The Next Steps in Patagonia

It was morning in Patagonia, and Jessica had barely touched her food. The guesthouse kitchen smelled of fresh coffee and fried eggs, but she tasted none of it. The chair beneath her felt solid, grounding her after the hollow conversation with Ryan the night before.

She hadn’t slept, but no one asked about it. They all knew something had changed. They just figured she would talk about it when she was ready. They knew when Jessica needed her space.

Olivia set her laptop down in the middle of the table. "We have a problem."

Kevin leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Just one?"

Olivia ignored him and turned the screen toward them. "Project Albatross isn’t just some research outpost. It’s a full-blown private facility hidden deep in the mountains. High security, no public records, and the only people who go in are either executives or personnel we have no way of tracking."

Jessica rubbed her temple. "So what are you saying? We can’t get close?"

Leanna leaned over the laptop, eyes scanning the map. "Not exactly. But this isn’t some abandoned bunker we can sneak into. If we want access, we need a way in."

"Or a reason for them to let us in," Hannah murmured.

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked.

Hannah tapped a spot on the map. "We find someone with access. A weak link. A person who either doesn’t belong or can be manipulated."

Kevin smirked. "So we’re running a con now?"

Olivia exhaled. "We need a plan. Because unless one of you suddenly has military clearance, we’re not getting inside otherwise."

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The conversation turned into a debate, then an argument. The team was fractured and in need of leadership.

Jessica felt the pressure in her chest tighten, the weight of everything pressing in on her, all the years of running, the near-death escapes, the uncertainty of what they were even fighting for anymore.

"What if we’re walking into another disaster?" she snapped, slamming her coffee cup down. “Are we even sure this is worth it?”

Everyone fell silent. Jessica hated the way they all looked at her, like she was breaking, like she was the weak link. She stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. "I gave up everything for this, and I don’t even know why anymore."

Leanna was the only one who followed as she stormed outside. The morning air was cold against Jessica’s skin. She hated losing control like this.

Leanna’s voice was calm, careful. "You’re not the only one who lost something."

Jessica exhaled sharply. "I know. That’s not the point."

"Then what is?"

Jessica ran a hand through her hair. "I just... I don’t know who I am outside of this anymore. Every time I think I can move on, something drags me back."

Leanna didn’t respond right away. "Maybe that’s the point."

Jessica frowned. "What do you mean?"

Leanna hesitated. "Maybe we’re not supposed to move on. Maybe we’re supposed to end this."

Jessica looked at her, searching for something, certainty, conviction, anything that would make this feel less like a mistake. But before she could respond, she saw him. There was a stranger watching them from across the street.

Jessica tensed. "We’re being watched."

Leanna followed her gaze. The man wasn’t Vanguard. He looked more like a local, but there was something deliberate about the way he stood, like he was waiting for something. Jessica started toward him before Leanna could stop her.

"Who are you?" Jessica demanded when she was close enough.

The man smiled slightly, "A warning."

Jessica’s stomach tightened. "About what?"

The man tilted his head toward the distant mountains. "You don’t want to go up there."

Leanna stepped beside Jessica, voice sharp. "And why’s that?"

The man’s smile faded. "Because people disappear."

Jessica met his gaze. "Then tell us why we shouldn’t."

The man hesitated, then exhaled. "Come with me. There’s something you need to know."

Jessica glanced at Leanna. She had a choice to make, and for the first time in days, she felt like she was ready to make it.