The air inside the observatory felt heavier than before.
No one moved.
No one even breathed normally.
Seven girls on one side.
Three agents on the other.
And between them…
Silence sharp enough to cut.
Riven stood at the front.
Unmoving.
Unblinking.
"You found us," she said coldly. "Now explain why you're still standing."
Agent Kellan didn't flinch.
"We're not your enemies."
Ava muttered under her breath, "That's exactly what an enemy says."
Mira elbowed her lightly. "Not helping."
Kellan gave a faint smile. "Fair."
He slowly reached into his coat.
Every single girl tensed.
Riven's voice dropped instantly.
"Don't."
Kellan stopped.
Then carefully pulled out a small device and placed it on the ground between them.
"I'm putting this here," he said calmly. "So you don't think I'm hiding anything."
The device lit up.
A hologram appeared.
Footage.
The battle.
The seven of them.
Frozen in light and destruction.
Ava looked away. "Great… front-row replay."
Mira whispered, "That's… clearer than anything online."
Nyra stepped forward slightly, eyes narrowing.
"They enhanced the footage."
Kellan nodded. "We enhanced everything."
Riven didn't look at the screen.
Her eyes stayed locked on him.
"What do you want?"
Kellan's tone shifted.
More serious now.
"To understand you."
"That's not a good enough reason," Riven replied.
Mirael stepped forward this time.
Her voice was calmer. Analytical.
"You're not aliens," she said.
Ava blinked. "Wow. Big discovery."
Mirael ignored her.
"You're human… altered by extraterrestrial genetic integration."
Luna's grip tightened slightly.
"You mean the GeneShift," she said.
The agents noticed the word immediately.
Kellan's eyes sharpened.
"So you have a name for it."
Riven stepped in.
"That's as much as you're getting."
A pause.
Then Kellan said something that changed the room.
"You're not the only ones being hunted."
Silence.
Nyra's bracelet pulsed faintly.
"You detected it too," she said.
Kellan nodded.
"We've been tracking that signal for hours."
Mira looked between them. "So you know something is coming?"
Kellan's voice lowered.
"We know something is already here."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Ava whispered, "That's not comforting at all."
Far away, high above the city, a figure stood on the edge of a steel beam.
Watching.
Listening.
Waiting.
"My name is **Rooder," he said quietly to the wind.
"And you're finally being cornered."
Back in the observatory, tension cracked again.
Riven stepped closer to Kellan.
"How much do you know?"
Kellan didn't back away.
"Enough to know you can't survive this alone."
Ava scoffed. "We handled that thing yesterday."
"Barely," Mirael said.
That hit.
Hard.
Because it was true.
Mira stepped forward.
"So what? You want to control us?"
"No," Kellan said.
"We want to work with you."
Riven's expression didn't change.
"That's the same thing."
Nyra spoke quietly.
"They're afraid."
Kellan didn't deny it.
"Yes," he said.
"We are."
That honesty caught them off guard.
Luna tilted her head. "Then why approach us like this?"
Kellan looked at all seven of them.
"Because if we don't reach you first…"
He paused.
"…something else will."
Nyra's bracelet pulsed again.
Stronger this time.
Her voice dropped.
"He's closer."
Riven's eyes snapped to her.
"Who?"
Nyra whispered:
"The one watching us."
Outside, the wind died.
Completely.
And for the first time…
Even the agents of Trapply felt it.
That unnatural stillness.
Like something had entered their world quietly.
Patiently.
Hunting.
Riven clenched her fists.
"Everyone… stay ready."
Ava whispered, "We're really doing this again?"
Mira forced a weak smile. "Guess training paid off."
Kellan slowly turned toward the entrance.
His voice low.
"…We're not alone anymore."
And somewhere in the shadows just beyond sight…
A pair of glowing red eyes opened.