The silence in the warehouse was a physical thing.
It was heavy.
It was cold.
And it was broken.
The holographic image of Captain Valerius vanished, but her presence lingered, a ghost of a promise and a threat that had just driven a wedge deep into the fragile heart of their team.
Jax was the first to move, hobbling back to his workshop with a quiet, uncharacteristic slowness, the usual manic spark gone from his eyes.
Chloe stood at her console, her back to the room, her posture a rigid, unyielding line of pure, analytical focus. She was already processing the new intel, her mind a fortress of cold, hard logic.
But Jinx… Jinx was a storm.
She stood in the center of the room, her body a coiled spring of pure, undiluted, and righteous fury.
She didn't look at Michael.
She couldn't.
"So that's it, then," she said, her voice a low, dangerous growl that was more terrifying than any shout.
"We just… trust her."
