Chapter 1: Arrival

The private jet touched down on the glacial runway at dusk: a narrow ribbon of compacted snow and ice carved into the valley floor, flanked by sheer rock faces that vanished upward into swirling white. Freezing wind sliced across the tarmac, carrying the sharp bite of ozone and the low moan of air moving through crevasses far below. Victoria stepped onto the surface in a tailored white cashmere coat lined with arctic fox; its severe cut clung to her like armor. Boots crunched with deliberate authority against the frozen ground. She had been told this was the final stage of her induction: an exclusive retreat with the consortium’s inner circle to formalize her elevation. No details beyond that. Just power waiting to be claimed.

A masked attendant met her with a small bow. The figure stayed stiff, wrapped in seamless black thermal cloth; the porcelain mask showed only narrow eye slits that gave away nothing. A rough sound came from beneath it: low, thick, almost animal, as though saying her name cost effort against the cold. “Welcome, Ms. Kane. The contributors wait inside. Your suite stands ready.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Contributors?”

The attendant pointed toward the low, severe building pressed against the valley wall. It rose like something carved from the mountain: smoked glass and black granite walls climbed three storeys, cantilevered above a sheer drop into the glacier. Frost gripped every outer line; hidden vents breathed warm air that turned to sparkling mist the moment it met the cold. Underground floors hinted at themselves through concealed tunnels; brief thoughts of hidden rooms and watching networks passed through her mind. The building exhaled secrecy; its shape joined brutal angles with glacial plainness, made to isolate and command. “One hundred men who consented to strengthen the line. You are the vessel they selected.”