⁠The Odyssey was bigger than I thought.From the outside it looked like⁠ a‍ regular cargo vessel. Big, gray, rust in the right places. The kind of ship you see a hundred of in any p⁠ort⁠ and never look at t⁠wice.But up close you could see the differences. Extra antenna⁠e. Strange domes on the deck.⁠ No crew visibl⁠e anywhere.We came in at night. Small boat, quiet motor, cut th⁠e lights a⁠ mile out. Borealis had the sc⁠hematics. Knew where the weak points were. Where they'd keep prisoners.Where they'⁠d keep the kids.Caiman took the port side. Kenji starboard⁠. Me and Borealis went up the middle.First sign we weren't alone was the drone.Little thing, no bigger than a bird, came buzzing out of nowhere. Hovered right in front of my face for half a second. Then it sc⁠reame‌d.Loud. High-pitched. The kind of sound that w⁠akes up‍ the whole ship.So much for quiet.They came fast.‌Not soldie⁠rs⁠. Not like any soldiers I'd seen. Black gear, smooth h⁠elmets, moved like they were all con

The island was quiet for three days.Not the bad quiet. The good kind. No gunfire. No alarms. The kids sleeping through the night. The kind of quiet that makes you remember what normal used to feel like.We needed it.Maja started talking more. Small things. Asking about birds. Fish. The way the light hit the water in the evening. Lars followed Borealis everywhere, watching him work, asking quiet questions. Leo stayed close to Kenji. Always watching. Always learning.Liv handled meals. Caiman kept watch. I just… slowed down. Let the days move.Then the call came.Elena’s voice on the sat phone. Tight. Different.“It’s my mother. She’s seizing. You need to come. Now.”We took the boat. Pushed it hard. Four hours across rough water to the safe house where Elena and her mother were staying with the medical team.By the time we arrived, the seizure had stopped.But she wasn’t better.The room was small. White walls. Machines humming. Elena’s mother lay in the bed, eyes open but unfocused.

Zurich was clean.Too clean. The streets were swept. The buildings were old but perfect, like someone polished them every morning. No trash. No graffiti. No noise. Just quiet money and people who looked at you like they knew you didn't belong.We got a room in a cheap hotel near the train station. Small. One window that looked at a brick wall. Elena spread papers on the bed. Borealis had his pad. Caiman stood by the door, watching the hallway through the peephole.Maja sat in the corner. Quiet. Watching everything."The bank," Elena said. "Kantonal Privatbank. Been there since 1873. They don't advertise. Don't have a website. Don't take new clients unless you're introduced by an existing one.""Vogler," I said."Vogler's been with them for forty years. His family is longer. He has a private vault. Level three. That's where the data is.""How do you know?"She pulled up a file. Prometheus internal memo. Dated six months ago. "They moved it here after the Arctic facility went dark. I wa

I heard the first shots when I was on my second cup of coffee.They came from the direction of Vogler's house. Not close. Maybe a few blocks away. But the kind of sound you know immediately. Sharp. Controlled. Not some street punk with a pistol. This was professional.I was already on my feet. My coffee sat untouched on the little table by the window.Elena's voice came through my earpiece. "I heard that. I'm moving."Caiman cut in. "I see them. Multiple hostiles approaching the front gate. I count six. No, eight. They're in full gear. Black. Rifles up."Borealis over the comm, his voice tight and quick. "Satellite just activated over your position. Military grade. They have coverage. They knew you were there."I was already running. Out of the café, across the street, toward the gate. "Maja? Maja, talk to me."Nothing.I tried again, louder. "Maja, answer me right now."Still nothing.The front gate was blown open. The wrought iron hung off the hinges, twisted and wrecked. Two guards

The call came at three in the morning.I was sitting by the door with my back against the wall. I was not really sleeping. I just had my eyes closed. Then my earpiece crackled. It was Liv. She sounded worn out. Not just tired. The kind of tiredness that comes from watching someone fade slowly and knowing you cannot stop it."Jax. You need to tell Elena. It's her mother."I sat up straight. My chest felt tight. "What happened?""The machine is failing. The doctors here say it is hours. Maybe less. She has been looking toward the door. She cannot talk. But her eyes keep searching. Like she is waiting for Elena."I looked across the room. Elena was curled up on the floor with her head on her pack. Maja was beside her. She was using Elena’s coat as a blanket."I will tell her," I said.I got up and walked over. I knelt next to Elena and touched her shoulder. She woke up fast. We all wake up fast now."Your mother," I said quietly. "Liv says it is time."She did not speak. She just stared