The same vehicle that had brought them to the Architect facility now carried them back through the night. Wolfen drove—if "drove" meant "stole with absolutely no remorse"—his golden eyes fixed on the dark road ahead while the others sat in various states of exhaustion behind him.
They reached the ranger station as dawn began to paint the sky in shades of grey.
Inside, they gathered around the small table while Jordan spread out the information he'd memorized. Maps, data points, creature concentrations—every detail from that holographic display now existed in his mind, ready to be deployed.
Wolfen spoke first. "We split into pairs. Cover more ground. Hit the dark red zones where Lily's most likely to go."
He pointed at the map Jordan had recreated.
"Wolfen and Zoey." A nod toward the southeast. "Derek and Leo." The central region. "Jordan and Lena." The island chains. "Maya and Eva." The northern arc.
Dave leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I'll take care of things here. Keep the base secure. Handle any surprises."
Eva looked at him, a question in her eyes, but didn't ask it.
"Tomorrow," Wolfen said. "We leave at first light. Get some rest."
---
The day passed in preparation—checking weapons, packing supplies, the quiet rituals of people who had done this a thousand times before. By evening, everything was ready.
Eva sat outside as the stars emerged, one by one, scattered across the darkening sky. She didn't know how long she'd been there when footsteps approached.
Dave lowered himself onto the ground beside her. He didn't speak at first, just looked up at the same stars she'd been watching.
The silence stretched, comfortable and heavy.
Then Dave spoke, his voice softer than she'd ever heard it.
"If the world feels heavy, give it to me for a while. You've carried it long enough."
Eva turned to look at him—at the grey mask that hid his face, at the posture that held decades of experience.
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I mean." He didn't turn to face her, just kept looking at the stars. "I'll take care of things while you're gone. The base. The planning. Whatever comes. You focus on Lily."
Eva was quiet for a long moment. Then, softly:
"Thanks, Dave."
He nodded once. They sat together under the stars, teacher and student, two people who had both lost too much and found something worth protecting.
---
Inside, Wolfen sat alone at the table, staring at the map Jordan had drawn. His golden eyes were fixed on the red zones, on the paths between them, on the thousands of ways this could go wrong.
He was thinking. Calculating. Turning possibilities over in his mind like stones, looking for the ones that might lead to something other than disaster.
There was something in his eyes—something heavy, something old, something that Zoey recognized the moment she walked in.
She didn't ask. Didn't speak.
She just walked up behind him and slapped him on the back of the head.
Wolfen jolted, his hand going to the spot. "What the—"
"Stop it," Zoey said. "Whatever you're thinking, stop it. We'll figure it out."
Wolfen stared at her for a moment, then let out a short laugh. "You're terrifying, you know that?"
"I know." She sat down across from him. "Now get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be long."
---
Morning came too fast.
They gathered outside the ranger station, each pair checking their gear one last time. The radios crackled as they tested the connection—Wolfen's voice, then Zoey's, then each pair in turn.
"We'll check in every night," Wolfen said. "If you find something, don't engage alone. Call it in, wait for backup."
Maya raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you the cautious one?"
"Since I realized Lily could probably kill all of us without breaking a sweat." Wolfen's smile was sharp, but his eyes were serious. "Don't be heroes. Be smart."
They parted.
Derek and Leo headed southeast, their voices already arguing about something trivial fading into the trees. Jordan and Lena took the eastern path, walking in the comfortable silence of people who understood each other without words. Maya and Eva moved north, Eva glancing back once at the ranger station before the forest swallowed her view.
Wolfen and Zoey stood alone for a moment, watching the others disappear.
"Ready?" Zoey asked.
Wolfen looked at the path ahead—toward the dark red zones, toward whatever waited, toward Lily.
"No," he said. "But let's go anyway."
They walked into the forest.
And somewhere ahead, in the shadows between worlds, the Monster Queen waited for them all.