"Leader of the Sigma Network—" Seeing Sigma''s people about to take Juniper away, Ewan''s face changed. In a desperate move, he lunged for the weakened Ebony Fox.


    *Thwack-*


    With lightning speed, Juniper kicked Ewan, sending him kneeling to the ground.


    In the next second, Felton and Flint had their guns pressed to his head.


    The standoff was over before it began. Ewan waspletely outmatched. "Leader, I don''t understand what you mean."


    "You haven''t heard that the Sigma Network has a new master?" Felton answered for Shanley, a note of pride in his voice. "The new leader is Specter."


    "What?" Ewan felt like he was hearing a fairy tale. His mind couldn''t process it.


    "Our former leader married Specter," Flint added from the side. "And you dared to ask the Sigma Network to capture her? You got it backward-we came to capture *you*!"


    Ewan stood frozen, then it all clicked into ce. The two arch-rivals had reconciled.


    So when he gave the Sigma Network a green light to enter his territory, he wasn''t helping them hunt Specter. He was calling in her reinforcements.


    The realization made Ewan''s expression darken.


    Damn it. Now he was facing a united front from two of the world''s biggest powers?


    The Huntsman Institute was no match for them.


    "I..." Ewan''s mouth hung open. "This is all a misunderstanding," he finally managed to croak out.


    "Is that so?" Juniper stared down at him, her voice cold. "I heard you had your eye on Subterra Vanguard''s base in Borealia..."


    "What base?" Ewan immediately pulled out the contract he had prepared, tore it to shreds, and threw the pieces into the water. He forced a smile. "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    He had been too clever for his own good. If he hadn''t gotten greedy and called the Sigma Network Specter might have actually let things slide and given him the base to keep the peace.


    "From this day forward, there is no Ebony Fox at the Huntsman Institute," Juniper announced slowly. "Leader Ewan, I hope the next time we meet, your head is still on your shoulders."


    Ewan was baffled, not understanding her meaning.


    "Oh, I forgot to tell you," Juniper said, pointing vaguely in the direction of Borealia. The Subterra Vanguard is currently developing a long-range missile It''s just entered the testing. phase. And coincidentally, the Huntsman Institute is located in a very convenient direction?"


    Ewan froze, his face turning deathly pale.


    So Specter hadn''te to the Huntsman Institute alone because she had the Sigma Network backing her up. She hade because she had a missile aimed at his home base.


    If he had gone back on his word and refused to let Ebony Fox go, she would have forced his hand anyway.


    From now on, wouldn''t the Huntsman Institute have to live under the constant threat of the Subterra Vanguard?


    "Understood," Ewan said, clenching his fists and biting down hard. "The Huntsman Institute has no one named Ebony Fox."


    Juniper gave Ewan a long, hard look before stating casually, "Let the Huntsman Institute go bankrupt."


    Ewan wanted to


    ted to argue, to refuse, to


    reason with her. But then he remembered a certain truth: Power decided everything here, and he knew he was in no position to argue. Especially not now that they had the Sigma Network in their corner. If he didn''t do as she said, he probably wouldn''t even know how he died.


    "Yes," Ewan nodded, practically grinding his teeth to dust.


    "Clean up this mess," Shanley ordered, his mind entirely on Juniper. He threw the words over his shoulder and strode after her.


    No wonder the girl had been so calm, telling him not to send in his people. She had


    it all nned out from the beginning. It made him feelpletely redundant.


    He was screwed. Shanley swallowed hard, a guilty feeling creeping up on him. It seemed his ''rescue'' mission had only served to piss her off.


    How was he going to smooth this over?