Wolfen sat across from Prime 10, his legs stretched out, his posture the picture of casual indifference. Prime 10 hadn't spoken a word to him since he'd entered. Just sat there, dark grey mask fixed in his direction, radiating the particular stillness of someone who had learned patience over decades.
"Get down from the table," Superior-1 said, her voice tight.
Wolfen ignored her completely. His golden eyes were fixed on Prime 10.
"You have any information on this Monster Queen?"
Prime 10 was silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, she spoke.
"Yes." A pause. "Get off the table, Welfric."
Wolfen's lips twitched. He slid off the table, landing on his feet with exaggerated grace. "Happy?"
Prime 10 tapped the surface of the table. Light bloomed—a holographic display, complex and layered, filling the space between them.
Images appeared.
Lily—her face carefully obscured in each one, always in shadow or silhouette, always wearing that torn, ragged cloak. The scar on her cheek visible in some shots, a pale line against her skin.
Monsters. Dozens of them. Kaiju-scale creatures captured in freeze-frame—emerging from oceans, crushing facilities, roaring at the sky. Red was there, his massive form dwarfing the buildings behind him. Tusk, flame-mane blazing. Others they hadn't seen before.
A kill chart dominated one section of the display. The numbers were staggering. Architects, humans, hybrids—over twelve thousand confirmed deaths, with countless more unconfirmed.
Lab destruction timelines. Facility X. Three others they hadn't known about. All reduced to rubble.
Architect deaths, categorized by rank. White masks. Grey masks. Even a few dark grey marks that made Eva's breath catch.
Jordan's eyes moved across every image, every data point, every scrap of information. His mind was already cataloging, cross-referencing, building a map of Lily's war.
Wolfen studied the display, his expression unreadable. Then he looked at Prime 10.
"Tell me places with high numbers of large creatures."
Prime 10 tapped the table again.
The hologram shifted. A world map appeared, covered in heat signatures—red zones indicating creature activity. Some areas glowed faintly. Others burned.
Japan was dark red. China, the same. Taiwan, Indonesia, the entire arc of islands stretching toward Australia and New Zealand—all of them were nearly black with the concentration of monster signatures.
Wolfen let out a low whistle. "Huh. Ironic, isn't it? Your own monsters are fighting you."
Prime 10's voice was flat. "Yes. Ironic."
Superior-1 stepped forward, her patience clearly frayed. "Are you here to insult us, or do you have anything important to say?"
Wolfen turned to face her fully. A slow smile spread across his face.
"Oh yes. I do have something important to say."
He raised his hand and extended his middle finger directly at her.
"Fuck you all. And your little 'no fights' peace. I'm going to fuck you all."
The room went silent.
Wolfen lowered his hand, still smiling. "Well, that's all. I'm leaving."
He turned and walked toward the door. Eva followed, her face carefully blank. Jordan fell into step behind her. Zoey shot one last look at Superior-1 before joining them.
The door slid shut behind them.
Superior-1's voice erupted: "DO NOT LET THEM LEAVE!"
Prime 10 rose slowly from her seat. She walked toward Superior-1, stopping inches from her face.
"Stop shouting." Her voice was quiet, controlled. "And let them go."
She turned and walked out of the room without a backward glance, heading toward her quarters.
Superior-1 stared after her, trembling with rage. "WHAT? YOU CAN'T—"
Prime 10 was suddenly in front of her again—moving so fast it was barely visible.
"Was I not clear?"
Superior-1's jaw clenched behind her mask. "No. You were clear."
Prime 10 studied her for a long moment. Then she turned and continued down the corridor, disappearing around a corner.
Superior-1 stormed to her private quarters.
The door slammed shut behind her. She tore off her mask and threw it across the room. Her face—younger than her voice suggested, sharp-featured and furious—twisted with rage as she swept everything off her desk.
"That bitch thinks she can do anything! She thinks she can just—"
"Don't worry, babe. Your time will come."
Superior-1 froze.
Jenny Damber stepped out of the shadows, her smile wide and bloody. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Superior-1 from behind, resting her chin on the woman's shoulder.
In her mouth, she was chewing something. An eye. Human, by the look of it. She crunched it between her teeth like a piece of candy.
Superior-1's rage cooled instantly. Her body relaxed into the embrace.
"You're right," she said quietly. "You're right."
Jenny's smile widened. She kissed Superior-1's cheek, leaving a smear of blood behind.
"Everything's going according to plan, my little angry bird."
She crunched another bite.
And somewhere in the facility, Wolfen walked toward the exit, already planning his next move. He had no idea what was waiting in the shadows.
None of them did.