“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.
