Zara had always liked chaos.
Not the kind that came with Cross's sterile experiments or NeoGeneX's endless paperwork, but the kind that smelled like smoke and adrenaline. The kind that made your pulse race because anything could happen next.
Which was why she'd ditched Cross's shiny conference room and tracked Zeke down on her own.
The forest stretched wide and quiet, moonlight painting silver across the treetops. The cabin sat half-hidden at the edge of a clearing, a tired little thing that looked like it had secrets tucked under its floorboards.
Zara perched on a branch above, twirling a knife between her fingers. She'd been watching for hours—long enough to map their routine. Cadmen training him at dawn, Maya fussing over him at dusk. Zeke stumbling around in between, caught somewhere between terrified and stubborn.
The kid was a mess.
But he was her kind of mess.
A Peek Inside
Zara shifted, eyes narrowing as she caught sight of Zeke through the cabin window. He was pacing, running his hands through his hair, muttering like he was arguing with himself.
She didn't need to guess who he was arguing with. She could practically feel the tether from here—the hum of energy between Zeke and Harbinger. Like a radio signal only she could tune into.
It made her grin.
"Poor kid," she murmured to the night. "Doesn't even know which side of the mirror he's standing on."
For a moment, she considered just letting herself drop through the window and scare him out of his skin. But no. Not yet.
This wasn't about spooking him.
This was about choice.
The Gambit
When she finally moved, it was silent as a shadow. She slipped down from the tree, padded across the clearing, and rapped her knuckles lightly on the cabin door.Three polite knocks.Then she leaned against the frame, smirk ready.
The door flew open a second later, and there he was—Zeke, wide-eyed, shoulders tense like he was ready to swing a bat. Maya hovered behind him, fists clenched, suspicious as ever.
"Well, well," Zara purred. "Home sweet hideout."
Zeke blinked. "What the—"
Maya grabbed the nearest object—a lamp—and raised it like a weapon. "Get out."
1
Zara laughed, hands raised. "Relax, sweetheart. I'm not here to fight."
"You expect us to believe that?" Maya snapped.
"Believe whatever makes you sleep at night. I'm here for him." She pointed her knife—not at them, but at Zeke. "We need to talk."
Sparks
Cadmen thundered down the stairs at the noise, shotgun in hand. His glare was enough to wither steel.
"Step away from the boy," he growled.
Zara rolled her eyes. "Oh please. If I wanted him dead, he'd already be fertilizer. I'm offering him something better."
Zeke frowned, stepping half in front of Maya despite the tremor in his shoulders. "What kind of something?"
Zara's grin widened. "The truth."
Cadmen snorted. "She doesn't know the meaning of the word."
"Funny," Zara shot back. "Because the truth is, you're all lying to him. Pretending he can 'train' this thing away. Pretending Harbinger won't eat him alive from the inside out."
Zeke stiffened. His knuckles whitened on the doorframe.
Maya bristled. "He's stronger than you think."
"Oh, I don't doubt it," Zara said smoothly. "I've seen the strength. But let's be real—" she leaned closer, eyes locking on Zeke—"you feel it too, don't you? The rush. The heat. The part of you that wants to stop fighting and just let go."
Zeke swallowed hard. For a moment, the world was quiet except for his heartbeat.
The Offer
Zara sheathed her knife, making the gesture look casual. "Here's the deal, kid. Cross doesn't own me. She doesn't own you. And Harbinger? He doesn't play by anyone's rules. But me…"
She tapped her temple. "I know how to survive this game. You stick with Cadmen, you'll break yourself trying to live up to his rules. You stick with me, maybe you learn how to bend them instead."
Maya's voice cut sharp. "Don't listen to her, Zeke."
Zara tilted her head. "Why not? Because you're scared he might actually agree?"
"Because you don't care about him," Maya snapped. "You just want to use him."
Zara's smile faded into something sharper. "Newsflash: everybody wants to use him. Cross, the Board, even your grumpy babysitter upstairs. At least I'm honest about it."
That landed. Zeke flinched. Cadmen's grip on the shotgun tightened.
A Choice Deferred
Zara stepped back, giving them space. "I'm not asking you to decide now. I'm not Cross, shoving syringes into your veins. I'm giving you something no one else will: a choice."
She gestured toward the trees. "When you're ready, I'll be around. Find me."
Then, with a mock salute, she vanished into the night as easily as she had come.
Aftermath
Silence hung heavy in the cabin.
Maya slammed the door shut, muttering curses. "She's manipulating you. That's all she does."
Zeke stared at the door, heart pounding. He wanted to agree with Maya. He wanted to laugh it off, call Zara a psycho and move on.
But he couldn't stop hearing her words.
You feel it too, don't you? The part that wants to stop fighting and just let go.
Because she wasn't wrong.
And that scared him more than Harbinger ever could.