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Six years of guidance and support, of resource provision and tactical assistance, all flowing through electronic connection rather than physical presence.

His voice has remained my sole constant through years of external existence, yet I've never seen his face or clasped his hand or confirmed his actual identity beyond the digital persona that's become essential to my survival.

In this moment of unusual clarity, with mind and body aligned in optimal functioning for perhaps the first time since returning to Ravenscroft, the question demands acknowledgment.

Before plunging into whatever madness Press has orchestrated, before risking everything to reclaim what was assembled with such care six years ago, I need to understand the foundation that's supported every step toward this moment.

The silence stretches uncomfortably as I move toward the door, hand gripping the knob with growing certainty he won't respond.

Perhaps the question crosses boundaries we've tacitly agreed to maintain through years of collaboration. Perhaps some truths remain better unacknowledged even between allies as deeply connected as we've become.

I've already begun turning the handle when his voice returns, pitched so low I might have missed it without enhanced hearing.

"You deserve to have a happy ending like your sister," he confesses quietly, the simple statement carrying emotional weight I've never heard from him before. "You're fated to be their Omega. Their Fated M.U.S.E."

A pause lengthens before he continues, voice strengthening with evident conviction.

"You were so close the first time. It would be worthy to help you finally reach the end of that path and witness you embrace victory."

The words strike with unexpected force, emotion rising in my throat as I close my eyes against sudden pressure building behind them.

For someone who's spent a lifetime calculating odds and manipulating circumstances, the simple expression of faith in eventual success carries profound impact.

A genuine smile forms on my lips—not the practiced expression employed for tactical advantage or the predatory version that warns of impending action, but something softer and more authentic than I've permitted myself in years.

"Thank you, Maverick," I whisper, gratitude flowing without strategic calculation for perhaps the first time in our long association. "For your loyalty. For your support. For not judging the chaos I continue to ensue."

I open my eyes, resolve hardening into certainty as I face whatever waits beyond this threshold.

"Let me survive and enjoy that taste of victory..." My voice drops to intimate promise, "...and then, I'll come find you."

The thought forms with surprising clarity—curiosity about the man behind the voice that's guided me through years of separation and planning.

I wonder what he would look like smiling...

But I can hear emotion peak in his voice as he responds with quiet intensity.

"I count on it, Jinx."

TEN

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

~JINX~

I turn the handle with decisive force, muscles tensing in preparation for whatever waits beyond this temporary sanctuary.

The door swings open with surprising smoothness, revealing not another institutional corridor as expected, but an expansive auditorium that momentarily halts my forward momentum.

Well. This is unexpected.

The space stretches before me with cathedral-like dimensions—soaring ceilings disappearing into shadowed heights, polished marble floors extending in perfect symmetry, walls lined with identical doors at measured intervals. Institutional architecture typically prioritizes function over form, yet this chamber carries unmistakable theatrical grandeur beneath clinical precision.

Light emanates from hidden sources, casting an ethereal glow across marble surfaces that seem to pulse with subtle energy.

The ceiling features intricate constellations crafted from what appears to be actual starlight—pinpoints of brilliant illumination arranged in celestial patterns that create anunsettling impression of standing beneath an open night sky despite being deep underground.

The chamber's acoustics carry peculiar properties—my footsteps should echo across such expansive marble, yet the sound dies immediately as if consumed by the very air. This deliberate engineering eliminates the possibility of subjects using auditory cues for strategic advantage—another layer of institutional control disguised as architectural feature.