3. Isaac
ISAAC
The next morning found Logan making conversation with half the packhouse before eight in the morning. I wasn't surprised. A little annoyed, maybe.
Was I concerned for the continued survival of my sanity? Definitely, but surprised? Not even a little.
The dining hall sat near the center of the compound, large enough to accommodate most of the pack during communal meals.
The scent of coffee, eggs, bacon, and fresh biscuits lingered heavily in the air, mingling with dozens of overlapping conversations.
Pack members drifted in and out around us with the easy rhythm of routine. Nobody paid us much attention at first. That lasted all of thirty seconds.
Recognition spread through the room in stages. A double take from one table, followed by a whisper from another, then someone pulling out their phone.
To their credit, Cooper's wolves handled celebrity far better than most people outside pack territory would have.
A few approached Logan to welcome him to Pecan Pines. One teenager asked if the sword fighting scenes in Shadowfall would use practical effects or CGI.
Another wanted to know whether Logan really did his own stunts. An older wolf asked whether the cast had met the original game's voice actors yet. Meanwhile, I collected breakfast.
If left unsupervised, Logan would absolutely survive on coffee and enthusiasm alone. By the time I returned balancing two plates, he was deep in conversation with three different wolves.
Logan was also somehow explaining the differences between practical armor and costume armor. I set his plate down beside him. His face lit up immediately.
"You're the best brother,” Logan said.
"I know,” I answered.
"You remembered extra bacon."
"I also remembered fruit,” I pointed out.
His expression darkened. "Every act of kindness from you comes with hidden conditions."
"You need vitamins,” I told him.
I then turned my attention toward the rest of the room. For a moment, I simply watched.
Pack members moved through the dining hall carrying trays and coffee mugs, greeting each other as they passed. Conversations flowed around us, and laughter erupted from one corner near the coffee station.
Near the windows, a young mother was unsuccessfully trying to explain to her son that syrup did not belong on scrambled eggs.
Life moved around me in its ordinary rhythms. Breakfast before work, friends sharing stories, and parents wrangling children. Nothing remarkable, this was just a room of people living their normal lives.
An unexpected pang settled somewhere behind my ribs. What would that feel like again, to belong somewhere, wake up and recognize every face around you?
To know exactly where you fit. Logan and I had once had that at Winter Valley. Pack runs through snow-covered forests, bonfires during winter festivals, and knowing every wolf in the territory by scent alone.
My eyes drifted toward my brother. He was laughing at something one of the younger wolves had said, looking relaxed in a way I hadn't seen in weeks.
For a moment, I could almost picture it. The two of us in a pack again, and not merely temporary guests. We would finally have a real home. The thought disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived.
It was pointless, not to mention dangerous. Nostalgia was only useful for distracting you from the problems standing directly in front of you.
I had to focus on the present, and the present had plenty of problems already.
Namely one overly enthusiastic IT specialist with questionable professional boundaries and an alarming amount of branded merchandise.
When Logan and I entered the conference room ten minutes later, Nico was already there.
"Good morning, everyone!" Nico seemed far too cheerful and awake.
Nico looked up from his laptop as we entered, bright-eyed and grinning. Certainly, he was far too loud for the early hour.
Once again, he was wearing Shadowfall merchandise. This time it was a black hoodie bearing the game's silver wolf crest across the chest.
The hoodie matched the lanyard hanging around his neck. Which matched the keychain attached to his backpack. Which, if I wasn't mistaken, also matched the wallpaper on his laptop.
Commitment to a theme, I supposed.
"Slept well?" he asked.
I had a strong suspicion that question wasn't directed at me. So I remained silent.
Logan grinned immediately. "Great actually. Those cabins are amazing."
"Right?" Nico said. "The older cabins aren't nearly as comfortable, though. I accidentally fell asleep there during an overnight server update once and woke up feeling like I'd been sleeping on a pile of rocks."
I grabbed two cups of coffee while they talked. To Nico's credit, he'd clearly put considerable work into the setup. Three laptops sat open across the conference table.
One displayed live camera feeds from various locations throughout the town. Another showed a detailed map of the filming site overlaid with color-coded security zones, emergency exits, and access routes.
A third displayed a network monitoring dashboard tracking wireless devices and incoming connections in real time. Several tablets sat charging beside the laptops.
A portable drone rested on a nearby table next to two compact surveillance cameras and enough networking equipment to wire a small city. Printed maps covered one section of the wall.
Someone had marked blind spots in red ink, potential observation positions in blue, and vehicle choke points in green. Nico it seemed, was organised, professional, and unexpectedly thorough.
Unfortunately, competence in one area didn't automatically translate to competence in all areas. Tony still would have been my first choice. Tony, who was older, more experienced.
More importantly? Tony was less likely to become distracted by discussions involving fictional lore and collectible merchandise. I wondered briefly whether it was too late to express my concerns to Cooper.
Logan sat down and chugged his coffee. Nico immediately started conversation.
"So I have a theory that the movie is secretly adapting parts of the Lost Archives storyline."
Logan looked amused. "You're one of those fans, aren't you?"
"One of what fans?"
"The conspiracy wall fans."
Nico looked offended. "I'll have you know my theory board is extremely organized."
"The evidence is overwhelming," Nico continued. "There are similarities in the set designs, similarities in some of the leaked promotional images, similarities in the weapon designs..."
"There are leaked images?"
Nico froze. "Publicly available promotional material released through official channels,” Nico quickly said.
I finally interrupted, unable to keep my mouth shut any longer. "This is a security briefing,”
Both men looked at me.
"Can we move on to more important matters?" I added.
Logan rolled his eyes. "We're making small talk."
"We're wasting time,” I answered. I stared at him, and Logan stared back. Then he shook his head at me.
"You'll have to forgive my brother,” Logan told Nico. "He's always this gruff."
"I'm sitting right here,” I reminded my brother.
To my irritation, Nico snorted. Then his expression shifted slightly.
"Brother," Nico murmured. "Right."
I frowned. "What does that mean?” I asked.
"I read it in the file, but I was just surprised being reminded of that fact now,” Nico said. “You two are like night and day.”
I leaned back in my chair, and decided to quiz him out of some incomprehensible reason. Maybe some part of me still wanted to prove that Nico wasn’t that qualified for this job.
"Emergency extraction route from the northern filming site,” I said.
"The service road approximately six hundred meters east of the main entrance with vehicle staging near the ranger station,” he answered without hesitation.
That was correct, but I wasn’t done."Nearest secondary medical facility."
"County hospital eighteen minutes away under normal traffic conditions,” Nico answered automatically.
I narrowed my eyes. Nico narrowed his back.
“Wait a moment. Are you quizzing me?" Nico asked.
"Maybe,” I said with a shrug.
"That's kind of rude,” Nico muttered.
Logan looked delighted. "You're losing, Isaac."
"I'm evaluating competence,” I told my brother.
"You're losing at evaluating competence."
I ignored him. "The eastern perimeter vulnerability."
“Isaac, stop,” Logan said and I fell silent.
Honestly, I didn’t know what got over me. Nico clearly knew his stuff. Well, some of his stuff at least.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you guys about my idea," Nico said.
He turned his laptop toward us.
An overhead map of the filming site filled the screen, littered with colored markers, lines, and notes that looked less like a security plan and more like the battle strategy for invading a small country.
"I want to install additional hidden cameras throughout the set,” Nico said.
Logan leaned forward in his chair. "More cameras? Is there a reason to?"
I frowned but said nothing as I genuinely wanted to hear the answer.
Honestly, I also wanted to see whether Nico had a good reason for requesting additional resources or whether this was another example of enthusiastic overkill.
Nico's expression shifted. The excitement I'd grown accustomed to over the last half hour faded slightly.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Actually, there is."
Something in his tone made me sit up straighter. Nico clicked a few keys. The map disappeared, and a photograph replaced it. At first glance, it looked harmless enough.
It was a blurry image of Logan stepping out of his trailer during costume fittings yesterday evening.
Logan frowned. "When was this taken?"
"Yesterday. Around 7 pm,” Nico reported.
"I don't remember anyone taking that,” Logan said.
"That's because nobody should have been able to." Nico zoomed out, and the image quality deteriorated immediately. The angle looked wrong somehow.
I leaned closer. "Where was the photographer standing?" I asked.
Nico highlighted a spot on the map. I stared at him.
"That's outside the public access zone,” I said.
“That’s correct,” Nico said.
"There shouldn't have been anyone there,” I murmured.