The skate park was gone.
What had once been Zeke's hideout—graffiti walls, rusted rails, busted ramps—was now a cratered ruin. Smoke still curled from twisted metal. The air buzzed faintly with leftover static, as though Zeke's blast had scarred the atmosphere itself.
Maya stood guard at the edge of the destruction, scanning the shadows like she half-expected Harbinger to come striding back. Her knuckles were scraped raw, but she didn't care. She'd thrown herself at something twice her size with nothing but trash-can lids and a stubborn streak, and she would've done it again if it meant protecting Zeke.
Zeke, though…
He sat hunched on the broken ramp, face pale, eyes staring at nothing. His hands still sparked faintly, little arcs crawling across his fingers before fading. Like the energy was trying to escape, but couldn't decide if it wanted to yet.
Maya finally broke the silence. "Say something."
He swallowed hard. "I… felt him."
Her stomach tightened. "Harbinger?"
Zeke nodded slowly. "Not just saw him. Not just fought him. Felt him. Inside my head. Like I wasn't me anymore—I was him, for a second. Or maybe he was me. It's all… messed up."
Maya crouched in front of him, forcing him to look at her. "Listen to me. You are Zeke. You are not him."
His laugh was hollow. "Yeah? Tell that to the part of my brain that suddenly thinks smashing things sounds fun."
She gripped his wrist, hard enough to ground him. "Zeke. You fought him off. You didn't let him win. That's what matters."
He wanted to believe her. He really did. But the tether still buzzed faintly at the back of his mind, like a neighbor's bass-heavy stereo you couldn't shut off. A constant reminder that Harbinger was out there, waiting, watching.
And the scariest part?
Somewhere deep down, Zeke wasn't sure which of them was waiting for the other.
Arrival of the Mentor
A low whistle cut through the night air.
Both of them spun around—Zeke's hands flaring blue, Maya raising her fists.
"Easy, children."
Cadmen emerged from the shadows, trench coat flapping, face lit faintly by the glow of the ruined park. He surveyed the wreckage, then raised one eyebrow. "Well. Looks like someone's been redecorating."
Relief crashed over Zeke so hard it almost knocked him over. "Cadmen—thank God. You knew? You saw him?"
Cadmen's face tightened. "I felt it. Across the city, like a siren in my blood. Which means if I felt it… others did too."
"Others?" Maya asked warily.
Cadmen's gaze flicked upward, as though the stars themselves might be listening. "You're not the only experiment, Zeke. And Harbinger won't be the only shadow they send."
Zeke's gut twisted. "Then why does it feel like I'm the main course?"
Cadmen crouched, examining a scorch mark. His tone was dry, but his eyes betrayed something harder—fear. "Because you are. You're Patient Zero. Every success and failure they've made is built from you. Which means Harbinger isn't just after you." He glanced up, locking eyes with Zeke. "He's part of you."
Zeke shivered. Maya instinctively shifted closer, as though her presence alone could shield him from that truth.
Cadmen straightened, brushing dust off his coat. "We need to move. This place isn't safe anymore. Cross will have drones here by morning. And if Harbinger doesn't come back himself, she'll send someone else to finish what he started."
Fractures
As they walked away from the ruins, Zeke dragged his feet, every step heavy. His mind replayed the fight on a loop: Harbinger's fist breaking concrete, that awful tether pulling at his soul, the smile that said you're mine.
Maya tried to lighten the mood. "Hey. On the bright side, you didn't vaporize me with that shockwave. So, progress?"
Zeke snorted weakly. "Yay. Gold star. Next time I'll try not to level the entire block."
"Next time," Cadmen said sharply, "you won't fight him alone."
That shut them both up.
Cadmen glanced back at Zeke, his voice quieter but firmer. "You're strong, kid. Stronger than you know. But strength without control isn't power. It's chaos. And chaos is exactly what Cross wants."
Zeke muttered, "Great. So I'm basically a walking nuke with impulse-control issues."
Maya squeezed his shoulder. "No. You're a fighter. And you've got me. And him." She jerked her chin at Cadmen. "So you're not alone. Okay?"
Zeke didn't answer. Not because he didn't hear her, but because in the back of his mind, the tether pulsed again.
And for just a split second, he thought he heard Harbinger's voice.
Not alone… not ever.