Aden Aden Aden -

"Who is clearing the board, Marcus? Sit down, you're bleeding."

"If the world falls apart," Marcus had said, half-joking over cheap drinks, "and you can only get one word out before they cut the line... say the location thrice. No questions asked. Just run there." Aden Aden Aden

Twenty minutes later, Elias was pushing his rusted truck through the dense coastal fog. The headlights barely punched through the grey soup, reflecting off the skeletal pine trees that lined the cliffside road. His mind raced back to the academy, to the four of them—Elias, Marcus, Silas, and Clara. They had promised to look out for each other, no matter where life scattered them. Marcus was the one who came up with the emergency protocol. "Who is clearing the board, Marcus

Marcus looked back toward the access road, his eyes narrowing. In the distance, the faint, synchronized hum of high-end engines began to drone through the fog. Headlights, sharp and blue, cut through the trees. No questions asked

"There's no time!" Marcus snapped, flinching as a gull shrieked overhead. He thrust the briefcase toward Elias. "They traced my signal. They knew I'd call someone. Take it. Clara is in the city, she has the encryption key. You have to get it to her."

"Who is clearing the board, Marcus? Sit down, you're bleeding."

"If the world falls apart," Marcus had said, half-joking over cheap drinks, "and you can only get one word out before they cut the line... say the location thrice. No questions asked. Just run there."

Twenty minutes later, Elias was pushing his rusted truck through the dense coastal fog. The headlights barely punched through the grey soup, reflecting off the skeletal pine trees that lined the cliffside road. His mind raced back to the academy, to the four of them—Elias, Marcus, Silas, and Clara. They had promised to look out for each other, no matter where life scattered them. Marcus was the one who came up with the emergency protocol.

Marcus looked back toward the access road, his eyes narrowing. In the distance, the faint, synchronized hum of high-end engines began to drone through the fog. Headlights, sharp and blue, cut through the trees.

"There's no time!" Marcus snapped, flinching as a gull shrieked overhead. He thrust the briefcase toward Elias. "They traced my signal. They knew I'd call someone. Take it. Clara is in the city, she has the encryption key. You have to get it to her."