"Jade! You need to form a search party for my daughter. Now!"
Delilah slammed both palms onto the table, the sound echoing through the room. The woman sitting across from her only lifted an eyebrow in response.
Delilah had practically run all the way to Climber Rift, heading straight for the Freebound headquarters the moment she heard that her daughter was missing and last seen with a man.
"What are you staring at? Move!" she shouted.
Jade, the leader of Freebound, finally shifted her gaze toward Freya, who stood behind her mother. But she looked just as confused and overwhelmed by the situation.
"What exactly is going on?" Jade asked with a tired sigh. "You know I can't just pull my people off patrol to look for a grown woman who decided to disappear with a man, right?"
"What do you mean you can't?" Delilah snapped. "She's my daughter! What if an aberrant attacked them? What if they're injured somewhere no one can find them?"
Jade rubbed her temple. "Oh, please. Everyone here knows why you're panicking. Your daughter's name is Summer, right?"
"Maybe she isn't injured at all," Kilian said casually, lounging deeper into the sofa with a grin. He is one of Jade's men and looked far too amused.
"Maybe she's already checked into a motel and having the time of her life."
Delilah gasped and grabbed an ashtray from the table, hurling it at him. Kilian barely dodged in time.
"Oh, come on," Jade said with a laugh. "I saw her earlier in Climber. She was with a tall, well-built guy. I'd say she has good taste."
That only made Delilah more furious.
"Fine," she said sharply. "If you won't help me, I'll search for her myself."
She turned toward the door, but Jade stood up and caught her by the shoulder.
"Don't be so stubborn," Jade said calmly. "How old is your daughter again?"
Delilah stopped. Her shoulders sagged slightly before she answered, "Twenty-five."
"See?" Jade replied. "She's old enough to fall in love, have sex, and even get married. Don't you think it's sad she's still a virgin at that age?"
"Not with a man she met two days ago!" Delilah spun around to face her. Her voice shook.
"I don't think you, or you," she said, pointing sharply at them, "understand what it means to be a parent. And I don't think you ever will."
"She's my daughter!" Delilah continued, her voice rising. "I don't care if she has fun or sleeps with someone. I'm not that narrow-minded. I'm scared she won't come back."
Her hands clenched into fists. "Just like her father."
"What if she's trapped somewhere and needs help?" Delilah said, her breath uneven. "What if I fail her and she dies alone somewhere because I was too late?"
Her eyes brimmed with tears. "What if that man hurts her? What if she's calling my name right now and I'm not there?"
Her voice finally broke.
"I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. So if you won't move your asses," she shouted, "then I'll move mine!"
The room fell into silence after Delilah's outburst. No one spoke for a moment, the weight of her words hanging heavily in the air.
"Alright, Delilah," Jade said at last, her voice calmer than before. "Breathe in. Then out."
She waited until Delilah's shoulders lowered slightly before continuing.
"Your daughter has a flare, doesn't she? If she's truly in danger, she can fire it."
"What if she can't?" Delilah snapped back, "We don't know what situation she's in."
"Your daughter is smart. Panicking won't help anyone. Now tell me, do you have any idea where she might be?"
"She went hunting," Delilah said. "Freya told me she wanted to help Elaine pay off her debt."
She turned toward her younger daughter, clearly expecting her to explain further. Freya stiffened under the attention, sweat forming at her temples.
"Freya?" Delilah pressed.
Freya swallowed hard. "I… I'm sorry, Mom."
She took a breath, then finally spoke the truth. "They went to the White Death. Elaine told them about a hidden area there."
Delilah's face was drained of color. Her legs gave way so suddenly that Jade had to grab her arm to keep her from collapsing.
"But she'll be fine," Freya said quickly, panic creeping into her voice. "Gideon is a good man, and Summer is strong. They'll be okay, Mom. I promise."
Delilah barely heard her. Her mind drifted somewhere else, pulled back to memories she had spent years trying to bury.
She did not even realize she had been guided down onto the worn, broken sofa. Freya stayed close, gripping her hand and whispering reassurance.
"Well," Jade said after a moment, thinking aloud, "moving into the White Death at night will be difficult. Too many nocturnal aberrants."
She had already summoned Elaine to her office. The young doctor arrived breathless, her face pale with confusion and fear as Jade filled her in.
"So we'll keep the group small," Jade continued. "Me, Elaine, and Kilian."
"I'm coming too."
Delilah stood abruptly, her voice sharp despite her unsteady legs.
"I can't sit here while my daughter is missing."
"It's too dangerous," Jade said firmly. "You and your husband were the ones who labeled that place uninhabitable. You cataloged its aberrants and their behavior. And look at you, Delilah. You can barely stand."
Delilah clenched her jaw and forced herself upright.
"I can stand. And I will go," she said, her voice hard. "You won't stop me."
Jade groaned, rubbing her face. "You're impossible."
She sighed, then relented. "Fine. You ride with me. And don't do anything reckless."
Delilah nodded without hesitation.
Freya, despite being told to stay behind, insisted on coming as well. In the end, all five of them prepared to head toward the White Death.
***
Gideon hummed softly as he walked through his territory.
He had quickly realized that several aberrants had already died attempting to breach the barrier yesterday night.
Their bodies lay scorched where they had fallen, victims of the high-voltage defense that activated the moment they came too close.
"Hell yeah," he muttered. "Getting richer without even lifting a finger."
He stopped suddenly, eyes widening. There weren't just a few bodies scattered around the perimeter. There were more than ten.
"What the…" Gideon murmured.
He lifted his head as a low rumble reached his ears. Smoke appeared in the distance, moving fast across the land.
"Another aberrant?"
The sound grew louder. The shapes became clearer.
It was not monsters. But vehicles, more precisely three-wheeled machines tearing across the terrain.
Gideon narrowed his eyes. "Freebound?"