The safehouse was quiet except for the hum of Jax's monitors, three screens glowing blue against the dark of the room.
Daniel sat closest to the speaker, elbows on his knees, staring at the small device like it might do something other than crackle if he watched it hard enough. Leo stood behind him, arms crossed, jaw tight. Jax hadn't touched his coffee in twenty minutes.
The red light on the receiver blinked once.
Then Easter's voice came through, thin and hushed, wrapped in static.
"Test. Sorry it took me a while to reach out. I haven't had a moment alone in days."
A pause. Then more, his words tumbling faster now, like he'd been holding them in too long.
"I think the exclusive room Daniel talked about… the one they call the Quiet Room… I think that's where they're brainwashing kids. They said something called Alpha 2.0. I don't know what it is, but I don't think it's good. They want to use it on me. What do I do? I got out once, but I don't know what happens next time."
