Gideon looked me straight in the eye.
“Because I thought I could fix you,” he said simply.
“And now?”
“And now I know I can’t. Because what you are is – “
“Is what?” I asked softly.
“Inevitable,” he said, closing his eyes.
“Where would he take Echo, father? Where is his base?”
“I don’t know!”
“You’re lying,” I said. “You and Marr were partners. Where would he take her?”
Gideon flinched. It was small, instinctive—but it was there.
“I don’t have coordinates,” he said carefully. “Marr doesn’t work that way. He moves around a lot. Uses fronts.”
I stood so abruptly the chair scraped against the floor.
“You knew him,” I snapped. “You knew his habits. His contingencies. Where would he go if he needed secrecy and resources and no oversight?”
Gideon’s mouth tightened. His gaze slid, just for a second, toward the far wall.
Dev noticed.
So did I.
“Father,” I said softly, “If you don’t tell me now, I will find her without you. And when I do, I won’t remember that you tried to help.”
The hum in the walls deepened. The lights flickered once.
Gideon swallowed.
“Marr always prefers to use water,” he said quietly. “It’s his element. He uses cooling systems. Isolation. Power drawn off grid.
He exhaled. “You could check the old desalination facility in Blackwater Point.”
My breath caught.
Dev straightened sharply. “That place was decommissioned years ago.”
“That’s why he chose it,” Gideon replied. “No satellites. No regular patrols. And enough infrastructure to hide a lab underground.”
He took a breath. “I don’t know if he is there. But it’s as good of a guess as any.”
I stood up, breathing deeply. “Thank you.” I nodded to Dev.
“Wait! Persephone!”
I turned back to him. “What?”
“What is going to happen to me here? No one will tell me.”
“That’s not up to me, unfortunately.” I said, my voice soft. “You’ve done some terrible things, father.”
