“He’s going to test her,” I said. “Push. Probe. See what makes her flinch.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
My voice dropped.
“Then he’ll testme and see what we do next.”
Boone’s console chimed.
“I’ve got something,” he said. “Secondary power signatures. Old infrastructure. Desert-adjacent. Three possible vectors.”
I leaned in, eyes narrowing.
“Which one feels wrong?” I asked.
Boone swallowed. “The one that shouldn’t exist.”
“Send it,” I said.
The map shifted. A faint outline appeared—half-erased, half-buried beneath outdated schematics.
There.
I felt it in my bones.
“That’s where he went,” I said.
Russ reached for his headset. “We can be wheels-up in—”
“No,” I cut in. “Not yet.”
They both looked at me.
“He’s watching,” I said. “He wants to see how fast we chase.”
I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to wait—just long enough.
“Scout didn’t scream,” I said quietly. “She whispered. That means she’s still thinking.”
I tapped the screen once.
“And she bought us more than time.”
Boone frowned. “What else?”
I met his gaze.
“She taught me how Sentinel reacts when he’s threatened. Raine says she is amazed how Scout can figure out what is in someone's mind.”
Which meant the next move wasn’t his.
It was mine.
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.
“Lock everything down,” I said. “We move in shadow. No comm chatter. No heroics.”
Because Sentinel thought he’d regained control.
