Chapter 128

Chapter 128

01:31:57

The countdown glowed red against the darkness.

Relentless.

Unforgiving.

Every second brought the island closer to disaster.

Every second brought them closer to Vale.

And every second cost innocent children their lives.

"We split up."

Damon's words lingered in the air.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

Necessary.

Nobody liked the plan.

Which usually meant it was the right one.

Because they no longer had the luxury of staying together.

The island was too large.

The threats too numerous.

The time too short.

One team couldn't save everyone.

Not anymore.

Smoke continued rising from deeper inside the forest.

The nursery.

The youngest children.

The explosion still echoed in everyone's minds.

Because those weren't soldiers.

Those weren't trained operatives.

Those were children.

Actual children.

The thought hardened Damon's resolve.

"We need to move."

Nova nodded immediately.

For once, there was no argument.

No sarcasm.

No complaints.

Only urgency.

"What's the plan?"

Damon looked around the group.

The surviving children huddled together behind them.

Terrified.

Confused.

Watching everything with wide eyes.

The sight made him angrier.

At Vale.

At the Program.

At the entire island.

Then he forced himself to focus.

"We hit multiple objectives."

A pause.

"Simultaneously."

Everyone listened.

Because they had no other choice.

Damon pointed toward Isabella.

"You know the island best."

She nodded.

Though fear still lingered in her eyes.

Fifteen years of captivity didn't disappear overnight.

Neither did trauma.

Neither did memories.

Yet she stood anyway.

Because courage wasn't the absence of fear.

It was moving despite it.

"The nursery is northwest."

She pointed toward a cluster of distant buildings.

Barely visible through the trees.

"The tower is straight ahead."

Everyone looked.

The massive structure dominated the skyline.

Watching them.

Waiting.

Like a giant.

Like a threat.

Like Vale herself.

Then Isabella continued.

"Sector Seven is beneath the western compound."

Damon glanced down at the keycard still clutched in his hand.

The one given to him by the young girl.

The girl who was simply tired.

The memory made his jaw tighten.

Because no child should ever feel that way.

Not at thirteen.

Not at any age.

Yet Vale had built an entire kingdom from exhausted children.

The realization made him sick.

Then Hale spoke.

"We need teams."

Everyone nodded.

Obviously.

The question was who went where.

For several seconds nobody said anything.

Then Cassian broke the silence.

"I'll take the nursery."

Everyone looked at him.

Surprised.

Because Cassian rarely volunteered for anything dangerous.

At least not first.

He shrugged.

"The youngest kids need someone charming."

Nova rolled her eyes.

Immediately.

"Then we definitely shouldn't send you."

For a brief moment

A tiny laugh escaped Mira.

The sound surprised everyone.

Including herself.

Because laughter felt wrong here.

Wrong.

Yet somehow necessary.

A reminder that they were still human.

Then Seraphine stepped forward.

"I'll go with him."

No hesitation.

No doubt.

Just certainty.

Cassian grinned.

"See? Somebody appreciates me."

"Don't push it."

The grin remained.

Because even in the middle of a war zone

Cassian was still Cassian.

Then Nova sighed dramatically.

"I'll help the idiots rescue children."

Cassian looked offended.

"That was rude."

"It was accurate."

The exchange lasted only seconds.

Yet somehow it helped.

Helped them remember who they were.

What they were fighting for.

Then Damon turned toward Hale.

"You and Mira go with them."

Both nodded.

Immediately.

That settled one team.

The nursery team.

Five people.

One objective.

Save the youngest children.

Then came the harder decision.

The tower.

Silence settled over the clearing.

Because everyone knew who needed to go.

Damon.

Luca.

Isabella.

The three people Vale wanted most.

The three people this story had always revolved around.

Nobody said it.

Nobody needed to.

The truth already existed between them.

Then Isabella spoke softly.

"She's waiting for us."

No one argued.

Because she was right.

Vale wasn't hiding.

She wasn't running.

She wasn't afraid.

She wanted them to come.

Wanted them to climb that tower.

Wanted them to reach her.

Which was precisely why it felt like a trap.

A massive trap.

Possibly the biggest trap any of them had ever seen.

And yet

They had no choice.

Because the countdown kept moving.

01:27:42

Time didn't care about traps.

Time didn't care about fear.

Time only moved forward.

Then suddenly

A scream echoed through the forest.

Everyone froze.

The sound came from behind them.

One of the children.

A young boy.

Maybe twelve years old.

He collapsed to the ground.

Convulsing.

Violently.

The other children immediately backed away.

Terrified.

As though they'd seen this before.

The reaction alone made Isabella's blood run cold.

Because she had seen it before.

Years ago.

In the laboratories.

In the testing chambers.

"No."

Her voice barely worked.

The boy continued shaking.

Blood running from his nose.

Then his ears.

Then his eyes.

Mira rushed toward him immediately.

Instinct.

Compassion.

Humanity.

But Isabella grabbed her arm.

Hard.

"Wait."

Mira looked shocked.

"What?"

Isabella stared at the boy.

Horrified.

Because she recognized the symptoms.

And she knew exactly what came next.

The realization made her sick.

Then the boy stopped moving.

Completely.

Silence.

Everyone stared.

Nobody breathed.

Then suddenly

His eyes opened.

The wrong eyes.

Not frightened.

Not confused.

Not human.

Empty.

Completely empty.

The boy slowly stood.

Ignoring the blood covering his face.

Ignoring the pain.

Ignoring everything.

Then he spoke.

But it wasn't his voice.

Not really.

It was Vale's.

The exact same voice.

The exact same tone.

The exact same smile hidden behind every word.

"Good evening."

The forest fell silent.

Absolute silence.

Because somehow

Vale was speaking through him.

Like a puppet.

Like a machine.

Like a god speaking through a prophet.

The sight was horrifying.

The boy's mouth moved.

Yet Vale's presence filled the clearing.

Watching.

Mocking.

Smiling.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?"

No one answered.

No one could.

Because the implications were too terrible.

How many children?

How many minds?

How many lives had she turned into extensions of herself?

The thought made Damon furious.

The boy smiled.

Or rather

Vale smiled through him.

Then her gaze found Luca.

Immediately.

Like always.

The amusement vanished.

Instantly.

Replaced by cold disappointment.

"Still alive."

The words hit harder than a threat.

Luca remained motionless.

Expression unreadable.

Yet Damon saw it.

The tension.

The anger.

The pain.

Years of it.

Then Vale's attention shifted toward Isabella.

And something unexpected happened.

For the first time

She looked genuinely pleased.

"My favorite mistake."

Isabella flinched.

The words cut deep.

Because they weren't entirely wrong.

Vale had kept her alive.

Experimented on her.

Obsessed over her.

For fifteen years.

The nightmare returning full force.

Then Vale looked at Damon.

And smiled.

Warmly.

Terrifyingly.

"My key."

The title made everyone uncomfortable.

Especially Damon.

Then Vale delivered the message she'd clearly planned.

The reason she hijacked the child.

The reason she'd interrupted them.

The reason she'd waited.

"You have one hour."

Silence.

The countdown on the Guardian's arm flickered.

Changed.

Everyone stared.

Because the number was different.

Much different.

01:00:00

No.

No.

No.

Vale had accelerated it again.

The realization slammed into everyone.

One hour.

Only one hour.

The boy smiled.

Then collapsed.

Unconscious.

Vale's presence vanished instantly.

Leaving only silence behind.

Terrified silence.

Because now there was no room left for mistakes.

No room left for hesitation.

No room left for fear.

One hour.

That was all they had.

Then Damon looked toward the tower.

Toward Vale.

Toward the end of everything.

And quietly said:

"Move."

The teams separated immediately.

Running in opposite directions.

Toward different battles.

Toward different destinies.

Toward the final hour.

And high above the island, hidden within the tower's highest floor, Vale stood before a wall of monitors.

Watching.

Smiling.

Because the closer they came

The closer Damon came

The more excited she became.

The experiment was almost complete.