The air inside the command center was
thick with tension as the team assembled. The room was dimly lit, the only
illumination coming from the large digital displays lining the walls. Tactical
maps, mission logs, and scattered intel reports filled the screens, painting a
fragmented but clear picture of the war still ahead.
Jeffrie and Ray entered first, leading
the newest recruits inside. Elliot Kane, Luis Vega, Adrian Voss, and Dante
Alvarez followed, their eyes scanning the room, taking in the controlled chaos
that defined this team. Some looked impressed. Others were wary. But no one
spoke yet.
Azul stood at the main console,
fingers flying across the interface as she finalized the briefing. Despite the
exhaustion evident on her face, her focus was razor-sharp. Raven was at her
side, arms crossed, watching as Azul pieced together the data they had gathered
so far.
Sophia, Scarlett, and Lily took their
places near the side, whispering among themselves, while Trice and Nyah leaned
against a nearby table, waiting for things to begin. Isabella, Camila, and
Naomi stood near the back with the other rescued allies, giving them time to
process everything before the meeting started.
Scarlett broke the silence first. "All
right, Azul, tell us something good."
Azul didn't look up. "I've got
something. But you're not going to like it."
Raven smirked. "We never do."
Jeffrie stepped forward, arms crossed.
"Let's hear it."
Azul finally turned to face the team,
tapping a key on her console. The main screen shifted, displaying a series of
red markers across a global map. The locations flickered, representing active
threats, enemy strongholds, and—most importantly—the whereabouts of the
remaining missing allies.
She exhaled. "This is what we're up
against. The remaining retrieval missions are going to push us to the limit.
Sable isn't just sitting back anymore—he's starting to move."
Ray's jaw tightened. "So, what's the
plan?"
Azul adjusted the display, zooming in
on the key locations. "We divide and conquer. Just like before, we send the
right people to the right missions. No room for mistakes."
A brief silence fell over the room.
The war wasn't over—not even close. But they weren't backing down now.
Jeffrie exchanged a glance with Ray
and Trice. They had started this fight together. And they were going to finish
it the same way.
Jeffrie nodded. "Then let's get to
work."
The
debriefing was over, but the weight of what came next hung heavy in the air.
Azul had finalized the mission assignments, and the team dispersed throughout
the base to prepare. The hum of strategy filled the halls—conversations about
tactics, weapons being checked and reloaded, gear being secured.
Jeffrie
stood near the hangar entrance, watching as mechanics performed final checks on
the aircraft. The steady drone of the engines filled the space, a reminder that
they didn't have time to waste. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling
slowly. They had made progress, but the road ahead was just as dangerous as the
one they had traveled.
In the
armory, Ray adjusted the sights on his rifle while Trice flipped a combat knife
between his fingers, his mind elsewhere. The silence between them was
comfortable, but the unspoken tension remained. They had won battles, but the
war was far from over.
Across
the base, Azul and Raven worked in the operations center, the glow of screens
casting sharp light across their faces.
Data
feeds scrolled like waves of code across the monitors—enemy movements,
encrypted transmissions, live surveillance from recon drones.
Azul's
fingers flew across the keyboard, her brow furrowed, jaw tight. She barely
blinked, cycling through targets, decrypting layers of security like she was at
war with the system itself.
Raven
watched her from across the table, arms folded, eyes scanning more than just
the screens.
She was watching Azul.
"You need sleep," she said quietly, not unkind. Her voice was low, steady—something softer than usual hiding beneath it.
Azul didn't look up. "Not until we have everyone back."
Her voice cracked, just slightly, but she buried it beneath her speed.
Raven stepped closer, leaning against the edge of the console. "Azul." Still typing.
Raven leaned in, her voice even lower now. "You won't be any good to them if you collapse."
That made Azul pause. Only for a second. But it was enough.
She took a breath, and exhaled slowly. Her hands hovered above the keyboard before finally resting against the edge of the desk. "I know," she said. "I just… can't stop. Not yet." Raven didn't say "I understand." She didn't need to. Instead, she reached out, her hand resting gently against Azul's shoulder—a rare gesture, one only Azul ever saw from her. "You're not doing this alone," Raven said. And Azul—for the first time in hours—finally looked up.
Her eyes met Raven's. Tired. Determined. But steadier now.
"Thanks,"
she whispered.
Raven
gave the faintest nod, then turned back toward the monitors, standing just a
little closer than before.
Meanwhile,
in the medical bay, Lily moved with practiced speed, weaving between cots and
bandaged soldiers. Her gloves were stained, her sleeves rolled, and her focus
razor-sharp. There was no room for hesitation. Not tonight.
Luis Vega sat on the edge of a cot, wincing as he rolled his shoulder with a grimace.
"Feels like I got hit by a truck," he muttered.
"Because you did," Lily shot back without missing a beat. "Now stop moving before I sedate you out of spite."
Luis smirked. "Didn't know bedside manners came with threats."
She pressed a cool injector to the base of his neck and gave him a dry look. "Only for the ones who don't listen."
He flinched as the meds kicked in. "You always this charming?"
Lily arched a brow. "You're still breathing, aren't you?"
Luis chuckled, then lowered his voice a little. "So… you and Jeffrie?"
She paused—just for a second.
"What about us?"
He leaned back slightly, studying her. "You've got this… thing. Like, he walks into the room and your whole posture changes. You glare at him like he's your worst headache—but you treat him like he's the only one you'd bother to keep alive."
Lily didn't answer right away. She checked the monitor beside him, too focused for it to be natural.
"I've known him a long time," she said eventually.
"That all?" Lily let out a quiet breath. "Jeffrie's the kind of person who makes you
furious—because he throws himself at every impossible fight like it's nothing.
Like he doesn't think twice about what he's risking. But he never lets anyone else take the hit."
Luis
watched her carefully. "And you hate that?"
She
met his gaze, honest for once. "No. I hate how much I understand it."
Silence
hung between them.
Then,
quieter: "He carries everyone. All of us. Like it's some personal duty he never
asked for. And when no one's watching… I think it breaks him. Inch by inch."
Luis's
smirk faded.
Lily
looked away, her voice sharper now. "So yeah. I yell. I patch him up. I
threaten to stab him with his own damn knife if he goes out half-healed again.
Because that's how I protect him."
Luis
nodded slowly. "Sounds like more than just patching him up."
Lily
grabbed the bandages and turned, heading toward the next cot.
Right
before she walked away, she said without turning back—
"Yeah It is. Luis watched Lily move to the next cot, still grinning. He couldn't help it—pain and all, the medic was sharp, gorgeous, and terrifying in all the best ways.
"Y'know," he said, voice teasing, "if every shot came with a scolding and a view like that, I might fake an injury just to keep you close."
Lily didn't even look at him. "You fake anything, and I'll inject you with something
that makes you wish you were still unconscious."
Luis laughed—relaxed, too proud of his own charm.
Out in the hallway, Jeffrie, Ray, and Trice were walking past the med bay. They hadn't meant to stop—until Jeffrie did.
Just one step past the door, he froze.
Ray caught it immediately. "Brudda?"
Jeffrie didn't respond.
He'd heard it.
A low heat pulsed off his shoulders—barely visible at first. Wisps of flame flickered along his collarbones, licking upward like a warning flare. Wind coiled around his frame in a slow spiral, pulling at his shirt and sleeves. Beneath it all, something darker bled through… a faint ripple of abyssal mist leaking at his heels.
Trice noticed too. "Oh no. Luis picked the wrong time."
Without a word, Jeffrie turned and stepped into the med bay.
The temperature dropped—and rose—in the same breath. The air warped like it didn't know whether to burn or freeze.
Ray and Trice stopped at the entrance. Watching.
Jeffrie's eyes found Luis instantly.
Cold.
Unblinking.
And now glowing faintly, burning with restrained fury.
Luis's grin cracked. "Hey, man. Just a little harmless fun—"
Jeffrie stepped forward.
The wind kicked up around him in a whispering cyclone, brushing papers off the nearby tray.
Luis raised both hands quickly. "Seriously, I wasn't trying to—"
Another step. The flames flared brighter, then dimmed into embers. But the abyss didn't. It curled around his boots like shadowy fog, alive and waiting.
Ray exhaled. "He's got all three going…"
Trice muttered, "If the void hums, I'm grabbing Lily and running."
Then Jeffrie spoke—low, calm, and deadly.
"Fun starts when my patience ends."
Another
step.
Luis
tensed, instinctively leaning back on the cot, suddenly aware of every ache in
his body.
But
before Jeffrie could say another word—
"Stop."
Lily's
voice cut through the room—clear, firm, commanding.
She
didn't raise it, but she didn't have to.
Jeffrie
froze mid-step.
Lily
finally turned to face him, eyes narrowed. "You want to threaten someone, do it
outside. This is my bay. My rules. And my patient."
Jeffrie
held her gaze. "He was pushing boundaries."
"So are you," she shot back. "He's under my care. If you want to fight, go punch a wall. But in here? I don't care who you are—no one compromises a patient's
safety. Not even you."
Silence fell like a hammer.
Ray blinked. "Damn."
Trice exhaled slowly like he was watching a bomb tick down from five.
Jeffrie's jaw flexed. For a moment, it looked like he might say something—but then his gaze flicked to Luis. Then back to Lily.
He stepped back. "Understood," he said quietly. And just like that, he turned and walked out.
Ray and Trice exchanged a look, then followed, both wisely saying nothing.
Luis sat frozen for a few seconds. Then: "…I'm going to shut up now."
Lily didn't look at him as she unwrapped a fresh bandage. "Smart choice."