General Appalachia’s eyes darkened, his expression unreadable as he turned back to the monitor. “Damn it,” he said coldly. “Send a search party, I want her found.”

“Yes, sir,” the operator said, her voice shaking.

As the room sprang back into motion, the General stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the swirling storm clouds in the distance.

Meanwhile, Harris leaned against the wall, arms crossed and his green eyes scanning the room like a hawk. Vale was seated at the small wooden table, a map spread out before her, though her focus seemed distant.

Rio sat in the corner, picking at a loose thread on her jacket. Her usual sharpness had dulled, and her quiet presence was a constant reminder of the storm we’d barely escaped.

“I can’t believe someone within the agency would do this,” Harris said bluntly, his voice breaking the uneasy quiet.

“I can’t either,” Vale muttered, her fingers tracing the edge of the map.

“Well?” Harris snapped. “Who do you think it was?”

Vale looked up, her gray eyes narrowing. “We don’t have enough information.”

I asked. “Who would want to—”

“Don’t be naive,” Harris interrupted, his tone sharp. “Odium, Appalachia, any number of people with too much power. Heck, doesn’t even have to be someone that high-up.”

“Odium wouldn’t,” Vale said, though her voice lacked conviction. “He’s secretive, sure, but he needs us to keep the Agency running.”

“Does he?” Harris countered. “You think he’d blink if it meant protecting his research? Hell, for all we know, Appalachia ordered the hit himself.”

Rio frowned, glancing between them. “I don’t even know who half these people are,” she said. “But you all sound paranoid as hell.”

“Comes with the job,” Vale said dryly.

Harris let out a frustrated sigh, his hand moving instinctively to his weapon. “We need answers. Sitting here isn’t going to get them.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Vale said firmly, her tone brooking no argument.

Harris scowled, but he didn’t argue.

I hesitated, then spoke up. “If we can’t figure out who betrayed us, then what’s the plan? We can’t just hide out forever.”

Vale’s gaze shifted to me, her expression softening slightly. “Then you go back to your old life, Ben,” she said quietly.

“What?” I said, my chest tightening.

“If the people who betrayed us come looking for us again, I’d wager they’d be looking for Harris and I, I doubt they even know who you are,” she continued. “The best thing for you to do is to pretend this never happened, and go home.”

“And what about you?” I asked.

Vale’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Harris and I will manage. But you... you need to go back to your normal life.”

I shook my head. “That’s not an option. I’m not just going to walk away from this.”

“You don’t have a choice,” she said. “And you’re not going alone.”

I blinked, confused. “What do you mean?”

Vale glanced at Rio, who had stopped fidgeting and was now watching the exchange with a wary expression.

“Take her with you,” Vale said.

“What?” Rio and I said in unison.

“No one’s going to be looking for her now that the storm is gone. There’s no way for them to know she’s a rift entity,” Vale said, her tone calm but firm. “But if she stays with us, she’ll more than likely be a target again.”

Rio sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing. “I’ve been a target before,” she said, her voice sharp.

“But you don’t have to be,” Vale said, meeting her gaze evenly.

Rio looked like she wanted to argue, but she didn’t.

“Wait,” I said, holding up a hand. “What are you going to do?”

Vale exchanged a glance with Harris, her expression unreadable.

“We’re preparing for something,” she said finally.

“Preparing for what?” I pressed.

Vale hesitated, then leaned forward, her voice dropping slightly. “We’re going to intercept and save future entities before the Agency can get to them,” she said. “If Odium’s hypothesis is right, if anchors really work, then we need to test it more. We need to know what counts as an anchor—and what doesn’t.”

I stared at her, the weight of her words sinking in.

“Look,” she said. “If Odium’s theory is right, then killing every entity that appears isn’t just cruel—it’s unnecessary. We could change everything, Ben. But we need time to figure it out.”

Her determination was undeniable, but the risk was staggering.

“And you think you can do this on your own?” I asked.

Vale’s gaze hardened. “We have to try.”

Rio let out a quiet laugh, though there was no humor in it. “You people are insane,” she said.

“Maybe,” Vale said, her lips quirking into a faint smile. “But insanity is better than giving up.”

The room fell silent, the enormity of Vale’s plan settling over us like a weight.

I glanced at Rio, who looked as torn as I felt. Leaving Vale and Harris alone felt wrong, but the logic behind her decision was clear.

For now, all I could do was nod.

“Fine,” I said. “But this isn’t the end.”

Vale’s expression softened, and for the first time since the ambush, she looked almost hopeful. “I never said it was,” she said. “In fact, it’s just the beginning. I plan on contacting you again once we’re ready for testing.”

We talked a little bit longer before I left and began making the trip back to my place.

Rio trailed behind me, her hands shoved into the pockets of her tattered jacket. She hadn’t said much since we’d left the cabin, and I couldn’t blame her. 

We rounded the final corner, and my building came into view. I felt a pang of something—relief, maybe? Or guilt.

“Is this it?” Rio asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, I live on the second floor,” I said. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”

She gave a faint shrug. “Better than hiding out in the woods, I guess.”

We were halfway to the door when a voice called out from in front of us.

“Ben!”

I turned to see Piper standing in front of the bakery, wiping her hands on her flour-dusted apron. She was putting up the Closed sign. Her bright smile faltered slightly when she noticed Rio.

“Hey, Piper,” I said, trying to sound casual.

“Where have you been?” she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. “And who’s this?”

I glanced at Rio, who was looking at Piper with an unreadable expression.

“This is... uh, my cousin,” I said quickly. “From another island. She’s staying with me for a while.”

Rio shot me a sidelong glance but didn’t say anything.

Piper’s eyebrows lifted, and her smile returned. “Well, it’s nice to meet you,” she said, wiping her hands on her apron before extending one toward Rio.

Rio hesitated for a moment, then shook Piper’s hand. “Nice to meet you, too,” she said, her tone polite but guarded.

“Ben never mentioned anyone else would be staying here,” Piper said.

“Yeah, it’s kind of a last-minute thing,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t press further.

Piper tilted her head, studying Rio for a moment. “Well, if you need anything, let me know,” she said warmly. “We’ve missed you around here, Ben.”

“I’ll stop by soon,” I promised, feeling a flicker of guilt as Piper waved and headed back into the bakery.

Rio waited until Piper was out of earshot before speaking. “Cousin, huh?”

“It was the first thing that came to mind,” I said with a shrug.

She smirked faintly.

“Come on,” I said, motioning toward the door.

We climbed the narrow staircase to my apartment, the familiar creak of the steps grounding me in a way I hadn’t expected. When I unlocked the door and stepped inside, the small space felt even smaller with Rio there.

“You weren’t kidding when you said it wasn’t much,” Rio said, looking around.

“Hey, it’s cozy,” I said defensively, setting my bag down by the door.

She shrugged, flopping onto the couch with a tired sigh. “Better than nothing.”

I busied myself in the kitchen, pulling out a couple of plates and some bread I’d picked up earlier that day. “You hungry?” I asked.

Rio didn’t answer right away, her gaze fixed on the window. The golden light of late afternoon filtered through the curtains, casting soft shadows across her face.

“Yeah,” she said finally, her voice quiet.

I set the plates down on the table and sat across from her. For a while, neither of us spoke, the silence filled only by the faint sounds of the village outside.

“You okay?” I asked eventually.

She gave a faint shrug, not meeting my gaze. “I don’t know,” she admitted.

“Yeah,” I said softly. “Me neither.”