Day 68 Post-Impact - Morning
The Safe Zone had transformed overnight.
What had been a manageable community of six hundred had swelled to over eight hundred, and the strain showed everywhere. The mess hall ran continuous shifts. Sleeping quarters had been converted from private rooms to dormitories. The medical bay, which Sana had organized with such care, now operated at triple capacity.
But they were managing. Barely.
Sarnav walked the compound in the early morning, observing the integration process. New arrivals mixed with established residents, trauma slowly giving way to cautious hope. Children who'd been silent with shock were beginning to play again. Adults who'd clutched their meager possessions with white-knuckled terror were starting to let go, to trust that this place might actually be safe.
He stopped to help an elderly man struggling with a heavy bundle, directing him toward the housing assignments. Exchanged words of encouragement with a young mother whose eyes still held the haunted look of someone who'd seen too much. These small interactions mattered. They built community. They transformed refugees into residents.
"You're doing it again." Jiyeon appeared at his side, falling into step with practiced ease. "The walkabout thing."
"It helps."
"It helps them." She nodded toward a group of new arrivals watching him pass, their expressions shifting from wariness to something like trust. "And it helps you. Grounds you."
"You're very observant."
"I was trained to read people. Old habits." She matched his pace as they moved through the compound. "Speaking of reading people, I've been interviewing the new arrivals. The ones who came from Johor Bahru proper."
"And?"
"They all mention her. Serena." Jiyeon's voice carried the weight of accumulated data. "Not just in passing. She's become something of a legend down there. The woman who keeps people alive."
The war room had become an intelligence hub.
Jade had commandeered three additional displays, each one showing different data streams. Communications intercepts. Refugee testimonies. Movement patterns compiled from dozens of individual accounts.
"I've built a profile," she announced without preamble as Sarnav and Jiyeon entered. "From the available data. It's incomplete, but it paints an interesting picture."
The main display flickered to life, showing a map of Johor Bahru with various markers.
"Serena. No confirmed surname, though several refugees mention 'Tan.' Singaporean national, estimated age mid-to-late twenties. She appeared in JB approximately three weeks after the impact, likely crossed the causeway during the initial chaos."
"What was she doing before?"
"Unknown. But based on her organizational capabilities, I'd guess business or military background. Possibly both." Jade pulled up a timeline. "She established her first safe house within days of arriving. By week two, she'd networked three separate survivor groups into a coordinated resistance."
"Resistance against the Ascendancy?"
"Resistance against chaos in general. She organized supply runs, established communication protocols, set up medical stations with whatever equipment could be scavenged." Jade's voice held something that might have been admiration. "In six weeks, she's kept approximately one hundred fifty people alive in territory that should have been impossible to survive."
Sarnav studied the map, noting the positions of safe houses, supply caches, evacuation routes. It was sophisticated work, the kind of planning that required both strategic vision and practical knowledge.
"How do you know all this?"
"I've been intercepting radio communications from the area. Fragments, mostly. The Ascendancy jamming makes clean signals rare." Jade's expression remained neutral, but something flickered in her eyes. "I like to know who we might be dealing with. Information is survival."
There it was again. That quiet intensity that went beyond professional diligence. Jade didn't just gather intelligence; she accumulated it compulsively, building profiles on everyone and everything that might someday matter.
He chose not to comment on it. For now.
"What else do we know about her?"
"Personality assessments from refugee interviews." Jade switched displays. "Consistent descriptors: intelligent, calculating, cold. Also: dedicated, tireless, surprisingly kind when it matters." She paused. "One refugee described her as 'the loneliest person I've ever seen who still chooses to save people anyway.'"
The words hung in the air. Sarnav found himself curious about this woman who'd built a network of survival in the heart of enemy territory, who'd refused to leave even when escape was possible.
"There's something else," Jade added. "Something the refugees mention but don't quite understand."
"What?"
"Luck. They say she's impossibly lucky. That things just... work out around her. Supply runs that should fail succeed. Patrols that should spot them miss by inches. Decisions that seem random turn out to be exactly right." Jade's eyes met his. "One refugee quoted her directly: 'Luck isn't random. You make your own luck.'"
An awakened ability, then. Something related to probability or fortune. That would explain how she'd survived where others hadn't, how she'd built what she'd built against impossible odds.
"I want to talk to someone who knew her directly," Sarnav said. "Not just heard stories. Someone who worked with her."
"Already arranged." Jade gestured toward the door. "Interview room three. A woman named Chen Mei Hua. She was part of Serena's inner circle until the evacuation."
Chen Mei Hua was a small woman in her thirties, with the efficient movements of someone who'd learned to waste nothing: not time, not energy, not words. She sat straight in her chair, hands folded, eyes watchful. Scars on her arms spoke of close calls, and the way she positioned herself near the exit suggested someone who'd learned never to let herself be trapped.
"Thank you for speaking with me," Sarnav said, taking the seat across from her.
"You saved my life. Least I can do is answer questions." Her voice was flat, practical. "You want to know about Serena."
"I want to understand her. Who she is. What she's built. Why she matters."
"She's the reason I'm alive. The reason any of us got out." Mei Hua's expression softened slightly, memory flickering behind her careful mask. "I was there when she took over our group. We were falling apart. Twenty-three people crammed into a basement, arguing over scraps, fighting over who got to sleep where, watching each other die from injuries we didn't know how to treat. No leadership. No plan. Just fear and desperation."
"And she changed that?"
"She walked in on day three of our collapse. Just appeared out of nowhere, this slim woman with sharp eyes and a voice like ice. Looked at the mess we'd made, at the arguments and the hoarding and the slow suicide of our group dynamics, and started giving orders."
"And people listened?"
"Not at first. Some of the men thought they knew better. Thought a woman, especially a young one, couldn't possibly understand survival. Thought she was too cold, too calculating, too different." A thin smile crossed Mei Hua's face. "She proved them wrong. Didn't argue. Didn't justify herself. Just acted."
"How?"
"Within three days, she'd reorganized our supplies into a fair distribution system. Set up a watch rotation that actually worked. Led a successful raid on an abandoned pharmacy while the doubters were still debating whether it was safe. Came back with antibiotics that saved two people's lives." Mei Hua's voice carried grudging admiration. "The men who'd doubted her were first in line to follow her after that. She didn't demand respect. She earned it."
"What's she like? Personally?"
"Cold. That's the first thing you notice. She doesn't smile much. Doesn't make small talk. Doesn't waste time on feelings when there's work to be done. Every conversation is efficient, purposeful. She'll cut you off mid-sentence if you're not saying anything useful." Mei Hua paused, choosing her words carefully. "But then you see her with the children. Or with someone who's injured. Or with anyone who's scared and alone. And you realize the coldness is armor. Underneath, she cares so much it would destroy her if she let it show."
The description resonated. Sarnav had known people like that, built walls to protect themselves from caring too much. Sometimes the walls were necessary. Sometimes they were all that kept you functional when the weight of responsibility threatened to crush you.
"Why didn't she come with you? When you evacuated?"
"She said someone had to stay. Someone had to keep the network running, keep the safe houses open, keep giving people a chance to escape." Mei Hua's voice tightened. "We begged her to come. Told her she'd done enough, saved enough people, proven enough points. She just said there were still people who needed her, and that was that. Like it wasn't even a choice. Like staying was the only option that made sense to her."
"Do you think she's still alive?"
"If anyone could survive down there, it's her." Certainty filled Mei Hua's voice. "She has this... way of knowing things. Which path to take. When to move and when to hide. Which buildings are safe and which ones are about to collapse. I watched her walk through a patrol area once, timing her steps perfectly without even looking at the guards. Like she could feel where the danger was."
The probability manipulation again. If her ability let her sense or influence likelihood, it would explain how she'd navigated territory that should have been a death trap.
"One more question. If we mounted a rescue mission, tried to extract her and whoever else is still down there, do you think she'd come?"
Mei Hua considered the question seriously, turning it over like a puzzle she wasn't sure she could solve. "Maybe. If you could convince her the people she's protecting would be safe. That there was somewhere better for them to go. That leaving wasn't abandoning them."
She met his eyes, something vulnerable showing through her careful control.
"She's not suicidal. She's not staying out of martyrdom or some death wish. She stays because she genuinely believes she can do more good there than anywhere else. Because every day she survives is another day she can help someone else survive." Mei Hua leaned forward. "Change that equation. Show her that coming with you means helping more people, saving more lives. She might change her mind."
The council convened that afternoon.
Chen Wei had concerns, voiced them immediately. "We're stretched thin as it is. Our supplies are strained, our defenses need reinforcing, and we have eight hundred people depending on us. Now you want to send a team into hostile territory on a rescue mission?"
"Not just any rescue mission." Jiyeon stood at the tactical display, the map of JB glowing behind her. "A targeted extraction of a high-value asset. Someone who's demonstrated exceptional survival capabilities, organizational skills, and what appears to be a powerful awakened ability."
"She's one person."
"She's a force multiplier. The network she's built, the people she's kept alive, the knowledge she's accumulated about Ascendancy movements and tactics." Jiyeon's voice carried conviction. "Serena isn't just a refugee to rescue. She's a strategic asset that could significantly enhance our capabilities."
"And if the mission fails? If we lose the team we send?"
"Then we've lost people who volunteered for a calculated risk." Ishani spoke from her position near the door, arms crossed, expression eager. "We're soldiers. This is what we do."
Sarnav noted the hunger in her voice, the anticipation of another mission, another chance to do what she did best. He filed the observation away.
"The Ascendancy is moving," he said, redirecting the discussion. "In eight days, maybe less, they'll be close enough to threaten us directly. Every capable person we can bring into our ranks matters. Every piece of intelligence about their operations helps."
"And Serena has both," Jade added. "Capability and intelligence. Her network has been gathering data on Ascendancy movements for weeks. Information we don't have. Information that could save lives when the fighting starts."
Chen Wei's resistance wavered. "How do you propose we do this? JB is deep in contested territory. The Ascendancy patrols constantly."
"Small team. Fast insertion." Jiyeon outlined the plan on the display. "We've identified the general area of Serena's primary safe house based on refugee accounts. A three-person team could reach it in under twelve hours if they move at night."
"Who leads?"
"I will." Ishani stepped forward. "Minji for illusion support. One additional combat specialist." Her eyes found Sarnav's. "Unless you want to come yourself."
He considered it. The desire to lead from the front, to be part of the action, pulled at him. But his place was here, coordinating, planning, being the anchor his people needed.
"No. I stay. But I want constant communication. Relay stations, network check-ins, the works."
"Done." Jade was already making notes. "I'll have the communication infrastructure in place by tonight."
The council fell silent, waiting for the final decision. Sarnav looked around the room at the people who'd put their trust in him, who depended on his judgment.
"We do this. Tomorrow night, the team moves. Find Serena, make contact, offer extraction. If she agrees, bring her and anyone else who wants to come." He met Chen Wei's eyes. "We don't abandon people who are fighting to survive. That's not who we are."
Chen Wei nodded slowly. "I'll prepare the logistics. Medical on standby, housing arranged, supplies allocated."
"Good." Sarnav turned to Ishani. "Get your team ready. Brief them tonight. I want everyone clear on objectives and contingencies."
"Understood." The eagerness in her voice was palpable. "We won't let you down."
The meeting dispersed, each person moving toward their assigned tasks. Sarnav remained, staring at the map, at the hostile territory that separated them from one woman who'd refused to give up.
[SYSTEM ADVISORY][Mission risk assessment: Moderate to High][Success probability dependent on multiple variables][Note: Target individual demonstrates probability manipulation capability][Interaction between Host network and Target ability: Unknown][Recommend caution and flexibility in approach]
Unknown interaction. The System couldn't predict how Serena's luck manipulation might affect them, couldn't calculate odds when one of the factors was someone who bent odds to her will.
It made the mission more dangerous. It also made Serena more valuable.
"You're thinking about her." Nisha had entered quietly, her presence a gentle warmth at his side.
"Wondering what kind of person refuses to save herself so she can keep saving others."
"A good one. Or a broken one. Sometimes both." Nisha slipped her hand into his. "You'd do the same thing. Have done the same thing. Building this place when you could have run, fought battles you didn't have to fight."
"That's different."
"Is it?" She looked up at him with knowing eyes. "You see yourself in her. That's why you want to bring her here. Not just because she's useful, but because you understand her."
He didn't deny it. Couldn't, really. The profile Jade had built, the stories the refugees told, painted a picture of someone driven by the same forces that drove him. Responsibility. Duty. The refusal to abandon people who needed protection.
"Get some rest tonight," Nisha said. "Tomorrow, we prepare. The day after, we act. Whatever happens after that, we face it together."
She rose on her toes to kiss his cheek, then disappeared toward the medical wing where Sana needed help with the overflow of patients.
Sarnav stayed a while longer, studying the map, planning contingencies, preparing for a mission that would either bring them a powerful ally or cost them dearly.
The network hummed with the thoughts and feelings of his wives, each one processing the coming operation in their own way. Ishani's eager anticipation. Minji's nervous excitement. Jade's cold calculation. Jiyeon's strategic analysis. Nisha's quiet concern. Sana's healing focus. Ananya's graceful calm.
Seven souls, bound together, facing uncertainty with the strength they gave each other.
Via their connection, he felt Jiyeon's mind working through scenarios, Ishani's body preparing for combat, Jade's systems scanning for any additional intelligence that might help. They were a family, yes, but they were also a machine, each part serving its function, each person contributing their strength to the whole.
And soon, perhaps, there would be another.
Serena. A woman who'd built something from nothing, who'd refused to abandon those who needed her, who bent probability itself to protect her people. If even half of what the refugees said was true, she was exactly what Harmony needed.
If she survived long enough for them to reach her.
If she agreed to come.
If her ability and their network could coexist without conflict.
Too many ifs. But that was the nature of survival in this broken world. You planned for the worst, hoped for the best, and dealt with whatever reality delivered.
In Johor Bahru, a woman named Serena was fighting alone.
Soon, she wouldn't have to.
[DAY 68 COMPLETE]
[WIFE COUNT: 7/32]
[ESSENCE: 696,300 / 1,000,000]
[POPULATION: 831]
[ASCENDANCY ETA: 8 DAYS]
[OPERATION: JB EXTRACTION]
[TARGET: SERENA (PROBABILITY MANIPULATION)]
[STATUS: APPROVED]
[HARMONY SAFE ZONE][WESTERN EXPANSION: 88% COMPLETE][MYTHILI: PREPARING REFUGEE INTAKE]
[NEXT: INSERTION]