Author (pov)
The security room slowly fell silent.
There wasn't anything left to do.
The number led nowhere.
The image had already been proven fake.
And the man they had sent to investigate Keifer wouldn't return for several more hours.
For the first time that night—
they had no answers.
Only questions.
Alex finally shut the laptop.
The glow from the screen disappeared instantly.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The exhaustion was beginning to settle in.
Yet none of them felt like leaving.
Because no matter how many theories they came up with—
their thoughts always returned to the same person.
Jay.
Cora was the first one to stand.
"I'm checking on her."
Nobody objected.
Because they all wanted to.
A few moments later they were walking back through the quiet hallways.
The atmosphere inside the base felt different now.
Heavier.
The kind of silence that followed a storm.
When they entered Jay's room, Luna was still there.
Sitting beside the bed.
Watching over her.
Jay hadn't moved.
She remained asleep beneath the blanket, her face partially buried against the pillow.
The tear stains were still visible.
And somehow that hurt more than before.
For a moment nobody said anything.
Then Cora quietly sat on the edge of the bed.
Alex took the chair near the window.
Deniel leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
Luna stayed exactly where she was.
And just like that—
nobody wanted to leave.
The room settled into silence.
A comfortable one.
The kind shared between people who didn't need to talk to understand each other.
Eventually Cora looked toward Jay.
Her voice barely above a whisper.
"She really believed it."
The words hung in the air.
Nobody answered immediately.
Because they all knew she was right.
Jay hadn't questioned the picture.
Hadn't questioned the call.
She had believed every second of it.
Every word.
Every sound.
Every lie.
Alex stared out the window.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"She never cared this much about herself."
The others looked at him.
He didn't take his eyes off the glass.
"But the second it's him…"
His voice trailed off.
Nobody needed him to finish.
Because they already understood.
The second it involved Keifer—
everything changed.
Luna slowly lowered her gaze.
"She left to protect him."
Silence.
"Kyle knew that."
Nobody argued.
Because that was exactly what happened.
He hadn't attacked Jay physically.
He had attacked the one thing she couldn't protect herself from.
Deniel let out a slow breath.
Then looked toward the sleeping girl.
"You know what's messed up?"
Everyone glanced at him.
His expression remained serious.
"She'd do it again."
The room became quiet.
"Even after this."
His eyes remained fixed on Jay.
"Even after what it did to her."
Another pause.
"She'd still leave if she thought it would keep him safe."
Nobody had a response to that.
Because he was right.
Painfully right.
Jay would sacrifice herself a thousand times before she allowed someone she loved to get hurt.
Especially Keifer.
The realization left an uncomfortable ache in the room.
A few moments later Jay shifted slightly beneath the blanket.
Immediately every conversation stopped.
Every head turned.
The room fell completely silent.
Waiting.
Watching.
For a second it looked like she might wake up.
But instead she simply settled back against the pillow.
Still asleep.
Still exhausted.
Still completely unaware of everything they had discovered.
Cora slowly reached forward.
Carefully moving a loose strand of hair away from Jay's face.
The gesture was gentle.
Protective.
Almost sisterly.
Then she shook her head.
A small sad smile appearing on her face.
"You're an idiot."
Nobody disagreed.
Cora's thumb lightly brushed away a tear that hadn't completely dried.
"But we're going to fix this."
The room fell silent again.
And for the first time all night—
it felt like a promise.
A sharp knock suddenly echoed through the room.
Everyone looked toward the door.
Alex immediately stood.
The timing was too perfect.
The report.
It had to be.
He crossed the room quickly and opened the door.
A man stood outside holding a thick file.
"Information requested on Keifer."
The room instantly became alert.
Alex took the file without another word.
The moment the door closed—
everyone's attention shifted toward the folder in his hands.
This was it.
The truth.
Finally.
And none of them were prepared for how important it would become.