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"It's going to give away our position," Vex warns, eyeing the increasingly bright object.

Trent assesses our options with typical strategic efficiency. "The storm provides cover for movement, but limited visibility works against us too. If we leave the cave?—"

"Then we're exposed in a monsoon with unknown hostiles approaching," I finish.

"And if we stay—" Vex begins.

"Then the crystal leads them straight to us," Lily concludes, looking distressed.

I make the call. "We move. Now. Before they get any closer."

We pack quickly, redonning wet outer gear with grim determination. The crystal continues pulsing in Lily's hand, now bright enough to cast blue-green shadows across her worried face.

"I don't understand why it's doing this," she says frustratedly. "It's like it's trying to signal something."

"Or someone," Vex suggests ominously.

We exit the cave into the heart of the storm, rain instantly soaking us despite our gear. Visibility is limited to mere meters, the forest transformed into looming shadows andslick obstacles. Lightning provides brief, disorienting illumination, followed by thunder that seems to shake the very ground.

"Direction?" I ask Trent.

He consults his compass, now glowing with faint illumination. "Northeast. Away from the approaching movement."

We set off, keeping close formation to avoid separation in the terrible conditions. Vex takes point, his adaptations giving him marginal advantage in the near-zero visibility. I keep Lily between us, one hand on her shoulder to maintain contact in the driving rain.

The forest floor has transformed into treacherous mud, each step requiring careful placement to avoid slipping. Progress is painfully slow despite our enhanced capabilities. Even Trent, with his standard Sentinel conditioning, struggles with the challenging terrain.

"Movement closing," Vex warns after twenty minutes of difficult travel. "Multiple signatures, coordinated pattern."

"They're tracking the crystal," Lily realizes, trying unsuccessfully to dim its persistent glow. "What do I do?”

"Options?" I ask, mentally mapping our limited possibilities.

"Split up," Vex suggests immediately. "I take the crystal, draw them off. You three continue northeast."

"Negative," Trent counters. "We stand better chance together if confrontation is unavoidable."

"Unless it's not Unity forces," I say suddenly, a new possibility occurring to me. "Lily, you said the crystal responds to Haven children. Could it be reacting to another one nearby?"

Her silver eyes widen. "That would explain the resonance pattern. It doesn't feel threatening like the modified operators. It feels familiar somehow."

Trent considers this. "Either way, we need defensible position before we find out."

"Ridge line," Vex decides, pointing toward barely visiblehigher ground. "Better vantage point, fewer approach vectors."

We alter course, climbing steadily through the storm-lashed forest toward the ridge. The ground grows rockier, providing better footing but requiring more strength to navigate. I help Lily over particularly challenging sections, impressed by her determination despite obvious exhaustion.

Halfway up the slope, Vex freezes, body suddenly tense. "Visual contact. Three figures, moving in coordinated approach pattern."

I strain my enhanced vision against the darkness and rain. At first, nothing registers beyond storm-whipped vegetation. Then—movement where there should be none. Deliberate. Purposeful.

"Armed?" Trent asks, already maneuvering to better defensive position.

"Can't confirm," Vex responds. "But definitely tracking us."

The crystal in Lily's hand now pulses frantically, its glow impossible to conceal despite her best efforts. She looks up at me with a mixture of fear and determination.

"I think it's trying to tell me something," she says. "It wants me to?—"