Chapter 39 Ronan
Ronan
Location: Temporary Safehouse — Eastern Europe
Marcus hasn’t stopped shaking.
Not from cold.
Not from pain.
From the shock of freedom colliding with memory.
He sits at the table wrapped in a blanket, IV taped into his arm, steam rising from the mug Lena pressed into his hands. He hasn’t touched it yet.
He keeps looking at me like I might vanish.
I don’t tell him to stop.
Aaron stands against the wall, arms crossed. Miles and Jase stay quiet—giving space, letting Marcus set the pace.
“You don’t have to do this now,” I say.
Marcus swallows hard. “Yes. I do.”
His voice is raw but steady. Soldier through and through.
“They keep us isolated,” he begins. “Separate wings. Soundproof. No contact. No daylight. I don’t know who is alive.”
Lena’s jaw tightens.
“They tell you everyone else is dead,” Marcus continues. “They told us you died months ago, maybe longer. They showed us footage.”
I nod once. “We figured.”
“They lie constantly,” he says. “But they’re patient. They let the lies sink in.”
He grips the mug so hard his hands tremble.
“The Warden—Malenkov—he doesn’t interrogate,” Marcus says. “He studies. He waits. He watches who holds and who frays.”
My chest tightens.
“And Cal?” I ask quietly.
Marcus’s eyes flick up—sharp, haunted.
“He’s still holding,” he says. “But not much longer.”
Silence drops like a weight.
“Cal’s been punished harder than the rest,” Marcus continues. “They singled him out after some kind of signal leak. Whatever happened—it touched him first.”
Lena inhales sharply.
“He heard something,” Marcus says. “I didn’t know what at the time. But now… now I think it was you.”
I don’t deny it.
Marcus’s voice cracks just a fraction. “They made an example of him. Electricity. Suspension. Lights never off.”
He drags a hand down his face.
“He’s strong, sir,” Marcus adds fiercely. “But no one survives that forever.”
Jonah’s name goes unspoken.
But it’s there.
“He started whispering to the walls,” Marcus admits. “Talking to people who weren’t there. Not crazy—just… alone.”
My jaw locks.
“How long?” I ask.
Marcus meets my eyes.
“Days,” he says. “Maybe hours. I can’t tell time anymore.”
Lena steps forward, placing a hand on Marcus’s shoulder. “You got out,” she says softly. “That matters.”
Marcus nods. “Because of all of you.”
I straighten.
“We’re moving sooner,” I say.
Aaron exhales. “We’re already ahead of schedule.”
“Not enough,” I answer. “Malenkov knows we can reach him. He’ll accelerate transfers.”
Lena looks at me. “Then we don’t hit where he expects.”
I glance at her.
She meets my gaze—focused, brilliant, unyielding. She has studied this place, she knows what she’s talking about.
“We hit the one place he thinks is safest,” she continues. “The site that hasn’t changed at all.”
Marcus frowns. “There’s one like that,” he says slowly. “Deep. Old. No rotation. No transfers.”
My pulse kicks.
“Cal,” I say.
Marcus nods.
“That’s where he is.”
The room goes still.
I look at my team.
“Prep everything,” I say evenly. “We’re not waiting for a perfect window.”
Aaron nods. “We’ll need to move fast.”
“We will,” I agree.
I turn to Marcus. “You did your job. You got us what we needed.”
Marcus’s shoulders sag with relief.
“Just bring him home,” he says hoarsely.
I place a hand on his shoulder.
“I will,” I promise.
Outside, dawn is just beginning to break.
And deep underground, a man who believes he’s already been forgotten is running out of time.
But he’s not alone anymore.
Not even close.