She waited until she was sure he was asleep before she let herself cry. Muffing the sound in the thick pillow that smelled like Rory, Eden cried until she had nothing left to give but silent heaving sobs. Rory slept peacefully on the stiff couch across the room, illuminated by the moonlight through the thin curtains. He had a smile on his face, the smile of a man unburdened. One who didn’t know he’d been betrayed.

His trust in her had made it easy, easier than she’d ever expected, to find out what Bianca wanted to know. He’d unburdened himself to her, trusting that she would safeguard his secrets the way he always had, and now he slept at ease. Trusting her. What stung her the most deeply and almost brought the tears back was the memory of his babbled apologies. He blamed himself; of course he did. That was something they had in common, she thought with a hiccup. The tears threatened to spill out again, but she reigned them back. Both caught up in something so much larger than themselves, so much larger than the two kids they had been so long ago. The only difference was that Rory could leave. Rory could quit. Rory could leave.

He deserved more than a best friend who would betray his darkest secrets, but the price of his life was worth anything. Eden knew she would count the seconds until Rory was nowhere near Cardinal Enterprises, where he would be safe from anything that would interest Bianca.

Before the first rays of sun began to trickle through the window, Eden slipped out of Rory’s bed and dressed as quietly as she could. She wore her jeans from the day before, and borrowed one of Rory’s shirts, a polkadot button up that she rolled and tied at her waist. He wouldn’t miss it; he never wore fun patterns or colors since joining Cardinal Enterprises. Rory was still snoring loudly when she slipped out, leaving a note on his pillow. Not missing, I’ll be back later. --E.

Eden didn't have much of a plan as she left campus behind at the break of dawn. Lucas had given her no instructions on how to reach him or Bianca. He'd found her when he needed her. All she could do was hope that he would find her when she needed him as well. The sooner this was over, the sooner Eden laid Rory’s secrets at his feet, the better. This would be over soon, blessedly over. A memory someday, though one that would always fill her with some measure of dread. Eden had played her part and soon, Rory wouldn’t be a person of interest to the likes of Bianca. A wave of anger rose in Eden at the thought of her and she pushed those thoughts aside as she navigated the quiet morning streets of Haven. She wouldn’t need to deal with Bianca much longer. Not when she finally knew the secrets that would bring an end to this nightmare and take Rory out of harm’s way forever. He would never even need to know that she’d traded his confidence for his safety , but would she ever be able to look him in the eye again? She’d figure that out later.

She kept walking, past the Garden, past the corner store, past the train depot. At the crosswalk of First and Neptune, she took a left. The only public art exhibit in Haven, a collection of statues that Eden had always considered highly overrated and unbearably ugly, was situated in a public but often forgotten area of the city. A few public benches sat facing the exhibit; all three benches were predictably empty. Eden sat on the center bench and pretended to appreciate a particularly ugly stone rendition of one of the men who had designed the automation responsible for building the domes before the Exodus.

As she waited on the bench, wondering how stupid she was, the city woke up around her. By the time the sun had truly risen, the streets could almost be described as busy. Unsuspecting citizens heading off to work, with no idea that the frazzled girl who was much too interested in ugly statues was actually waiting for a criminal. Was a criminal.

With no way to summon Lucas, Eden figured waiting far away from any of her loved ones was her safest bet. He were watching her, that much was already certain. She doubted she had been alone for a second since her release. Eventually, if she sat in the same place long enough, Lucas would know about it.

Eden hoped he would approach her in public, though it occurred to her suddenly that she may have chosen too public a place for their purposes. She shifted uncomfortably on the bench and tried to anchor herself in the moment by focusing on the slow but steady flow of foot traffic around her and the loud dependable beating of her own heart. She closed her eyes, focusing on taking one steady breath at a time, focusing on the stretch of her lungs. She was so close. So close to the end of the nightmare. For all her nervousness, she barely noticed the warmth of another body joining her on the bench. She looked up sharply, ready to tell this stranger that the seat was taken and to kindly move on but the words died in her throat.

"Good morning,” Lucas greeted her cheerfully. He didn't look at her, staring instead straight ahead. "This is such an ugly stature. Weird choice for a meeting spot. Coffee?”

He offered her drink from the travel mug she hadn’t noticed in his hands. He made quick note of the disgust on her face and withdrew his hand almost immediately, eyebrows raised in exaggerated offense.

“Why would I eat or drink anything you offered me?" she asked. "Do l look stupid?"

“I've no need to drug you now that you seem to be cooperating so nicely. At least l assume you've been sitting here waiting for me? Maybe you just like particularly ugly art. For someone who's never been outside of Haven, I'm not surprised you've got no taste.”

Eden considered it a blessing when Lucas finally shut his mouth. She had no desire to prolong this partnership. The sooner this was over, the better.

“I've got the information that Bianca asked for,” Eden said.

“Asked for?' Lucas's voice was always dancing on the line of too much humor for the situation.

Eden rolled her eyes and denied him the reward of a sharp retort. Instead, she swallowed her anger and her guilt and her doubt, though it was so bitter that the bile in her throat threatened to try once more for freedom. "Is this where you want to have this conversation?"

“You picked nicely,” Lucas said, grinning. "I can think of no better place."

Though the foot traffic had thinned considerably as morning gave way to midday, the plaza around the statues was still alive. Messengers swerved and dodged through the crowds, their burdens balanced precariously on the back of their electric bikes. Despite the steady flow of traffic in and around the plaza, Eden and Lucas were the only two who lingered. The city, moving and breathing and living, passed them by with no discernible notice.

"Well? Will you keep me waiting all day?” he asked. “I could be busy. You don’t know.”

“Rory - Dr. Lawrence - told me about the project he's working on. I'm surprised Bianca is so invested in this project. Frankly, it sounds fairly boring to me, though Rory was pretty upset about it."

"Spit it out, already."

Although she'd gone looking for him for this exact reason, Eden felt a sudden urge to flee. Stupid, she knew. She tried to ignore his impatient expression and took a deep breath to steady herself. 'It's a satellite," she said finally. “Cardinal Enterprises is launching a satellite. At the end of the week sometime."

“A satellite?" Lucas asked, eyebrows raised dubiously. "That's what he told you?”

"So are we done then?" Eden asked, ignoring the way he was shaking his head. “We’re done? That’s it. That’s the project.”

"l thought you were smarter than that, but I guess I was wrong,” Lucas said, shrugging. "What’s the satellite for, Eden? You’ve just come to me, and told me that Cardinal Enterprises is planning to break the treaty, and you think that’s the end of it? Find out more."

Eden was surprised by the heat behind her anger; it flared up quickly and white hot. Lucas’s face, broad and sharp-featured, was relaxed. He sipped his coffee slowly, letting out a contented sigh after each sip. Eden struggled to control her desire to take it and dump it over his head.

"That’s all I’ve got," she said firmly. “It’s a satellite, pretty self explanatory. That’s what they’re using the Paradisium for.”

"How, Eden? How are they using the Paradisium in a satellite? And to what end? Where is this satellite? What is its mission? What is Jason Abrahams’ plan for the fall out? These are all important pieces of the puzzle, and all you’ve brought to me is the tiniest piece. And you think you’re done?”

“The Paradisium is like a battery,” she muttered. “A special battery.”

Lucas snorted. “Great. Very informative.”

Eden tried to find the calm and quiet place inside herself, the place she liked to go before the anger that brewed in her soul could burst free. Lucas was an idiot. He didn't have the emotional intelligence to come close to comprehending what she'd gone through, prodding at Rory until he told her everything he’d sworn not to. Rory's life was worth more than her soul, and if breaking her own integrity and betraying his confidence was the price to pay, she'd pay it without question. She indulged her anger by glowering at Lucas's profile as he, with his head thrown back, gazed up at the dome overhead. As if he could already see the satellite hovering overhead.

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Lucas finally turned his full attention back to her. He was solemn and his eyes were not unkind but Eden didn’t care. In a soft and measured tone, he said the words she had known were coming, the words she had been hoping she could avoid.

“You aren’t done, Eden. You’ll never be done. Not with this.”

“Rory’s quitting,” she said, the words coming out more desperately than she intended, chasing the heels of his own. She hadn’t meant to tell him any more of Rory’s secrets but they spilled out more easily each time. “He’s not staying on the special forces team. I’m not going to be useful anymore. Soon.”

“If I were you, I’d try to talk Dr. Lawrence into staying on the team, if only to make your job easier. Otherwise, you’re going to have to find some other scientist to cozy up to and learn from. Shouldn’t be too hard for you,” he said. “You might find it more palatable once you’re not using your so-called friend. But do you really think that Bianca would cut you loose so easily? Do you think Lawrence will be safe, even if he isn’t working with Cardinal Enterprises? He’s never going to be safe, not when he’s such a good motivator for you. I know I gave you shit, Eden, but you worked quickly. Bianca will be pleased. She’s going to want more though, and for your friend’s sake, I recommend you figure it out.”

“No, I can’t. I can’t do this again. We had a deal, I thought.” She was aware she was speaking too loudly, but she didn’t care. “I found out what they’re building. I’m done.”

“You’re far from done. Once you’re part of the Hive, you’re always part of the Hive. Bianca has people everywhere. If you want your scientist friend to stay safe, you’ll do as you're told. We’ve all learned that. Learn from me, so you don’t have to learn yourself.” Lucas kept his tone low and conversational, and his eyes pleaded with Eden to do the same. “Trust me. I know better than most. Once Bianca knows what motivates you, she holds on to that power.”

“Is that the only reason you follow her?” Eden asked softly. “You’re afraid of her?”

“You should be afraid of her,” he snapped. “But you should also respect her. I follow her because I believe in her mission.”

“In her mission,” Eden scoffed. “She’s a terrorist.”

Lucas snorted. “She does what she has to do to protect the city. Cardinal Enterprises is a cancer that is destroying this city from the inside out. Taking over everything, pushing out their competition and bleeding into everything in the city. Our food, our products, soon our security? And now look where it leads: Jason Abrahams believes himself to be above the treaty? He’s playing with our lives now. Bianca’s the only one brave enough to make a stand against them.”

“At what cost?” Eden shot back. “She leaves a trail of bodies behind her to keep her followers in line. And she may hurt Cardinal Enterprises, but she’s also hurting innocent people.”

Lucas stood. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and I’m done listening. Meet me back here when you have more specific information.” He began to walk away, pulling his hood up over his head, and, over his shoulder, he shouted, “Welcome to the team.”

She couldn't go back to campus, where Rory was probably anxiously waiting on her. She wasn't ready to face him yet. Eden slumped back against the bench and let Haven move around her as the sun started to move lower in the sky. She’d been stupid to think that Rory would be safe after this, that her place in the Hive would be temporary. This was her reality now, and after Rory left the special forces team? Who else could she wring information from? Her stomach dropped and Eden fought the rising bile in the throat. With Rory’s life hanging in the balance, she couldn’t afford not to play Bianca’s game. If she failed, Rory would pay the ultimate price, one more in a string of bodies being left in the pursuit of what a madwoman called justice. Dr. Roman’s serious face as he urged her to fear Bianca was burned in Eden’s mind; she saw the way Lucas had shivered when he said her name. The Hive was not bluffing.

She couldn't return to Rory's room, not yet. She wasn't ready to face him. Her own room, which she’d once struggled to make cozy with knit blankets and silk flowers on every open surface, was too empty. She couldn't stand the silence, nor could she stand the worried looks her parents shared while she stayed with them. Especially not after the meltdown she'd had at Elena’s misguided welcome home party. Rory had brought her back to the house and she’d barricaded herself in the bathroom, too shaken to face anyone, too nauseated to face her own reflection in the mirror. Through the door, she'd heard Rory making excuses and apologies for her.

"She's just overtired," he had said before leaving. "The party was just too much, too soon. She’s fine, trust me."

As much as it had riled her to hear him talk about her as an errant toddler, or chiding her parents when there'd been no way for them to know their daughter was cracking along the edges, as usual, he had a point. She was damaged. She was no longer whole. The Eden who had been taken was not the Eden who had returned.

Her old life and whoever she had been or might have become, that was over now. Bianca had killed her. Now, she met terrorists for coffee and held her best friend’s life in her hands. Soon, when he could no longer supply her with the information that was keeping him alive, Eden would have to find another source. Her stomach dropped again.

The Cards. Was that even still an option? Eden couldn’t sit still any longer and exploded up from the bench, startling the few passersby who were close to her. She started walking back towards campus, trying not to think about the disappointment on Mara’s face when Eden had claimed amnesia in the infirmary. The position on the squad likely wasn’t even available to her anymore, but what other option did she have?

As Eden passed the Garden–she averted her eyes–and approached campus, she was met with a minor miracle that would have made her heart leap the week before: the track around the exercise field was empty. She wasn't dressed for a run. She hadn’t stretched or even eaten yet, and her stomach was just beginning to complain about that. The idea of walking up the steps, past where Rory had found her, and into the building made her stomach flip again. She had nowhere to go.

Her jeans were too unforgiving for her to reach her full speed but she settled into a comfortable pace and tried to enjoy the burning in her muscles the way she had in the past. She tried to find some joy in the way her braid was thumping against her back or the way the wind that she created whipped the wisps of loose hair away from her face. The Eden who had died would have been happy, she thought. The Eden she used to be hadn’t had much more to worry about than turning down job offers and avoiding Hal Cooke.

As she rounded the corner and began her second lap, she stumbled and barely caught herself from tumbling onto the rubber track. She cursed under her breath. Hal Cooke was crouched at the starting line, looking over his shoulder at her with a rotten smile on his face. Not today, she thought. Anything but this.

There was no use hoping or praying. As she passed the starting line, Hal took off, matching her speed for the first two turns before easily leaving her behind during the long stretch. She had no chance of catching him, not in her jeans, not with the weight that was crushing her down, the weight she couldn’t outrun.

Hal stopped at the starting line and waited, arms crossed impatiently, for Eden to cross the line. She considered veering off, abandoning the track midway and avoiding the conversation altogether, but Eden wasn’t fool enough to think that she could avoid Hal forever. She crossed the finish line, several seconds after him, her face flushed red both with exertion and annoyance.

“You’ve lost your touch,” Hal said, grinning at her as if he was not still catching his own breath.

“Guess so,” Eden said. The sooner this was over, the better. “What do you want, Hal?”

“Answers.”

Her blood froze in her veins. She hadn’t seen him follow her to her meeting with Lucas. Could he have been there? How much did he know?

“What answers?” she asked slowly.

“I heard about Mara’s interview with you, after they found you. Said you sounded like you had some answers, but then suddenly you said you couldn’t remember anything. I’m trying to figure out how that works. I don’t buy it, myself. You’re telling me you don’t remember anything? At all?”

“The doctor said it’s perfectly normal,” she said, trying to keep her tone neutral. “You can ask him yourself. Dr. Roman.”

“Sure” Hal said, taking a step closer to her. She shuffled backwards and clenched her fists tight. “Seems to me like you’re hiding something though. There’s something not right here. Something not right about you. Now, I can certainly understand why whoever took you, didn’t want to keep you. But the Hive doesn’t return people. Not ever. So why you? Why now? Why can’t you remember anything? What are you hiding?”

Eden took a deep breath. She could feel the flush on her neck and cheeks, but she wouldn’t betray her panic. When she spoke, her voice was steady, panic weighed down by the force of her anger.

“Are you finished? I’m not hiding anything, because I have nothing to hide. I’ve got to go, Hal.”

He grabbed her by the arm as she turned to walk off the track and squeezed tightly. He leaned in closely before whispering, “You’d better hope that’s true, Eden. When I find out what you’re hiding, you’ll be sorry.”

“Let go of me,” she hissed, wrenching her arm out of his grasp and wincing as his nails scraped her flesh.

She felt his eyes on her as she left the track as quickly as she could without running, fighting to keep her steps unhurried and unbothered. At the top of the steps, where Rory had found her, Eden stopped and looked back towards the field; Hal was still there, his sharp eyes on her. She shuddered and hoped he wouldn’t notice from the distance. What was one more set of eyes watching her? Unbidden, she wondered if Lucas was watching Hal watch her. The thought might have been funny, if every one of her nerves was not fried.

Her head pounded as she trudged through the lobby to the elevator, suddenly exhausted as it carried her up towards Rory’s office. Her hopes rose when she found Rory’s office unlocked, but her tired shout went unanswered and she quickly discovered that his office and attached suite were empty. A note was waiting on top of the note she’d left him that morning, what seemed like a lifetime ago. In the nervously looping scribble that he used when he was in a hurry, Rory had written: Sorry if I miss you. Had a meeting. I'll bring home dinner.-R