The fire still burned behind them, a funeral pyre for the bunker and everything it had represented. But the battle was over. The Architects were gone. And in the sudden, shocking silence, the survivors began to find each other.
Wolfen was the first to reach Derek.
The immortal stood motionless in the center of his crater, his body finally still, his eyes fixed on nothing. The power that had sustained him for twenty minutes and five seconds had receded, leaving behind something that looked almost human. Almost.
"Hey." Wolfen's voice was quiet, almost gentle. "You with us?"
Derek blinked. His eyes moved, focusing slowly on Wolfen's face. A grin twitched at the corner of his mouth—exhausted, but real.
"That was... something."
Wolfen snorted. "Something. Yeah. That's one word for it."
Leo limped up, one arm wrapped around his ribs, his biopolymer filaments sparking fitfully. He looked at Derek, at the crater, at the scattered evidence of what had happened here, and let out a low whistle.
"Bro. You okay?"
Derek tried to move. His legs buckled.
Wolfen caught him before he fell, slinging one arm over his shoulder. Leo moved to the other side, grunting with the effort of supporting his weight.
"Easy," Wolfen said. "You just spent twenty minutes being a god. Give yourself a minute to come back down."
Derek laughed—weak, breathless, but genuine. "I danced. I actually danced."
"We saw." Leo's voice held something like wonder. "We all saw."
They moved together, three figures limping through the smoke and rubble, supporting each other like they'd done a thousand times before. Behind them, the fire continued to burn, consuming the last evidence of their sanctuary.
---
Maya found Jordan standing exactly where she'd left him, his katana still in his hand, his expression unreadable. Superior-4 was gone—had vanished with the others—but the space between them felt charged with something that hadn't been there before.
"She didn't attack," Maya said. It wasn't a question.
"No." Jordan's voice was quiet. "We talked."
"Talked." Maya's eyes narrowed. "About what?"
Jordan looked at her, and for a moment, something flickered in his analytical gaze. Something almost human.
"About choices. About what we're fighting for." He paused. "She's... not what I expected."
Maya studied him for a long moment. The Omega stirred, whispering something she couldn't quite hear—warning, maybe, or curiosity.
"Come on," she said finally. "The others are waiting."
They walked together toward the distant figures emerging from the smoke.
---
Eva stood alone at the edge of the destruction, watching her family gather. Her hands were still, the purple fire finally extinguished. Her face, when she turned to greet them, was calm—almost peaceful.
"Everyone accounted for?" she asked.
Wolfen nodded, shifting Derek's weight. "All present. All alive. Mostly intact."
"Miraculously intact," Leo corrected.
Eva's eyes moved to Derek, taking in his exhaustion, his stillness, the lingering echo of power that still clung to him like smoke.
"You were beautiful out there," she said quietly.
Derek's tired grin returned. "I know, right?"
They laughed—all of them, together, the sound strange and wonderful in the burning silence.
---
The walk to the rendezvous point took longer than it should have. They were all injured, all exhausted, all carrying the weight of what they'd just survived. But they moved together, a unit, a family, each supporting the others in ways that went beyond physical strength.
Theo saw them first.
He was standing at the edge of the clearing where the others had taken shelter, his young face etched with worry. When he spotted them—six figures emerging from the smoke—his expression transformed into something almost like joy.
"They're back!" he shouted over his shoulder. "They're all back!"
Lily appeared beside him, her blue eyes wide, searching the approaching group. When she found Eva—when their eyes met—she broke into a run.
Eva caught her sister in her arms, holding her tight, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair.
"You're okay," Lily whispered, her voice muffled against Eva's shoulder. "You're okay."
"I'm okay," Eva murmured back. "We're all okay."
The others arrived, collapsing onto the soft grass of the clearing, too exhausted to do anything but breathe. Chad moved among them, checking wounds, distributing water, his weathered face betraying none of the fear he must have felt during the long wait.
Theo settled beside Lily, close enough to offer comfort but not so close as to intrude. His eyes kept finding hers, checking, confirming, seeing her.
Jordan sat apart, his katana across his knees, his gaze fixed on the distant smoke. Maya joined him after a moment, silent, present, the Omega's whispers finally still.
Wolfen lowered Derek gently to the ground and sat beside him, his golden eyes scanning the clearing, cataloging threats, ensuring safety. When he was satisfied, he leaned back and closed his eyes.
"That," he said quietly, "was the most fun I've had in decades. Don't tell anyone."
Leo laughed—a real laugh, surprised out of him—and collapsed onto the grass beside them.
Eva held Lily, watching her family settle around her. The fire still burned in the distance, consuming their past. The future was uncertain, dangerous, full of enemies who would keep coming.
But for this moment—this single, precious moment—they were together. They were alive. They were home.
And that was enough.