Whatever was happening between her and Conall, whatever the mate bond represented, it was tearing apart the most fundamental relationship in his life.
For fuck’s sake.Stand down, both of you,Anders commanded.
Dr.Chen,Conall called, apparently recognizing the need for concrete action.Did you bring your scanning equipment?
I did,the geneticist confirmed.
Good.We’re going to need it.Conall met Quinton’s gaze directly, and Nadine felt his desperate attempt to bridge the gap between them.Both for the evidence here and for anyone who wants their neural patterns verified.
The offer was intended as a peace gesture—proof that he was willing to subject both himself and her to scientific scrutiny if it would ease his twin’s concerns.But Quinton’s expression suggested he heard it as further evidence of Conall’s compromise.
Yeah.We need to keep searching here,she continued, choosing to focus on mission objectives rather than the interpersonal wreckage she’d helped create.If Gregory’s been running assets for years, there might be communication logs, contact protocols we missed.
Let’s get started,Conall said as soon as Dr.Chen had the equipment ready.
But even as he spoke, Nadine caught Quinton’s expression out of the corner of her eye.Familiar disapproval mixed with something deeper—the recognition that his twin was once again turning to her for partnership instead of honoring the bond that had defined them both since birth.
Anders began coordinating the logistics of their expanded investigation, already adapting to the new intelligence they’d uncovered.We’ll need full psychological profiles on everyone with access to pack intelligence over the past year.Cross-reference with medical records from Vincent’s era, identify anyone who might have been compromised.
I’ll focus on Gregory’s files,Nadine said.
Anders moved with his characteristic efficiency, coordinating the departure of his team.The evidence from Gregory’s storage unit had been cataloged and secured, ready for transport back to Sunburst territory where people Conall trusted—people who weren’t her—would analyze the psychological profiles that could save or damn them all.
Dr.Chen stays with you two to interpret the scanner output,Anders announced, his sharp gaze moving between Conall and her with the kind of calculated assessment that missed nothing.I want complete neural mapping of everything in this facility—looking for interface signatures, behavioral modification residue, anything that might indicate ongoing Chimera activity.
Nadine nodded, watching as the other pack members loaded equipment into their vehicles.The afternoon sun cast harsh shadows across the storage facility’s parking lot, giving everything a stark quality that matched the hollowness spreading through her chest.
The lone wolf representative will meet us in downtown Roswell,Anders continued, checking his tablet for coordination details.We need to brief them on what we’ve discovered—if Chimera’s planning something as large-scale as the Omicron Protocol suggests, the unaffiliated shifters need to know what’s coming.
Quinton,Conall called out as his twin loaded the last evidence box into one of the SUVs.Maybe you should—
I’m going with Anders,Quinton cut him off, his voice carrying the kind of finality that ended conversations.The lone wolves need to hear from someone with practical experience.Someone whose judgment isn’t compromised.
The last words were designed to cut deep.Nadine felt them lodge in Conall’s chest like shrapnel.
But she also felt Quinton’s desperation beneath the cruelty—his terror of losing his brother to something he couldn’t compete with, couldn’t understand, couldn’t control.
The vehicles began pulling out of the parking lot, leaving behind only dust and the three of them standing in the shadow of Gregory’s emptied shrine.The silence stretched until Dr.Chen cleared his throat and began unpacking his scanning equipment with practiced efficiency.
Well,the geneticist said mildly,this should be interesting.
Nadine almost smiled despite everything.Chen had a gift for understatement that rivaled Anders’s precision.
How long for a complete facility scan?she asked, grateful for technical focus that didn’t require examining the wreckage of relationships or the authenticity of feelings that might be manufactured.
Several hours, minimum.Neural interface technology leaves electromagnetic residue, but the signatures fade over time.We’re looking for patterns, anomalies, anything that suggests recent activation.Chen gestured toward the now empty storage unit.Given what you’ve found here, I suspect we’ll discover more than we bargained for.
As if summoned by his words, the scanner in her hands began emitting the rapid beeps that indicated a strong neural interface signature.
Dr.Chen’s scanner beeped ominously as Nadine swept it across a hidden compartment in Gregory’s storage unit.
Every minute spent unraveling her father’s lies led to something new—and each revelation was worse than the last.
The neural interface signature is wrong,Chen announced, his tone confused.These readings don’t match someone who died three weeks ago.
Ice formed in Nadine’s veins.What do you mean?
Neural interfaces leave specific electromagnetic residue when the subject dies.The technology burns out, creating distinctive decay signatures.Chen held up his scanner.This suggests the interface was deliberately deactivated, not destroyed by death.
