"Fuck the protocols," Winter's quiet words cut through his protests like a blade. "We're not talking about following Bureau procedure here. We're talking about preventing the end of free will as we know it."
She stood, moving to the center of the room where we could all see her. The blue markings on her skin pulsed steadily, responding to her emotional state.
"The Oracle gave me this mark for a reason," she touched her forehead where the inverted spiral glowed faintly. "They said it was a choice the Harbingers don't want me to have. Maybe this is how I learn what that choice really means."
"Winter," Fenric's voice cracked slightly. "I can't protect you in the Vault. None of the standard containment protocols will work if something goes wrong."
"You don't have to protect me," she met his eyes steadily. "We protect each other. All of us. Together."
The silence stretched taut as Fenric weighed his fear against his love for Winter, for all of us. I could see the moment his resolve began to crack, bureaucratic training warring with the bonds we'd forged.
"Let's vote," Winter clapped suddenly. "All five of us. Majority rules."
"This isn't a democracy," Fenric protested weakly. "This is a Bureau operation with clearly defined authority structures…"
"This is family," Zane interrupted, his voice gentle but firm. "And family makes decisions together."
Winter nodded. "All in favor of attempting contact with the Oracle?"
My hand shot up immediately, followed by Winter's. After a moment's hesitation, Zane raised his hand as well.
That left Rook and Fenric.
Rook studied Winter's face for a long moment, reading something in her expression that the rest of us couldn't see. Then, with a resigned sigh, his hand joined ours.
"Four to one," Winter's gaze fixed on Fenric. "But we won't do this without you. If you vote no and mean it, really mean it, we'll find another way."
Fenric looked down at his tablet, then at each of us in turn. When his gaze finally settled on Winter, I saw the moment his careful control crumbled.
"If I vote yes," he whispered, "and something happens to any of you, I'll never forgive myself."
"And if you vote no," Winter replied gently, "and we lose the chance to stop the Harbingers, you'll never forgive yourself for that either."
Fenric closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and raised his hand.
"Five to zero," Winter smiled, though I caught the relief in her expression. "Unanimous."
"I'll need to file approximately thirty-seven forms," Fenric muttered, already pulling up documents on his tablet. "And we'll need specialized equipment. And a containment protocol. And probably a psychiatric evaluation for all of us."
"How do we get to the Vault?" Zane asked practically. "I assume it's not listed on the Bureau directory."
I grinned, feeling excitement build as the plan became real. "Actually, that's the easiest part. The mini-skeletons that brought Winter the bone shard, they came from the Vault. They can lead us back."
As if summoned by their mention, the six tiny skeletons marched out of their apartment in perfect formation. They arranged themselves in a line and began a complex dance that I'd learned to recognize as their way of saying "we're ready for adventure."
"They can navigate the Bureau's security systems?" Fenric looked skeptical, finger hovering over his tablet.
"They're fragments of the Oracle's will," I explained, watching as Jeffrey joined the formation, taking his place at the head of the group. "They exist partially outside normal space-time. Physical barriers don't really apply to them the way they do to us."
Horace trilled softly from Winter's shoulder, his colors shifting to determined oranges and reds. Even he seemed to understand the gravity of what we were planning.
"Two days," Fenric announced, his fingers flying over his tablet as he made notes. "I need two days to arrange the necessary authorizations and equipment. And I want backup protocols in place in case…"
"No backup," I interrupted. "The fewer people who know about this, the safer it'll be. The Harbingers have infiltrated the Bureau before."
Fenric's eye twitched, but he nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But I'm implementing every containment measure in the manual."
"Deal," Winter agreed. "Two days to prepare, then we go talk to a cosmic entity that's been locked in an impossible prison for thousands of years. What could go wrong?"
