The base did not celebrate their return.
There were no cheers, no relief. Just staring faces and whispers that crawled through the broken halls like insects. People stepped aside as Xin and the others walked in, eyes flicking to his bleeding hand, to Rion's sword, to the empty space where Ethan should have been.
Tara shut the blast door behind them and leaned against it for a second.
"Everyone breathe," she said. "We're alive. That matters."
Alaric sank into a chair and rubbed his face with both hands. "We were about to die. Then time stopped. Then we were here."
"No," Tara replied. "Time didn't stop for us. Something stopped it."
Xin sat down slowly, the weight finally hitting him. His hand throbbed, but he barely noticed. His mind was still in the tunnel, frozen dust hanging in the air, Andy's blade inches away.
"She knew us," Xin said.
Rion looked up. "Yes."
"She knew Kaila," Xin continued. "She called her the Skate."
Rion's jaw tightened. "That was Selena."
The room went quiet.
Alaric looked up sharply. "You know her."
"Not personally," Rion said. "But Kurai does."
Tara crossed her arms. "Then start talking."
Scene: What Selena Did Not Say
Rion hesitated, then spoke carefully. "She is not aligned with the Dive. Not fully. She does not move unless something important shifts."
"And us," Alaric said. "We matter."
"Yes," Rion replied. "And Andy matters more."
Xin clenched his teeth. "Why save us then."
Rion shook his head. "She did not save us for you. She saved us because Andy is a problem that grows too fast."
Tara paced slowly. "So we're pieces on a board."
"Yes," Rion said. "But alive pieces."
Xin stared at the floor. "She looked at me like she already knew how this ends."
No one answered that.
Scene: The Cost
They held a small gathering for Ethan.
No speeches. No flags. Just a quiet corner where his name was added to a wall already too full.
Xin stood there longer than anyone else.
"He didn't hesitate," Xin said quietly.
Tara nodded. "Neither can we."
Scene: Andy Moves the World
Far from the base, the earth began to change.
The black bloom spread outward from Andy's position, not in a rush, but in veins. Underground lines followed old tunnels, water systems, forgotten subways. Animals fled first. Then people started getting sick.
Andy walked through the depths, touching walls, feeling the world respond.
"Grow," he whispered.
The bloom obeyed.
Scene: Another Predator Wakes
High above, far from Andy and far from the base, Zane stood on the edge of a ruined city tower.
He felt it.
The nuke. The time stop. The interference.
Someone had stepped onto his hunt.
He smiled slowly.
"So," he said, "someone else thinks this is their game."
The wind howled around him as he stepped forward into empty air and did not fall.
Scene: Decision
Back at the base, Tara gathered them again.
"The nuke failed," she said. "Running failed. We need answers."
"Where," Alaric asked.
Tara looked at Rion. "Him."
Rion met her gaze. "Kurai knows places the Dive never mapped."
Xin stood. "Then that's where we go."
Tara nodded. "We don't chase Andy yet. We learn how to kill something that cannot die."
Xin closed his fist, blood seeping through the bandage.
"And when we're ready," he said, voice steady, "we finish it."
The lights flickered.
Somewhere far away, something laughed.