Stewart Air National Guard Base, a couple of hours north of Manhattan, had officially been abandoned by the military two years ago, at least according to the records.
The reality was somewhat different.
Eva had spent tens of billions of dollars, blackmailed half ot the Pentagon to acquire the entire base for Christian.
By the time Christian arrived, rows of silent androids were already moving across the wide flight line with quiet precision. The remaining aircraft stood beneath the open sky, clean, maintained, and ready for use, while the hangars had been thoroughly reorganized. Tools were arranged in perfect order, weapons neatly racked, and new systems had been installed under Iris's direction.
The place didn't feel abandoned. It felt claimed.
And, judging by how thoroughly it had been renovated, whoever had claimed it had no intention of giving it back.
The first thing Christian did was try some of the firearms.
