Page 194 of Aviatrix

Eli and I exchange a glance.

“But they never gave them access, did they?” I guess.

Dammit. Walker was right. We stole from them.

“That wasn’t your dad’s choice,” Jan says quickly. “And it wasn’t his recommendation. But once the Legion found out Project Aviatrix was underway, once they realized obsidian and alien tech could produce a jet like the VAL-X, they cut off contact.”

“We stole from them,” Eli says with disgust, shaking his head.

Jan presses on. “The global attacks today? I believe they were a coordinated diversion.”

“A diversion for what?” I ask, blinking.

“I believe they used the chaos to extract obsidian from multiple sites,” she confesses.

“Can we confirm it?” Eli asks.

“We will,” Jan replies. “But I need you two to keep this quiet.”

“If they’ve already stripped what they need,” I exhale, “what’s next?”

More secrets. More silence.

Eli reaches for my hand. “We won’t tell anyone.”

Jan rises from her chair. “There’s more we’ll need to discuss but for now, this will have to do.”

Eli and I stand, our fingers still laced.

“I, uh…” I clear my throat. “Just wanted to say thank you. For protecting VAL. For protecting me.”

Jan stops in front of me. Her dark eyes are wide, unreadable, but not unkind. “It’s critical that you stay alive, Kinley. Not just for VAL, but for your father, too. He risked everything for this. For you.”

A knot tightens in my throat. So many people have risked their lives for me. Some didn’t make it out.

“Thank you,” I say again, softer this time.

Jan straightens her blazer. “I’ll be off-grid. There’s a new president to brief, and a factory in Wisconsin that needs dismantling. If I don’t disassemble Rourke’s jets publicly, I’ll be the next headline. Someone has to look like they’re cleaning house.”

Rourke is dead. His reign cut short. His knock-off VAL army officially over before it began.

Eli and I step back as Jan leaves, her smile sharp and brief, like a woman carrying the weight of too many truths.

She goes, and Eli and I just stand there, letting everything settle.

“I don’t even know what to say,” I admit.

He leans down and presses a soft kiss to my forehead. “We can figure it all out later. Let’s go find your mom.”

I look up at him and smile for the first time all day. “Yeah. I want to see her.”

We walk to the mess hall one step at a time. Going through the motions. One foot in front of the other. Head up. Calm, cool, and collected on the outside.

Inside? I’m a storm.

Mom is sitting with Amber when my eyes land on her, her expression tight with worry.

But then, as if she can sense me, her head turns. Her face lights up with relief.