Page 55

"Going nowhere until this passes," I decide.

We settle in as comfortably as possible in the confined space, sharing rations and arranging watch rotations.

Despite exhaustion pulling at my limbs, I volunteer for first watch.

Too wired to sleep anyway, mind racing with questions about the crystal's behavior and what we might find at the Northern Archive.

Lily curls up in the cave's deepest recess, wrapped in thermal blankets with the crystal nestled protectively in her small hands. Within minutes, her breathing deepens into sleep, silver eyes finally closing after hours of vigilant observation.

Vex positions himself near the cave entrance, where he can monitor approaches without being visible from outside. Trent settles beside me, our shoulders touching in the cramped space.

"You should rest," I tell him quietly. "You've barely slept since we left the outpost."

A slight smile touches his lips. "Whose fault is that?"

Heat rises in my cheeks at the memory. "Fair point."

His hand finds mine in the dimness, fingers intertwining with casual intimacy that still feels new and slightly surreal after years of enforced distance.

"We're being hunted by Unity's most elite forces, hiding in a cave during a monsoon, with experimental genetic material pulsing like a beacon," I observe. "Not exactly how I pictured our first real date going."

His quiet laugh warms me more than the thermal blanket. "I'll make it up to you when we reach the Northern Settlements. I hear they have actual restaurants. With real food."

"Promises, promises."

Our brief moment of normalcy ends as Vex returns from his position at the entrance, expression serious. "Ground movement, western approach. Too regular for wildlife."

"Unity patrol?" Trent asks, instantly alert.

"Can't confirm yet. Rain masks scent signatures and sound patterns." Vex's amber eyes glow slightly in the darkness. "But they're heading this direction with purpose."

I move to Lily, gently waking her. "We might have company," I whisper, keeping my voice calm. "Stay quiet and follow our lead."

She nods, instantly awake and alert, the crystal clutched tightly in her hand. Its pulsing has accelerated, light growing brighter despite her attempts to cover it.

"The crystal," she whispers urgently. "I can't make it stop."

"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 and slick 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 visible higher 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?—"

Before she can finish, a bolt of lightning strikes terrifyingly close, momentarily blinding us with its brilliance. In that split-second illumination, I catch clear glimpse of our pursuers.

Not Unity operators.

Three figures in weathered gear designed for wasteland survival. Not moving with military precision but with the fluid adaptability of those born to this harsh environment. And their eyes—catching the lightning's flash with reflective quality I recognize immediately.

"Splinters," I breathe.

"Not just Splinters," Lily says with sudden certainty. "Haven children. "

The crystal flares impossibly bright, momentarily overwhelming even my enhanced vision. When I can see again, our pursuers have closed half the distance, moving with incredible speed up the muddy slope.

"They've seen us," Trent warns, dropping into defensive stance.

"Wait," I urge, placing a restraining hand on his arm. "Lily, are you sure?"

She nods, eyes fixed on the approaching figures. "Yes. Their patterns—I can see them clearly now. Like mine, like yours, but different expressions."

"Could be trap," Vex cautions, though he hasn't drawn weapons yet. "Lin's faction working with Unity."

"Only one way to find out," I say.

I step forward, placing myself between my companions and the newcomers. The crystal's light bathes the scene in ethereal blue-green, creating a strange island of visibility amid the storm's chaos.

The lead figure stops a few meters away—tall, lean, with the confident posture of someone completely at home in this hostile environment. A hood conceals most of their features, but I catch the gleam of eyes that shift color like oil on water. Not children at all.

"Zara Thorne," a female voice calls over the storm's fury. "We've been waiting for you."

The simple statement sends chills through me that have nothing to do with the rain soaking my clothes.

"Who are you?" I demand.

The figure pushes back her hood, revealing a woman perhaps a few years older than me, with sharp features and those remarkable color-shifting eyes. "My name is Sara," she responds. "Haven designation EC-Three. Like you, a child of the original project."

Lily steps forward, the crystal now blazing in her outstretched hand. "You're what it was signaling," she says with certainty. "The resonance pattern I've been feeling."

Sara nods, producing a crystal identical to ours from beneath her weatherproof gear. It pulses in perfect synchronization with Lily's, the two objects somehow communicating across the distance.

"The Haven network is reactivating," she explains. "Each child found strengthens the signal to the others. We've been tracking your approach since you triggered the archive."

"We?" I question.

She gestures to her companions, who lower their hoods to reveal a man and woman with their own distinctive modifications—his skin bearing subtle patterns that shift with his movements, her eyes a deep purple that catches even the storm's dim light.

"Peter and Kara," Evelyn introduces. "Haven children Five and Eight. We've established sanctuary in the Northern Settlements, gathering others as they awaken. Now we've come for you."

Trent steps to my side, protective instincts clearly warring with strategic assessment. "How did you find us in this storm?"

"The crystal network operates on frequencies Unity can't detect," Sara explains. "The storm masks our movements from their patrols, but doesn't interfere with Haven technology."

"Convenient timing," Vex observes skeptically.

"Not convenience. Planning." Sara's shifting eyes assess him briefly before returning to me. "We've been monitoring Unity's containment protocols. When they deployed modified operators to this region, we knew they were hunting Haven children."

"You have safe passage through the perimeter?" I ask, hope rising despite my caution.

She nods. "For now. But the window closes soon. We need to move immediately if we're going to make it through before Unity completes their containment grid."

I exchange glances with my companions—Trent's measured assessment, Vex's predatory wariness, Lily's bright-eyed certainty. The decision, ultimately, falls to me.

"Lead the way," I tell Sara. "But know this—we move as a unit. All of us."

She studies Vex and Trent with open curiosity. "A Splinter security chief and a former Sentinel. Interesting companions for a Haven child."

"They're with me," I say simply, brooking no argument.

A slight smile touches her lips. "Then they're welcome. The Sanctuary accepts all who choose adaptation freely."

As she turns to lead us through the storm, I notice something I missed initially—a small butterfly tattoo at the base of her neck, blue wings spread in flight. The same symbol marked the map in my mother's recording.

Haven's mark. Confirmation, if I needed it, that we've found what we've been searching for.

Or rather, they've found us.