PART FIVE: THE CAMP AT THE EDGE

The camp stirred to life early, the horizon painted in shades of pale gold. Jax had barely slept, his mind churning with the implications of Sam’s revelations and the Coalition’s tightening grip. Stepping out of his tent, he rolled his shoulders and inhaled deeply the morning air before setting off on his usual jog around the camp. It was one of the few routines that kept his thoughts from spiraling.

The Resistance—or, as they were popularly known, The Children of the Light—was a fractured family held together by desperation and defiance. Most of them were ordinary people with no Pulse energy or gifts. They were just people who had lost too much and refused to lose more. Jax and Sam were different. They were born from the Pulse itself, their bodies charged with energy from the very Zones that reshaped the world. Only a handful shared that fate: Zephyr, Rome, Reyna and Priya, and while they were not yet aware, the twins Kalduram and Kieran were also conceived from the same pulse energy. The others fought without power, relying on skill, strategy, and sheer will.

 As Jax neared the lake on the far side of the mountain, he slowed. The shimmering Horizon Rift hung in the distance, a curtain of fractured light shielding them from prying eyes. It was their sanctuary and their gateway—used to slip through Coalition-controlled zones undetected.

By the lake, he could hear echoes of laughter. Jax spotted Thalia and Sam, waist-deep in the water. Sam shook his soaked white hair, sending water waves into the air as Thalia doubled over in laughter. Thalia noticed him and waved a hand dismissively. He smirked but kept jogging, heading back toward the heart of the camp. As he neared the mess area, the youngest members were already up, kicking a battered ball across the dirt.

A boy—no older than ten—shouted triumphantly as he dodged a kick and sent the ball sailing toward the goal, a makeshift frame of scrap metal. The other kids groaned. Jax couldn't help but smile as he heard their laughter, it was a strong reminder of why they were fighting. He never got to experience this growing up, they were always on the move.

He heard the sharp crack of a bullet that snapped him from his thoughts. Jax turned his head to see Lila, her stance firm, her eyes locked onto the empty bottles lined up on a fence post. One after another, they shattered with precise shots.

“Still trying to one-up me?” he called over his shoulder.

Lila exhaled, lowering her weapon. "Please. You're only good when you're throwing Pulse energy around. This takes skill."

Jax smirked, tugging at one of his thick dreadlocks. “Jealous?”

"Jealous?" Lila scoffed. "Do you know how much work goes into keeping my curls in check? Meanwhile, you just run a little Pulse through your body and...poof...perfect dreads."

“Not my fault your genetics didn’t bless you with unlimited energy.”

“You know what? Next time we hit a supply town, you’re buying me shampoo.”

Jax laughed, shaking his head as he continued past.

By the time the others gathered around the holographic table, Jax was already there, scanning through data on the Zone core fragments and Firewall schematics. His eyes flicked across the encrypted blueprints, searching for weaknesses, something they could use.

Lila approached first, setting a steaming cup of tea in front of him.

“Still at it?”

Jax grunted in response.

“Look,” she said, leaning her elbows on the table. “I know you’re trying to process everything, but you can’t do this alone.”

“I’m not,” Jax replied, rubbing his eyes. “That’s why I need you to keep pushing Zhao’s intel. There’s something she’s not telling us.”

Lila took a sip of her tea. “That’s Thalia’s job, remember?”

Jax sighed. “Yeah, but with Sam back, I don’t think she’s going to be too focused on it.”

Lila chuckled, nodding. “I know. That’s why I sent Reyna and Zephyr to cross-reference her data. We’re stretched thin, though. If the Ashfield brothers are willing to help, we should let them.”

Before Jax could respond, a sharp whistle rang through the air.

Sam sprinted toward them moments later, half-naked, his white hair damp.

“Guys, we’ve got movement," he said out of breath. "Coalition patrols just entered the valley.”.

Jax straightened. “How many?”

“Four hovercrafts, at least a dozen soldiers each maybe,” Sam replied catching his breath. “They’re sweeping the perimeter. My guess? They’re looking for us.”

“Get everyone ready to move,” Jax ordered, his voice sharp. “We can’t let them pin us down here.”

Down in the valley, black-armored Coalition soldiers moved with lethal precision, their visors shining in the morning sun. At their head was Captain Ren, a seasoned operative known for her ruthless efficiency.

Her lieutenant stepped forward, a glowing holographic map projected from his wrist.

“Heat signatures detected, Captain,” he reported.

Ren smirked. “Guess the intel was right. Spread out. I want them alive if possible. If not…” She let the implication hang in the air.

The squad moved in waves, drones buzzing overhead, scanning the terrain. The Resistance had minutes at best before they were surrounded.

In the camp, controlled chaos unfolded.

Tents were folded in record time. Supplies were placed into hidden compartments and footprints were swept away. They’d done this before, and everyone knew the drill: make it look like they were never there. After all, this could still be an ordinary patrol unit.

Jax opened his hand summoning a shimmering portal, veins of light formed through the air erupting in a circular portal. The children were ushered through, one by one, to a secure outpost miles away. This was the safest way than using the Horizon rift which could be tracked using the coalition’s technology.

Lila crouched behind a rock with Jax, watching the enemy advance. Sam came running, still shirtless.

“They’re coming straight for us,” Sam whispered. “I don’t think this is a patrol unit.”

“Agreed,” Jax muttered. Then, raising an eyebrow, “Where the hell is your shirt?”

Sam scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Uh, there was an incident at the lake this morning. Thalia threw me in with it on.”

Jax and Lila exchanged a look.

Thalia appeared a moment later, tossing a crumpled shirt at Sam’s face. “Here. Good morning, by the way. Anything unusual today? Y’know, besides getting ready to die?”

Jax ignored the sarcasm. “Did you tell the brothers?”

Thalia nodded. “Yeah. They’ll cover the ridge.” She unzipped a duffel bag, pulling out weapons. “And I also picked up these…you’re welcome”

“Who else is still here besides us?” Jax asked.

Thalia cocked a gun as she answered, “I couldn’t find Reyna and Zephyr but Rome and Priya are with the brothers on the ridge. Other than them it's only us.”

“Good, that means we can move fast.”

Jax picked up a sheathed sword. As his fingers wrapped around the hilt, it pulsed with raw energy, the metal glowing faintly.

Sam raised a hand, a cube forming in his palm, its segmented layers humming with a faint blue light.

Thalia gazed at Sam raising an eyebrow. “Must be nice, never running out of ammo.”

Sam smirked. “Eventually, I run out of stamina. But it’ll take a while.”

Thalia blushed, her cheeks becoming red. “I’m sure you can hold out for a long time.”

Jax and Lila exchanged glances. Again. Then sighed.