave.

"Wait. You're going to kill the last Guardians? Tomorrow?" Thomas senior asked. Worried. Scared.

"Already done. Jin was killed one hour ago. Mei will die at midnight. Then we come for you Thomas. Last Guardian. Final kill. Perfect ending." Patricia smiled. Cruel. Victorious.

"No! Mei! You can't!" Thomas grabbed the bars. Desperate.

"Already happening. Strike team deployed. She has six hours to live. Then she's dead. Then you're last. Then you're next." Patricia walked away. Laughing.

Thomas collapsed. Broken. Devastated. Losing hope.

"We have to escape. Have to save Mei. Have to stop this." I looked at everyone. At my family. "Now. We escape now."

"How? The cells are locked. The guards are everywhere. We have no weapons. No plan. No chance." Nina was realistic. Pessimistic.

"We have Thomas. We have magic. We have family. We have everything we need." I looked at my grandson. "Thomas. Can you do it? Can you get us out? Can you save us?"

Thomas looked up. Tears on his face. But determination in his eyes.

"Yes. I can do it. For Mei. For the Guardians. For everyone." Thomas stood. Power building around him.

He'd been hiding it. Conserving it. Waiting for the right moment.

This was the moment. This was the time. This was everything.

"Then do it. Free us. Arm us. Lead us. Save us." I commanded.

Thomas released his power. All of it. Massive. Overwhelming. Beautiful.

The cell doors exploded open. All six. At once.

Alarms blared. Guards came running.

We were ready. We were free. We were fighting.

The final battle had begun. Against impossible odds. Against certain death. Against everything.

But we were Luna Triad. We were family. We were unstoppable.

And we'd win. Or die trying. Like always. Forever. Together.