Chapter 14 Jase
Jase
Location: Forest — Moving South Ridge
Time: Midday
We move fast.
Not reckless.
Not sloppy.
But fast enough that if they’re still tracking us—
They’ll have to work for it.
Mila keeps pace beside me.
No hesitation.
No complaints.
No questions.
That’s what bothers me.
She always has questions.
“You’re quiet,” I say.
“I’m thinking.”
“About?”
She doesn’t answer right away.
That’s not like her either.
Finally—
“…that mark,” she says.
Yeah.
That.
The one behind the guy’s ear.
Small.
Clean.
Professional.
Wrong.
“You’ve seen it before,” I say.
Not a question.
She nods once.
“Once.”
“Where?”
A beat.
Then—
“In a restricted file I wasn’t supposed to access.”
I almost smile.
“That sounds like you.”
“Don’t start.”
Wouldn’t dream of it.
“What kind of file?” I ask.
She exhales slowly.
“Black archive level.”
That—
That gets my attention.
“That’s not just restricted.”
“I know.”
“Who had access?”
She hesitates.
Just for a second.
But I see it.
That flicker.
That calculation.
That tells me everything I need to know.
“You’re not saying,” I note.
“I’m deciding.”
“Same difference.”
“No,” she says sharply. “It’s not.”
We stop moving.
Not planned.
Not coordinated.
It just—
Happens.
Because this?
This matters more than the next ten yards of forest.
Mila
I don’t want to say it.
Because once I do—
There’s no taking it back.
“You asked who had access,” I say slowly.
“I did.”
I meet his eyes.
Steady.
Certain.
“This wasn’t just intelligence-level clearance.”
He doesn’t react.
Not outwardly.
But I see it.
The shift.
The focus.
The readiness.
“It was joint access,” I continue. “Cross-program.”
Silence.
Then—
“Define cross-program.”
I hold his gaze.
“You.”
A beat.
Then—
“Me?”
“And me.”
That lands.
Hard.
Because now—
It’s not just a leak.
It’s personal.
Jase
That’s not good.
That’s not even remotely good.
“That kind of access doesn’t just happen,” I say.
“No.”
“So either someone built a bridge—”
“Or someone was already standing in both worlds.”
Yeah.
That option’s worse.
Much worse.
“Name,” I say.
Not asking.
Not suggesting.
Command.
She stiffens.
Just slightly.
Then—
“…I don’t have one yet.”
I don’t believe that.
Not for a second.
“You’re holding something back.”
“I’m confirming something first.”
“With what time?” I gesture around us. “We’re being hunted.”
“I know.”
“Then say it.”
She steps closer.
Not backing down.
Never backing down.
“If I’m wrong,” she says, voice low, “I burn the wrong person.”
“And if you’re right?”
Her eyes don’t leave mine.
“Then we’re already too late.”
Mila
He doesn’t like that answer.
Good.
Neither do I.
“We need to move,” he says finally.
“Yes.”
But neither of us does.
Because we both know—
This just changed everything.
“I’ve seen that mark tied to one operation,” I say.
He waits.
Doesn’t interrupt.
Doesn’t push.
That’s new.
“That operation was buried,” I continue. “Not classified. Not sealed.”
“Erased.”
“Yes.”
His jaw tightens.
“Who ran it?”
I hesitate.
Again.
Because this is the part that matters.
The part that changes everything.
“…it wasn’t a who,” I say quietly.
“It was a designation.”
“Which is?”
I swallow.
Because even saying it—
Feels like opening a door we can’t close.
“Project Helix.”
Jase
Yeah.
That name?
That’s a problem.
A big one.
Because I’ve heard of it.
Not officially.
Not in a briefing.
But in the kind of conversations that don’t get written down.
The kind that ends careers.
Or lives.
“That program was shut down,” I say.
Mila lets out a humorless breath.
“So was Sentinel.”
Fair point.
“What did Helix do?” I ask.
She looks at me.
Really looks.
Like she’s deciding how much to give me.
How much to trust me.
“It didn’t just gather intel,” she says.
“It built networks.”
I nod slowly.
“Ghost networks?”
She shakes her head.
“Worse.”
A beat.
Then—
“Embedded ones.”
“They didn’t infiltrate targets,” I say.
“They became part of them.”
Jase goes still.
Completely still.
“They placed assets inside organizations,” I continue.
“Deep cover. Long-term. No extraction timeline.”
“How deep?” he asks.
I hold his gaze.
“High enough to pass clearance.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
“They didn’t just plant spies,” I say quietly.
“They built… replacements.”
Jase
Yeah.
That’s worse.
Much worse.
Because that means—
“They could be anyone,” I say.
Mila nods.
“Exactly.”
A branch snaps somewhere behind us.
Close.
Too close.
We both turn instantly—guns up—
But nothing moves.
Nothing shows.
Still—
That was not an accident.
“They’re still tracking us,” I say.
“Or predicting us.”
“Same outcome.”
“Yeah.”
I glance at her.
She meets my eyes.
And for the first time—
There’s no argument.
No resistance.
No distance.
Just—
Understanding.
“We don’t split again,” I say.
Not a suggestion.
Not this time.
A line.
Drawn.
Mila
I should argue.
I should push back.
I should—
I don’t.
Because now I get it.
Now I see it.
This isn’t just about survival anymore.
It’s about who we can trust.
And right now?
That list is very short.
“…fine,” I say.
He watches me.
Suspicious.
Like he’s waiting for the catch.
There isn’t one.
Not this time.
“We stay together,” I add.
His shoulders relax.
Just slightly.
Barely noticeable.
But I see it.
And then—
Because apparently I’ve lost all self-preservation—
I add quietly:
“…I’m not losing you out here.”
Jase
That—
That I didn’t expect.
Not from her.
Not now.
Not—
At all.
I step closer.
Before I think better of it.
Before I shut it down.
Before I—
Stop.
“You’re not going to,” I say.
Quiet.
Certain.
Closer now.
Too close again.
Always too close.
Her breath catches.
Just a little.
Enough.
“Good,” she whispers.
And for a second—
Just one—
Everything else disappears.
The threat.
The mission.
The betrayal.
All of it.
Gone.
Until—
Gunfire explodes behind us.