The New York Crucible

The Quinjet streaked across the sky, its engines pushing the limits of what was possible with Earth technology. Inside, Jaden gripped the safety harness, his knuckles white as he stared out the window. The familiar skyline of New York came into view, but it was barely recognizable.

A massive rift hung over Manhattan, a tear in reality that pulsed with otherworldly energies. The sky around it warped and twisted, colors bleeding into one another in impossible ways. Buildings near the rift's epicenter seemed to flicker in and out of existence, their forms unstable in the face of cosmic forces.

"My God," Zoe breathed, her face pressed against the window. "It's worse than Cairo."

Marcus nodded grimly, his fingers flying over a holographic display. "The energy readings are off the charts. This rift is at least ten times more powerful than anything we've encountered before."

As they neared the city, Jaden's enhanced senses picked up the chaos below. Screams of terror mingled with the wail of