Vaelor
The people we need are already here.
Brent and Cal near the front table. Minerva standing off to the side watching everything.
The Clockwork trio already moving into the space — Kree by the windows gesturing at something, Declan studying the maps Brent already spread out, Liam standing with his arms crossed waiting for the room to settle.
Zoe walks in right behind us. “Let’s do this.”
Eli squeezes her shoulder. Her guys move toward the table with everyone else.
I take a spot near the table where I can see everything. The maps. The coordinates Beckett got from Linda. The notes Brent’s been making since we talked to him last night.
This is it.
We’re actually doing this.
“All right,” Brent says. He doesn’t raise his voice much but the room quiets anyway. “Linda gave us coordinates this morning. Nightmare Order holding facility, eastern sector.”
He looks at Kree. “You captain the airship, right?”
Kree grins. “I just keep it from falling out of the sky.”
“Noted.” Brent points at the map. “How long to get there?”
Kree leans over the table. Declan moves in beside him.
“Four hours if we stay low,” Declan says. “Maybe five depending on wind patterns and how much we need to avoid patrol corridors.”
“Patrols run every six hours,” Brent says. “If we time it right we can slip through during shift change.”
“Big if,” Kyron mutters.
“It’s the best window we’ve got,” Brent says.
Liam looks at the map. “What about entry points once we’re there?”
“Three main access corridors,” Cal says. “North, east, south. North is most direct but also most watched. East has a service entrance that sees less traffic. South is backup only — it’s longer and more exposed.”
“So we go east,” Rane says.
“Probably,” Brent says. “But we need to account for interior layout once we’re inside. Linda said she’s in a lower holding sector but she didn’t have specifics on which wing.”
“We’ll figure it out when we get there,” Locke says.
Liam looks at him. “That’s not a plan.”
“It’s the best we’ve got.”
“Then we make it better.”
The room settles into planning mode. Declan asking about guard rotations. Kree sketching approach vectors on a scrap of paper. Cal laying out what the Hollow can supply — ropes, harnesses, tools, backup supplies. Brent filling in gaps about Order protocol and response times.
I’m watching it all come together when Zoe steps forward.
“There’s something you need to know.”
The room goes quiet.
She looks at Eli. He nods.
“On our way here, we overheard something. Two officials in uniform talking about a testing program.”
Beckett looks up from his tablet. “What kind of testing.”
“Forced shifts,” Zoe says. “On anomalies. People with deformed marks, incomplete bonds, all of it. They’re bringing them in and forcing the shift to see if it stabilizes.”
“And?” Kyron asks.
Eli’s face is grim. “It works. But they don’t shift back.”
The room goes completely still.
“What do you mean they don’t shift back,” Kyron says.
“Once the shift is forced, they stay that way,” Zoe says. “Permanently. They lose the ability to return to human form.”
No one moves as we all try to process that.
Trey’s face goes white. “That’s what he meant.”
Everyone looks at him.
“Silas. At the Academy. He said his father was interested in her. That she was an anomaly and they wanted to understand how she survived fifteen years outside the system.” His jaw tightens. “He said when his father came for her, he’d be helping.”
“Testing,” Beckett says quietly. His voice is flat.
“That’s what they called it,” Eli confirms.
Locke’s hands are fists. “How long.”
“Days maybe,” Zoe says. “Maybe less. We don’t know how far into the process she is. But this is Nova… They’ll move quickly.”
I look at Liam. He’s already looking at me.
“You said you’d help,” I say.
“We leave in an hour,” Liam says.
Declan doesn’t argue. Just nods and starts recalculating the route.
Kree’s grin is gone. “I’ll prep the ship.”
The room shifts. The planning isn’t careful anymore. It’s fast. Urgent. People moving with purpose.
Brent’s already pulling more maps. Cal’s moving to find volunteers. Minerva steps forward and says something low to Liam that I can’t hear but he nods once.
Mara comes through the door with a bag of supplies. Jonah with older route maps. One of the forest shifters steps inside and says he knows the northern cut if we need it. Darcy appears with climbing harnesses. Someone else with rope.
I watch them drift in. One by one. Two by two. Nobody was asked. They’re just… Showing up with the things we’re going to need.
By the time Declan says we need a north route scout and something to scramble perimeter detection, Cal’s already setting down harnesses. Jonah’s saying he knows the route. Kree’s grinning again, holding the tech.
Someone from the back of the room lifts a hand. “I can help with whatever else you need.”
I don’t recognize him. Tall, maybe mid-thirties, he looks like he spends most of his time outside. He steps forward.
“I’m Max. A friend of Lena’s.” He looks around the room. “Have any of you seen her? She hasn’t been around. I checked her place and—”
“She’s missing,” Brent says quietly.
Max’s face goes pale. “Fuck. She wouldn’t just disappear like that. Not like the other times.”
I catch that. Not like the other times. But right now there isn’t time.
Max nods. He doesn’t look convinced. But he doesn’t leave either.
I finally realize what’s happening.
The town… They were listening the whole time.
Nova told them this town was amazing. That they’d been welcoming. That it was worth fighting for.
And now the Hollow is proving her right.
They’re not waiting to be asked.
They’re just here.
Liam looks at me. “We’re ready.”
I nod.
“Then let’s go get her.”