(Ava’s POV)
Sleep came in fragments.
Not dreams, but intervals. Like my mind was being sampled rather than allowed to rest. Every time I drifted, I felt a subtle tug, a question forming before words existed. When I opened my eyes again, the concrete ceiling was unchanged, the dim lights steady, Brian’s breathing slow and shallow beside me.
My phone lay face-down on the floor.
I hadn’t turned it that way.
I sat up slowly, every sense tuned sharp. The facility was quiet, but not empty-quiet. Active-quiet. Like a server room holding its breath between commands.
Mara was already awake, cleaning her weapon with methodical care. She glanced up. “You felt it too.”
“Define it,” I said.
She gave a thin smile. “The future knocking.”
Lark emerged from the corridor moments later, jacket zippe
