They sat a bit far from the destroyed facility, the rubble stretching behind them like the bones of something that had once been alive. The survivors huddled in small groups, their eyes hollow, their bodies trembling. Derek moved among them, helping where he could, his voice low and steady.
Most of them had healed. Sasha was back to normal, her Pulse reserves restored. Wolfen's body was still taking longer—his injuries deeper, his Pulse slower to respond. Ab 2 Eva sat apart, her posture relaxed, her expression unreadable. She hadn't even noticed any change in her Pulse. Like she had an endless well to draw from. Warden sat apart from them ,her son close to her scarred.
Henrey sat in the center of them, his legs temporarily regrown by Ab 2 Eva's ability. His eyes had dark circles beneath them, and his hands were shaking. He looked like a man who had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"She told me," he said. Then stopped.
"Who told you?" Ab 2 Eva's voice was not kind.
"I can't tell you—"
She lifted him by the neck. His feet dangled, his hands clawing at her grip.
Wolfen got up. His left eye was half-closed, his hand pressed against his right side, but he moved. He put his hand on Ab 2 Eva's shoulder, his voice quiet.
"Let me talk to him."
She held for a moment. Then she let go. Stepped back. Sat down next to Warden, watching.
Wolfen looked at Henrey. His golden eyes were calm, tired, empty.
He raised his hand. A blade of Umbralite formed—weak, flickering, barely holding together. He brought it down on Henrey's newly regrown leg.
Henrey screamed.
The sound echoed across the ruined landscape. Every eye turned. Even the survivors, broken and exhausted, watched in horror.
"Next will be your eyes." Wolfen's voice was flat. "Now tell me what I want to know."
Henrey was crying, his hands pressed against the stump where his leg had been, blood seeping through his fingers. "She'll kill me—"
"She will kill you." Wolfen leaned in, close enough that Henrey could see the gold in his eyes. "But I won't. I will make you suffer. Slowly."
Henrey looked at him. Saw the emptiness. The patience. The absolute certainty.
He broke.
"After Lily saved me—after she took all of us scientists to the facility—someone gave me a Neural Archive Core. I kept it in my office. An AI activated when I was alone. She told me to call her Eva Zero." Henrey's words tumbled out, fast and desperate. "She told me what to do. For years. She said it was for the greater good. After Lily died, she told me to take some of Lily's blood. A week ago, she told me to mix it into Eva's food. She said it would make her stronger."
"Eva Zero," Ab 2 Eva whispered. Her voice was hollow.
Henrey continued. "She told me she was a clone of the original. Her body was destroyed. Helping Eva destroyed it."
They all understood.
Tube Eva had made an AI of herself.
Warden, of course, was still confused. She signed something, her movements sharp.
"Lily's blood was special," Henrey said. "It acted the same way as Pulse in making new abilities. But it was slower. Took years. The abilities it could create were powerful. Massive potential. Lily had three abilities. One was controlling humans and monsters. She didn't know about the others. The virus stopped her from using them before she could discover them."
Wolfen asked if that was all he knew.
Henrey nodded, sobbing.
Wolfen got up and sat near Zoey again. Eva lay beside her, still unconscious, her breathing slow and steady.
Ab 2 Eva stood. Walked to Henrey. Placed her hands on his head.
He started bleeding from his nose, his eyes, his mouth, his ears. His body convulsed. Then he fell. Still. Dead.
She stepped back. Her face was calm. Her hands were steady.
No one spoke.
The survivors watched from their huddle, their eyes wide, their bodies pressed together. Derek moved to block their view, his voice low, his hands raised.
Wolfen closed his eyes. Sat in the silence.
Wondering if he would ever have peace.