Goodbye, Sophia, I think. You were there for me, once. When I needed you.

We enter the hall.

We leave Sophia behind.

Hauling an unconscious, full-grown man is slow, hard work. Chris sticks with us. Harry follows morosely, sullen and silent. We reach the bottom floor and enter the parking lot. As we step foot on the asphalt, the roof of the building explodes. The shockwave nearly knocks me off my feet. Chris shoves me behind the cover of an Omega Humvee. The top half of the building shears off, hitting the grass in a cloud of plaster, nails and smoke.

Sophia.

The dust settles, but the flames begin to eat the magnificent structure that is Herrmann Hall. We slowly stand, the sound of gunfire and mortar explosions echoing over the Pacific Ocean. United States Air Force fighter jets scream across the night sky, headed toward the coastline.

“All is never as it seems,” Harry remarks grimly. “One victory leads to defeat, and one defeat leads to victory. This is a deadly game that you cannot win. None of you can. We are all helpless against Omega.”

He says this as if he, too, has lost against his own side.

“We’re not helpless,” I say. “We’re fighters. And we’ll keep fighting, because that’s what we do best.”

The Omega symbol — the white O with the gathered continents of the world in the center of the letter — glares menacingly at me from the Humvee door.

Chris slips his hand into mine.

“We’re going to be okay,” he says.

I look toward the horizon.

And for a moment, I believe him.

Epilogue

Betrayal. The word leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I have seen more betrayal than most people. I have felt its sting. It has ravaged my heart at times, threatened to destroy me. But now it all makes sense. Omega. Hidden deep within society for years. But how? And who started it all? Whose idea was it to slowly infiltrate the countries of the globe? The patience it must have took to wait for centuries… unimaginable.

Chris and I, at the beginning of this collapse, would often toss theories back and forth regarding the origin of the EMP. How did Omega invade so quickly? We once thought that it was because they had been hiding their troops and their weapons inside our country for some time.

But what if they’d been here all along?

What if this was part of the plan from the very beginning?

I don’t know. I don’t think I want to know.

Sophia’s betrayal hurts. To trust someone completely, and then to be betrayed by them is one of the worst pains in the world. There is no medicine or therapy that can take that away. It is an ugly, horrific fact. A fact that I must one day learn to accept, or I worry that it will destroy me.

What is our next move? If Omega is everywhere… how can we stop them?

Familiarity. To defeat an enemy, you must be familiar with them.

I believe that we will be able to use Harry Lydell to help us on that point.

Until then, I will keep fighting. I will keep believing. I will keep hoping. I will love, live, learn, try, fail and try again. Not because I have to. Not because I’ve been told that this is what I need to do. I will do these things because I care about the people I love and the place where I grew up. I care about freedom, and I care about the lives of the innocent men, women and children whose lives have been taken by Omega.

The war is now.

Fight or die.

Choose your side.

More Titles by Summer Lane

State of Emergency

State of Chaos

State of Rebellion

State of Pursuit

State of Alliance

Book 6 (Coming June 2015)

Day Zero

Day One (Coming March 2015)

End of Day (Coming Fall 2015)

Connect with Summer:

Website: summerlaneauthor.com

Online Magazine: writingbelle.com

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @SummerEllenLane

Acknowledgments

Nothing truly good comes easily. At least, that’s what my experience has been. Building and creating several different book series and running a publishing business is one of those things that takes time. Lots of time, lots of effort, and lots of work. I am unequivocally thankful for the helpful words, kind advice and professionalism of many people in my life who have been on this journey with me — the journey of Cassidy Hart and her small-town creator, a girl named Summer Lane. Few people realize or understand the enormity of the task of writing, editing and publishing a bestselling novel. It is a project of epic proportions, especially when you’ve got several series going at once. I would like to thank the following people for helping me maintain my sanity during the long weeks of writing and editing and otherwise being locked away in my office with stacks of notes: Ellen Mansoor Collier, James P. White, Kathy Lane (Mommy!), Rocklin (The Rock), Lauryn, Jessica, Grandma (so many hugs!) and of course, Scott, for being so understanding.

I would also like to thank the following two individuals for their professional help in molding the story structure of the book, aiding in the technical details and helping the editing process move considerably faster so I could reach my deadline:

Don Lane, always the editor-in-chief, as I like to call him. He’s the top authority on tactical and military operations in this book, and his advice has helped Cassidy Hart best Omega many times.

David Hudiburgh, a dear friend and so very knowledgeable. Always a huge help when Collapse books are in the editing stages, his keen eye and techie advice is supremely appreciated.

I would like to thank the mammoth community of bloggers and reviewers for their ongoing support of my work, especially fellow authors. In particular I wish to thank Ruth Silver, Juliana Haygert, G. Michael Hopf, Liz Long, John W. Vance and again, Ellen Mansoor Collier, my dear friend!

Lastly, to YOU. I share my work with thousands of new readers every month, and for that I am eternally grateful. You have made all of this a possibility, and Cassidy Hart is forever grateful.

Most importantly, I thank God for what He has given me. I love my work. It is the happiest reality of my life.

About the Author

Summer Lane is the author of the international bestselling YA/NA Romantic Adventure novels of The Collapse Series and The Zero Trilogy. She is an experienced publicist, creative writing teacher and lover of all things feline.

Summer owns WB Publishing, a digital publishing company devoted to releasing exciting survival and adventure stories. Summer is also the creator of the online magazine/blog, Writing Belle. She works as a journalist for Traffic Magazine, as well.

Summer lives in the Central Valley of California, where she spends her time writing, teaching, and writing some more. When she is not writing, she enjoys leisurely visits with friends at coffee shops, watching movies, reading, and visiting the beach or the mountains.