The person standing at the doorway was none other than President Valeska who stood in the doorway like a monument of authority. Tall, severe, with hair pulled back in a style that suggested she had no patience for frivolity. Her two bodyguards flanked her—professional, alert, hands positioned where they could reach weapons in under a second.

She looked at Elliot first, taking in his confused expression. Then at me. Then past me to where the girls were partially visible.

Her gaze was clinical. Assessing. The look of someone cataloging threats and weaknesses automatically.

Everyone behind me was internally panicking. I could feel it without looking—the way their breathing changed, the barely audible shifts of weight, the tension that came from being discovered by literally the worst person who could have found us.

Valeska had been my biggest opposition during the UN meeting. Had argued against every reform I proposed. Had positioned herself as a defender of the status quo and everything wrong with the current system.

And now she was standing in the doorway of our hiding place with armed guards.

"Took you long enough," I said calmly.

Valeska's expression didn't change, but I saw the slight tightening around her eyes. Surprise, maybe. Or recalculation.

"Rey, what the hell—" Camille started behind me.

I raised a hand, cutting her off. "President Valeska. It's rude to leave a head of state standing outside. Please, come in. We should talk at the table."

I walked past her into the house, gesturing toward the dining area like I owned the place. Like I hadn't been hiding here as a fugitive for two weeks.

Behind me, I heard Evelyn's sharp intake of breath. Heard Alexis muttering something that sounded like medical concern about my mental state. Heard Sienna's worried whisper asking if I'd lost my mind.

But I kept walking, and after a moment's hesitation, Valeska followed.

Her bodyguards moved to come with her, but she raised a hand. "Wait outside. Close enough to respond if needed."

They didn't look happy about it but obeyed, taking positions flanking the front door.

Valeska sat at the table with the careful precision of someone who never relaxed. Never let their guard down. Her eyes swept the room, cataloging exits, potential weapons, tactical considerations.

Her gaze lingered on Evelyn for a moment—specifically on Evelyn's face, where a blindfold should have been but wasn't. Recognition flickered in her expression, but she made no comment.

The others crowded into the room, all looking at me like I'd completely lost my mind.

"Rey," Alexis said urgently, keeping her voice low. "What are you thinking? We need to run. Get out of here before she calls her people."

"We can take the back exit," Camille added. "Split up if we have to—"

"This isn't a problem," I said calmly, pulling out a chair and sitting across from Valeska. "She's an ally."

I said it loud enough for Valeska to hear. Wanted her to know I was playing this openly.

"An ally?" Evelyn repeated, disbelief clear in her voice. "Rey, this is Valeska. She opposed everything we did at the UN. She's—"

"Part of NovaCore," I finished, looking directly at Valeska. "Weren't you, Madam President?"

The room went silent.

Valeska's expression remained neutral, but I saw the confirmation in her eyes before she spoke.

"And what of it?" she asked carefully.

"Then your allegiance wasn't to the title of World President," I said, leaning back in my chair. "It was to Hugo Vale specifically. You worked with him. Believed in his vision. Supported his research."

I paused, making sure everyone was listening. "Which means Mark—who murdered Hugo, who broadcast his death to the world, who took the position Hugo held—is your enemy just as much as he's mine."

Valeska's lips twitched. Almost a smile. "Most of that is accurate."

"I hate you," I said bluntly. "For what you've done. What you supported. The experiments. The suffering. All of it."

She inclined her head slightly, acknowledging the statement without confirming or denying.

"But we have a common enemy," I continued. "Mark. Subject 3834. The man who's currently positioning himself as a hero while planning to implement policies that will stratify society based on job ranks and System enhancements. The man who will absolutely come after anyone connected to Hugo's work once he's finished consolidating power."

I leaned forward. "You're part of NovaCore. Mark knows that. Or he will soon. And when he does, you're a target. Either he'll try to eliminate you, or he'll put so much pressure on Poland that you'll be forced out of power. Either way, your position becomes untenable."

Valeska was silent, her expression unreadable.

"But if Mark falls," I said, "if he's exposed and removed from power before he can come after you, then you survive. Your connection to NovaCore stays buried or at least becomes less immediately relevant. You benefit from him being taken down."

More silence. I could feel the others processing what I was saying, understanding dawning in their expressions.

Evelyn was the first to fully grasp it. "That's why you were expecting her. Why you opened the door. Because you knew she'd figure out we were here—Elliot's connection to you isn't hard to trace—and you knew she'd come to assess the situation personally rather than just reporting it."

"And once she was here," I continued, still looking at Valeska, "she'd have to make a choice. Report us and gain temporary favor with Mark while making herself a future target. Or help us and potentially eliminate the threat he represents before it becomes her problem."

Valeska finally spoke, her voice carrying that same authority that had dominated the UN meeting. "You're assuming a great deal about my position and motivations, Mr. Vale."

"Am I wrong?" I challenged.

She was quiet for a long moment. Then: "You're cocky. Even if everything you've said is accurate, I could still report you. Turn you over to Mark and buy myself goodwill. Prove my loyalty to the new World President."

"You could," I agreed. "But you won't."

"And why is that?"

"Because Mark doesn't forgive connections to Hugo," I said. "Your involvement with NovaCore marks you. And unlike me—who can at least claim ignorance about my father's activities—you were an active participant. You knew what was happening. Chose to support it. That makes you complicit in a way that reporting me won't erase."

I leaned back again. "Mark will come after you eventually. You know it. I know it. The only question is whether you wait for that to happen, or whether you help us stop him before he has the chance."

The room was completely silent now. Even Elliot's family, who didn't fully understand the politics, could sense the weight of the conversation.

Valeska studied me with those cold, calculating eyes. "Even if I believed your assessment—which I'm not confirming—what would this 'help' entail? What exactly do you expect from me?"

"Three conditions," I said, holding up fingers as I counted them off. "First: we remain hidden here at Elliot's farm. You don't report our location. Don't send anyone to investigate. Don't acknowledge that you know where we are."

She nodded slightly, indicating I should continue.

"Second: when this is over—assuming we succeed—you don't go after Elliot or his family. You leave them alone. They've been kind enough to shelter us, and I won't have them punished for it."

Elliot's expression shifted to shock. His family members exchanged looks of surprise and gratitude. They'd been worried about exactly that scenario.

"And third?" Valeska prompted.

"Third: you provide resources and personnel when the time comes to fight and expose Mark. Money. Equipment. People we can trust. Whatever we need to actually make a move against him."

Valeska leaned back in her chair, mirroring my posture. "That's a significant commitment. Resources. Personnel. Political capital. All for what might be a losing effort."

"It's insurance," I corrected. "Against Mark coming after you. Against your NovaCore connections being exposed. Against everything you've built crumbling because you bet on the wrong side."

"And you believe you're the right side?" she asked, something almost like amusement in her tone.

"I believe I'm your best option," I replied. "Which, given the alternatives, makes me the right side by default."

Silence stretched between us. Valeska's gaze never wavered, and I met it without flinching. This was a gamble—a huge one—but it was based on solid logic. She needed us as much as we needed her, even if she didn't want to admit it.

Finally, she sighed. "You're a shrewd man, Mr. Vale. More like your father than you probably want to admit."

The words stung, but I didn't react.

"I agree," Valeska said. "To all three conditions. You remain hidden. Elliot and his family are untouched. And when the time comes, I'll provide what you need."

She stood, and I did the same. We didn't shake hands—there was no trust here, just mutual benefit—but we'd reached an understanding.

"I'll be in touch," she said, heading toward the door. "When you're ready to move against Mark, contact me through this." She pulled out a small device—looked like a modified phone—and set it on the table. "It's encrypted and untraceable. Don't lose it."

Then she was gone, her bodyguards falling into step as she left the farmhouse and disappeared into vehicles I hadn't even heard arrive.

The door closed, and everyone turned to stare at me.

"You," Camille said slowly, "are absolutely insane."

"Probably," I agreed.

"But it worked," Evelyn said, a hint of grudging admiration in her voice. "You turned our biggest enemy into an ally."

"Not an ally," I corrected. "A resource. There's a difference."

Elliot, who'd been silent throughout the entire exchange, finally spoke. "Thank you. For including my family in the conditions. We… we appreciate it."

"You gave us shelter when no one else would," I said. "It's the least I could do."

I picked up the encrypted device Valeska had left, turning it over in my hands. "Now we wait. Let Mark continue implementing his policies. Let his approval start dropping. And when the time is right…"

"We strike," Evelyn finished.

"We strike," I confirmed.

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