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At their center stands an older woman whose bearing immediately commands attention. Her silver hair is cropped short, face bearing the weathered lines of someone who's spent decades in the harsh outside world. But it's her eyes that capture me—one blue, one green, both containing golden flecks that seem to shift position as she moves.

"Zara Thorne," she says, voice carrying surprising warmth. "And Lily Reeves. The final pieces return to the whole."

"Who are you?" I ask, maintaining caution despite the welcoming atmosphere.

"My name is Naomi Lin," she responds. "Haven designation NL-One. The first successful adaptive modification in the original project."

My body tenses automatically. "Lin? Any relation to Adrian Lin?"

A shadow crosses her features. "My brother. Though he chose a very different path."

"He betrayed us to Unity," I tell her bluntly. "Sold us out for access to their research facilities."

Murmurs ripple through the gathered council. Naomi's expression hardens, but she doesn't seem surprised.

"We feared as much when communications ceased," she says. "Adrian always believed forced evolution was more efficient than our mother's approach."

"Your mother?" Lily asks, stepping forward.

"Dr. Katherine Lin. One of the original Haven scientists alongside Elara Thorne and Sophia Reeves." Naomi gestures to the council members. "Many of us are children of the original researchers, carrying forward both their genetic legacy and their work."

"While others were hidden in Unity arcologies as infants," I observe.

Naomi nods. "Different approaches for different adaptations. Those with more visible modifications remained with Haven, while those like you—designed for infiltration and internal adaptation—were placed where you could eventually effect change from within."

"Not my choice," I remind her, an edge entering my voice. "I didn't sign up to be anyone's infiltration specialist."

"No," she acknowledges. "You didn't. None of us chose our initial paths. But we all choose what to do with the capabilities we've been given."

Fair point, even if I don't like it.

And I don’t.

"The council has gathered to welcome you," Naomi continues, "but also to share urgent information. Unity's containment operations have accelerated significantly since your escape from the research facility."

"They're hunting us specifically," Trent notes. "Not just general Splinter suppression."

A tall man with intricate scale-like patterns covering his exposed skin steps forward. "Indeed. Our intelligence network indicates multiple high-priority capture teams deployed throughout the territories, with particular focus on the northwestern corridor."

"Marcus has been coordinating our security response," Naomi explains. "As well as extraction efforts for the remaining Haven children still in Unity territory."

"How many still unaccounted for?" I ask.

"Three," Marcus answers grimly. "All showing signs of activation according to our sympathizer reports. Unity has already captured one, as you've heard."

Lily clutches her crystal more tightly. "Where are they keeping the captured child?"

"Eastern Arcology Containment Division," a woman responds. Her eyes are solid black without visible pupils, unsettling yet somehow not threatening. "Maximum security, constant suppression protocols."

"Jo leads our intelligence operations," Naomi explains.

"We need to rescue them," Lily says immediately. "Before Unity can transfer them to the research facility."

"Agreed, we do,” Naomi says, "but we face additional complications. Unity isn't just hunting Haven children anymore. They're implementing the first phase of what they're calling Project Duality."

My stomach sinks. "The modified operators we encountered."

"The beginning only," Jo confirms, those black eyes somehow conveying intensity despite their alienness. "Our sources indicate full-scale implementation within weeks. Unity personnel receiving forced modifications based on corrupted Haven genetics."