Three

CHAPTER THREE: THE WOMAN WHO KNOWS TOMORROW

Kael cancelled the briefing, but he didn’t believe me completely. He moved it to a secure conference room and filled the corridor with armed guards. If I was lying, I would be exposed. If I was telling the truth, he would catch whoever was behind the attack.

I had no intention of waiting around to see which outcome he preferred.

While Rowan reviewed the security logs, I used my temporary access to pull the warehouse manifests. The first address contained bottled water and canned food. The second held antibiotics, bandages, and portable generators. The third stored batteries, radios, and fuel canisters.

I memorised the quantities and saved copies to my phone. Then I found a fourth shipment listed under an industrial cleaning company. It contained protective suits, respirators, and sealed laboratory containers. The delivery had been authorised by Dr. Mara Voss.

My stomach tightened. Mara had testified against my father. She had told the council he falsified containment results, and Kael had accepted her evidence. In the first timeline, I discovered the truth only after both of them were dead.

Not this time.

I copied the records and sent a secure message to my father: *Please stop all work on the containment project until I can speak to you. Do not sign anything from Mara.*

His reply arrived almost immediately. *Serena, what have you found?*

I typed, deleted, and typed again. I couldn’t explain rebirth in a message. *I have proof someone is altering the reports. Meet me at home at six. Come alone.*

The system chimed.

[OPTIONAL MISSION: ACQUIRE ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES.]

[REWARD: 500 SURVIVAL POINTS.]

[FAILURE PENALTY: STORAGE LOCKOUT FOR 48 HOURS.]

I accepted. The mission listed food, clean water, first-aid supplies, and a portable radio. I had enough money for a few items, but not the quantities I needed. I remembered the logistics company shares and the market surge that would begin at opening.

My phone rang. An unfamiliar number.

“Ms. Vale?” a man asked. “This is Adrian Cole from Northline Logistics. We received your purchase request for a large block of shares. Your account balance is insufficient to complete the order.”

“I know. I’m calling to negotiate a short-term loan against the shares.”

He laughed. “You’re asking us to lend you money to buy stock you can’t afford?”

“I’m asking you to look at the port closure announcement that hasn’t been made public yet. Northline will triple in value before the end of the week because it controls the only clear freight route.”

“That sounds like insider trading.”

“Then don’t invest. Just check the port authority’s maintenance schedule. A shipment diversion is already approved.”

There was a pause. “How do you know that?”

“Because I’m giving you a chance to make money before everyone else.”

He agreed to review the details. It was not a victory yet, but it was a door opening. I had learned in my first life that survival was not just about weapons. It was about getting access before everyone realised they needed it.

A message from Rowan interrupted me. *Commander wants you in the conference room. Now.*

I arrived to find a security officer pinned against the wall while Kael questioned him. The officer had used his badge to access the western stairwell shortly before the assassination attempt. He insisted he had been checking a maintenance fault.

I recognised his name from the first timeline. He had been one of Mara’s private guards.

“Search his locker,” I said. “Look for a silver ring with a split crest.”

Kael turned sharply. “You recognise him?”

“I recognise the company he works for.”

The guard lunged toward the exit. Rowan caught him before he reached the door. A search revealed the ring, a burner phone, and a transfer receipt from a shell company connected to Mara.

Kael’s expression became frighteningly calm. “Take him to a secure cell. No outside contact.”

As the soldiers led the guard away, Kael faced me. “You keep producing answers before we know the questions.”

“I told you I know what’s coming.”

“You expect me to believe you can see the future?”

“I expect you to believe evidence. Start with the records I copied.”

He studied me, then held out his hand. I gave him the tablet. His fingers brushed mine, and an unexpected spark of awareness ran up my arm. I pulled away too quickly.

His gaze followed the movement. “Am I frightening you, Miss Vale?”

“No. I’m reminding myself that you’re dangerous.”

“Good. You should.”

There was no flirtation in his voice, yet the charged silence lingered. I hated it. Attraction was an inconvenience I could not afford, especially toward a man I had watched execute my father.

I stepped back and pointed to the report. “Mara authorised the shipment of protective equipment. The same equipment appears in the containment facility inventory. She’s moving materials before the first breach.”

Kael read the documents. “We need to verify the shipment.”

“By then it will be gone.”

“You cannot expect me to send soldiers based only on your certainty.”

“Then come with me and see it yourself.”

He stared at me, weighing the risk. “You’ll remain beside Rowan.”

“Fine.”

“And if you try to disappear—”

“I’ll save you the trouble and tell you where I’m going.”

His mouth twitched. “You are exhausting.”

“Then stop following me.”

He almost smiled again. This time, I definitely saw it.

We reached the loading bay before midnight. The suspicious shipment was being transferred into an unmarked truck. When Kael’s soldiers blocked the exit, the driver fled, leaving a sealed container behind.

Inside were respirators, stabilisers, and sample cases stamped with my father’s research code.

Kael’s face changed as he read the label.

“Your father’s work was supposed to be destroyed,” he said.

“It wasn’t destroyed. Someone kept it.”

The system flashed a new warning.

[CONTAINMENT BREACH TIMELINE ADVANCED: 27 DAYS REMAINING.]

I looked at Kael. “Now do you believe me?”

He closed the container with a hard snap. “I believe someone is preparing for a disaster.”

“That’s a start.”

Then a soldier shouted from the truck’s cabin. He had found a phone with one message on the screen.

*The girl knows. Bring Serena Vale to me alive.*

The message was signed with one initial.