Kieran nods, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly now that he has a clear, actionable objective. "I’ll assemble the team. We move at midnight."
As Kieran and Morgan leave the command center to begin preparations, I am left alone with Kade and Lilith. The blue light of the trench pulses in the silence.
We are playing a very dangerous game, Kade projects, his mental voice a low, steady rumble in my mind. Distracting the humans while we hide a cosmic seed at the bottom of the ocean.
It’s the only game we have, I reply, leaning into his physical presence. I can feel his exhaustion, the deep, cellular fatigue from holding the lattice yesterday, but beneath it, his resolve is iron. We just have to make sure the humans don't look too closely at the water.
The next twenty-four hours ar
