Between the poisoned soil and the mutants outside the fence, survival is a habit. At the Academy, it's a command. Shut up. Stay in line. If you can't breathe, you're doing it right.
Cassie endured the drills for Sophia. Sophia was the only person she ever loved, the only thing that felt real in a world of concrete and wire. Then Sophia crossed the fence for a mission and never came back.
The Academy claims she’s in a recovery clinic. They lie. They keep Sophia hidden, barring her family from the truth behind redacted reports and locked doors. Cassie doesn't believe in clinics. She knows the smell of a cover-up.
Now, Cassie is back inside the Academy, tracking Sophia’s ghost through the halls. To find her, she must collide with a cadet who hides his own agenda behind cold discipline. He isn’t a partner. He’s a tactical necessity. They have nothing in common but the mission. They’ll either use each other to reach the end, or tear each other down from the inside.