The address Tim said on the phone led to an isolated mansion on a hill. The mansion itself loomed over a lake, its towering pillars and high windows making it different from the other living spaces. Sydney and I exited the car and took two steps to the front door.

Avery insisted we meet at his place, where no one could listen. I had my doubts, but in the end, I agreed. I told Sydney about the situation, and she rubbed her face in distress. There was a lot of back and forth between us, wondering what would happen to Roger, and ultimately to us. I insisted she come to Avery's, to which she didn't hesitate to agree.

Sydney called Tim on our arrival, and soon enough, the door gently opened.

"Come in," Tim said softly.

I was immediately met with a crystal chandelier with many miniature bulbs. The walls contained family pictures. Straight ahead was the staircase to get to the next floor. It was silent with no whispers. Everyone was worried about the logistics. About Roger.

Tim opened the door to a small room with little room to move. The wooden floors were clean, and the dresser was empty. The shades were closed, and the three charis were randomly placed, giving the impression that they didn't belong.

Tim's friend, Avery, sat on the bed and offered us a chair. I accepted without speaking.

"It's been some time, Jill. Thank you for letting me stay at your place… y'know… in the outside world."

"Ya…" I didn't know what else to say.

Sydney spoke. "Before we get started. How can we trust you?"

He looked around. "You came all the way here. There's obviously some level of trust."

"Maybe. Don't pull a sneaky trick. We don't want to make things more complicated than it is."

He nodded. "No tricks. I invited you here solely in peace. I hate SCAR. I don't want anything to do with them. If my words aren't trustworthy, then let me prove it by my actions."

Sydney scoffed. "Whatever. I'll be watching your every move. Don't pull a fast one."

He nodded. "So," he said, "Let me catch you up to speed."

He spilled everything. Avery broke it down for everyone to understand. Him being the Chancellor's son, how he related to Tim, who the person in the House with Answers was, and Roger's situation. It spoke uninterrupted, with no sense of bad intentions.

Truthfully, I didn't care for him. I just wanted to know Roger's situation and if there was anything I could do to help.

He ended off by saying, "That's all. Is there anything that you want me to clarify?"

"Roger," I said. "What can we do about him?"

Avery scratched his head. "I'm going to try my best for his release. I can't guarantee anything, though."

"But you can," I said. " You're the Chancellor's son. Just overrule everything, or tell your father to."

"I don't own SCAR, Jill. I can ask. I can beg. I can't make them do anything they don't want to. He's in Gamma, an intake quarantine. They run tests and hold people there before interrogation. It buys us a little time, but not long. He's been in there for some time, so we have roughly a day or two before interrogation."

My laugh was short and hard. "A day or two. Great. That's barely time to breathe."

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Sydney leaned forward. "He knows what to say. Everyone has their own scripts in case of an issue with SCAR. If he can keep his story straight, he might survive the interrogation."

Avery rubbed his palms together. "That's good," he said quietly. "If he can hold out, I might be able to pull some strings. But Gamma doesn't keep people long. Once they interrogate and move him into Delta, then it's basically over. No one gets out of Delta."

The air shifted. Sydney crossed her arms."So we've got what, a day?"

"Or so," Avery admitted. "Transfers happen fast. SCAR doesn't sit on assets."

"Assets," I muttered with a bitter tone. "That's what he is to them? An asset?"

Avery's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. "That's what they call everyone in containment."

Tim leaned against the doorway, his voice low. "You said you might pull strings. How?"

Avery hesitated. "I know a few people." He took a breath. "If they get caught helping me, then SCAR will punish them. Burn them, basically. I'm not someone they are supposed to help."

I saw the guilt, the fear in his face. But also the calculations. He was trying to weigh one life against another.

"Then burn them," I said flatly. "You think they'll spare Roger if you play nice?"

Avery shook his head slowly. "You think I don't know that? You think I want this?"

"Then act like it!" I snapped, my voice cracking. "You sit here in your perfect house with your fancy name and—"

"Jill," Sydney interrupted my heavy voice. She stopped, glaring at my damp eyes. She turned to Avery. "You said Gamma. How long before they start the interrogation?"

He swallowed. "Probably tomorrow."

"And you'll talk to your contact?"

He nodded, though his eyes didn't meet mine. "I'll try."

Try. That word hung in the air like a curse. I leaned back in the chair, exhaling through my teeth.

"You're going to have to do more than try," I said.

Avery looked up, finally meeting my gaze. "If I push too hard, I risk drawing attention. He's an outsider, for God's sake. If I get caught helping an outsider, then they'll come for me. I'm done for—"

"They'll what?" I interrupted.

"They'll come for me too," Avery said.

For a long moment, none of us spoke. The only noise was the soft hum of the computer.

Tim broke it first. "So what now?"

Avery spoke quietly. "We wait. And pray he doesn't break."

"He won't break," I said.

Avery rubbed his face, fingers trembling slightly. "You don't understand how this works," he murmured.

"Then make us understand," I said. "Because right now, it sounds like you're just waiting for them to kill him."

Avery's eyes flicked toward the window, though the shades were down. He seemed to weigh something heavy in his chest before speaking again. "There's… someone I can talk to. Someone powerful."

"Who?" Sydney asked sharply.

His silence was the first red flag.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low. "Ridley."

Sydney's eyes widened. "Ridley? Archon's right-hand man?"

"Yeah. I can talk to him. He's not… it's not that simple, though."

"Not that simple?" I raised my voice. "You're connected to someone who almost has a powerful Archon, and you waited until now to mention it?"

Avery stood abruptly. "You think I want that connection? You think I'm proud of it?" He was shaking, angry, guilty, maybe even all three. "Ridley is my day one. He helped raise me after my mother died. He's someone I can go to when I need help. He's not just some monster on a leash, okay?"

I scoffed. "Then what is he?"

Avery paused. His voice broke quieter. "Someone who still picks up the phone when I call."

The room fell silent again, the kind of silence that made your stomach twist.

"So you're going to call him," I said, testing the words. "Ask him to let Roger go."

Avery's expression hardened. "I don't know. Hopefully. Maybe I can convince him that Roger isn't worth keeping."

Tim spoke. "You mean to lie to him."

"If I have to."

"But if he finds out I'm playing him, then I'm screwed."

I leaned forward. "So what's stopping you?"

Avery hesitated, his eyes darting toward Tim, then to Sydney, then back to me. "Because once I make that call," he said slowly, "there's no going back. If he even suspects I'm protecting an outsider, then it'll be an issue."

"Then you better make it count," I said.

Avery exhaled, long and trembling. "I'll need time," he said. "And I'll need to do it alone."

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