They stayed above the city for hours.
Not landing.
Not hiding.
Just… hovering.
Watching.
News helicopters kept their distance now.
No one dared get close.
Andrew liked that.
Cypriana could tell.
He wasn't smiling.
But something inside him had settled.
The chaos from last night had transformed into something colder.
Intentional.
They finally landed on the roof of an unfinished high-rise at the edge of downtown.
Concrete pillars.
Exposed beams.
Wind howling through empty floors.
It felt like the perfect place for something unfinished.
Cypriana hugged herself.
"Andrew… what are we doing?"
Andrew walked to the edge and looked down at the street below.
His voice was calm.
"They're organizing."
She frowned.
"Who?"
"Police. Media. Government."
He glanced at her.
"They won't let us exist like this."
Cypriana's stomach twisted.
"We didn't hurt anyone."
Andrew's eyes darkened.
"I did."
She swallowed.
"And they'll make sure I can't again."
Silence.
The wind pushed at them like a warning.
Andrew turned to face her fully now.
His expression was unreadable.
"Cypriana."
Her heart thudded.
"Yes?"
His voice was soft.
Almost gentle.
"Do you trust me?"
The question felt loaded.
She hesitated—
Then nodded.
"I chose you."
Andrew stepped closer.
"That's not the same thing."
Her throat tightened.
"I'm here, aren't I?"
Andrew studied her.
Then nodded once.
"There's a police scanner two blocks east. On the roof of a surveillance van."
She blinked.
"…Okay?"
"They're tracking us through traffic cams."
Her stomach dropped.
"So?"
Andrew's gaze locked onto hers.
"So go break it."
She froze.
"What?"
His voice didn't change.
"Crush it. Rip it apart. Make sure they can't follow us."
Cypriana's breath faltered.
"That's… that's not hurting anyone."
Andrew tilted his head.
"No."
She swallowed hard.
"But it's still…"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"What?"
Illegal.
Wrong.
Escalation.
Cypriana whispered—
"It's escalating."
Andrew's jaw tightened.
"They're escalating."
He stepped closer.
"If we don't push back now, they'll cage us."
Her heart pounded.
"I don't want to hurt anyone."
Andrew's voice dropped.
"I'm not asking you to."
Silence.
The wind screamed around them.
Andrew's eyes softened slightly.
"Prove it."
Her breath caught.
"Prove what?"
"That you're not halfway here."
The words sliced through her.
Cypriana stared at him.
He wasn't angry.
He wasn't yelling.
That made it worse.
Andrew whispered—
"If you hesitate every time… you'll leave."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"I won't."
"Then go."
He stepped aside.
Giving her space.
Giving her the sky.
Cypriana's pulse roared in her ears.
This wasn't lifting a locker.
This wasn't defending herself.
This was choosing a direction.
She looked at Andrew.
He watched her like a judge.
Waiting.
Cypriana inhaled sharply.
And lifted into the air.
Two blocks east.
The surveillance van sat parked beside a traffic control unit.
Two officers inside.
Talking.
Laughing nervously.
One officer glanced at his phone.
"Dude, my mom thinks it's aliens."
The other snorted.
"Yeah? Mine thinks it's the rapture."
They didn't see the shadow above them.
Cypriana hovered.
Her breathing uneven.
She stared at the equipment mounted on the roof.
Cameras.
Satellite receiver.
Scanner.
Andrew's voice echoed faintly in her head.
Crush it.
She swallowed.
The scanner trembled.
Metal creaked softly.
One officer frowned.
"Did you feel that?"
The other looked up.
"What the hell—"
Cypriana clenched her hand.
The entire equipment rig ripped clean off the van roof.
Metal screamed.
The officers scrambled out, shouting.
Cypriana's heart pounded violently.
She lifted the scanner higher.
Higher.
The officers stared up at her.
Horrified.
One of them whispered—
"Oh my god…"
Cypriana froze.
They looked so small.
So human.
So scared.
Her grip faltered.
Andrew's voice floated into her mind.
They're hunting you.
Her jaw tightened.
She crushed the scanner midair.
It imploded with a violent metallic crunch.
Pieces rained down onto the asphalt.
The officers screamed and ran for cover.
Cypriana's breathing was ragged.
She didn't look at them again.
She flew back.
Andrew watched her land.
He didn't smile.
He didn't praise.
He just asked—
"Did you hesitate?"
Her chest rose and fell.
"Yes."
His eyes searched her face.
"But you did it."
She nodded faintly.
Andrew stepped closer.
"Good."
The word sent a chill down her spine.
Cypriana whispered—
"They were scared."
Andrew's voice was flat.
"They should be."
She swallowed.
Her hands were still shaking.
Andrew reached out and took them.
Held them steady.
"They're not innocent."
Cypriana's voice was small.
"They're people."
Andrew's gaze hardened.
"So are we."
A distant siren wailed.
Closer this time.
Andrew looked toward the horizon.
"They're adapting."
Cypriana felt it too.
The pressure.
The coming storm.
Andrew turned back to her.
"This is only the beginning."
Her stomach twisted.
"Beginning of what?"
Andrew's voice dropped.
"Us."
She didn't know whether that was a promise.
Or a warning.
Across town—
Matt and Steve watched the footage of the destroyed surveillance van on TV.
Matt's jaw clenched.
"That was her."
Steve whispered—
"She did it."
Matt nodded slowly.
"She crossed the line."
Steve swallowed hard.
"What do we do?"
Matt stared at the screen.
At the girl he loved floating above chaos.
"We get stronger."
A beat.
"Because next time… she won't hesitate."