The jet sliced through the te afternoon sky, high above the steel-blue Atntic. Sunlight shimmered across the ocean below like molten gss.

  Inside the cabin, silence pressed down like the deep. Two teams sat in two rows, facing one another, the space between them filled with invisible questions. In the center of the cabin, a reinforced case rested on a carbon-fiber table. Inside: the Cube. The Sphere. Still. But Ren could feel them. Sometimes the case vibrated—barely. As if the artifacts were waiting. He couldn’t stop gncing toward them. We’ve crossed the line. No turning back now.

  At the far end of the cabin, Sky sat with her tablet, monitoring maps, checking encrypted feeds. Ren sat opposite her, eyes steady. Finally, he stood up, offering a calm smile.

  “ We’ll be living and working side by side from here on. I think it’s time we got to know each other. Trust will be our best equipment.”

  Sky nodded and stood as well.

  “ Then I’ll start.”

  She looked around the cabin, her voice calm but resonant.

  “ Sky Montgomery. You already know the name. I’m financing this mission because I believe discoveries of this magnitude should serve people, not politics. Not war.”

  Her tone was clear, composed—but something flickered behind her eyes. Something unspoken.

  To her right stood a man who looked like he belonged to shadows. Tall, lean, wrapped in tactical bck. Face unreadable. Eyes like a hawk. He nodded once.

  “ Codename: Shade. Intelligence. Recon. Memory recall. Contingency pnning.” ??“ My role is keeping all of you alive.”

  His voice was clipped, emotionless. He didn’t smile. Didn’t sit. He just returned to his post, arms crossed, watching the doors and windows like they might turn against them.

  Ren swallowed. That one never sleeps.

  Next came a mountain. Muscur. Stoic. A quiet kind of strength radiating from him.

  “ Thunder,” he said with a voice like distant artillery.??“ Ex-military contractor. Personal security.” He gnced at Sky. ??“ She saved my life. I protect hers. And yours.”

  Simple words. Spoken like an oath. The kind that didn’t break.

  Ren noticed Sky give him a faint nod. Not gratitude. Something deeper. Loyalty forged in fire.

  Then the mood shifted. A wiry young man with messy hair and a beaming grin gave an exaggerated wave.

  “ Yo! I’m Pixel. Hacker, AI tinkerer, codebreaker, occasional urban explorer—meaning I jump off stuff and don’t die.”

  A ugh rippled through the cabin. Pixel’s energy was impossible to ignore.

  “ If it’s encrypted, I’ll crack it. Ancient nguages, satellite signals, alien tech—bring it on.”

  He gnced at Sphinx and winked.

  “ No offense, Professor. We’ll see who deciphers the apocalypse first.”

  Sphinx raised an eyebrow, amused.

  “ I welcome the competition, young man. May the best algorithm—or archaeologist—win.”

  More ughter. Even Shade’s jaw rexed a fraction. Pixel spun toward the back of the cabin and mock-bowed.

  “ Also, I know parkour. So if anyone tries to run… I’ll catch you. Without an exosuit.”

  He shot a pyful look at Rivet, who smirked.

  The st to stand was a woman who seemed carved from ice. Short ptinum-blonde hair. Pressed uniform. Movements sharp and surgical.

  “ Codename: Mamba,” she said crisply.??“ Geneticist. Military physician. I’m here to collect biological samples, analyze evolutionary anomalies, and assess threats to human physiology.”

  Her eyes scanned the room.

  “ This mission may require… unconventional decisions. I’m prepared to make them.”

  The temperature in the cabin dropped a degree. No jokes followed her speech. Ren felt his gut tighten. There was conviction in her tone. But no compassion. He exchanged a gnce with Doc, who had been watching her closely. They were both doctors. But worlds apart.

  Mamba returned to her seat like someone completing a field report. Clean. Precise. No wasted emotion.

  Sky turned back to the others, her gaze resting briefly on Ren.

  “ Now you know my team. You’ll find them competent. Loyal. And occasionally dramatic.”

  Pixel saluted with two fingers.

  “ Mission vibes are officially on point.”

  Ren smiled faintly, then stepped forward. Time to introduce his side of the expedition.