Earth had changed in the months since Alpha-6 had left. Under Mia's leadership, the ruins of the old world had become a jagged, predatory landscape. But as the Void-Plague descended from the sky, the true "Shift" began.
In the remains of New York City, now the capital of the Void-Guard, Mia stood atop the spire of the Freedom Tower. She looked up at the green sky, her silver eyes widening as the first spores touched her skin.
"It's him," she whispered.
She didn't choke on the spores. She drank them. Her Rank-4 "Void-Witch" status flickered, then shattered. Her skin turned a deep, mossy black, and jagged thorns of Void-Steel erupted from her shoulders. Around her, thousands of humans—the "Glitches" Kane had left behind—began to scream as their DNA was rewritten by the Mother-of-Plagues.
"What have you done, Sarge?" Vance asked, looking down at the planet from the bridge. The cities were no longer grey; they were glowing with a sickly, beautiful bioluminescence. "They aren't human anymore."
"They were never going to survive as humans, Vance," Kane said, leaning on his throne. His Rank-9 Peak body was finally stabilizing, the green veins fading into his obsidian skin. "The Hegemony is sending Reapers to every sector. If our people aren't monsters, they're just food. I'm giving them a stomach that can digest gods."
Doc stepped forward, her Plague-Core Staff pulsing. "I can feel them, Kane. Every soul on the planet... they're connected to me now. I am the Hive-Mind, and you are the Sovereign. We can coordinate the entire defense of the planet from this chair."
"Then do it," Kane commanded. "Because the Mirror I used to get us here? It didn't break. It's going to lead the First Hegemony Fleet right to our doorstep. We have seventy-two hours before the sky turns to fire again."