Page 165 of Aviatrix

She tilts her head. “I don’t think I ever heard that name, but I brought your dad’s journals.”

“His journals?” My heart skips. His thoughts? His ramblings? Maybe even something on VAL?

“Yeah. They’re mostly flight logs, but it was the one thing I couldn’t bear to leave behind,” she says quietly. “I’ll go through them. See if that name pops up anywhere.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I say, grateful.

Mom rises to her feet. “I’m so glad we’re together again.”

“Me too.”

She leaves, and I slump back against the mattress. Even after sleeping for nearly a day, my body still feels like lead. My limbs are exhausted. Maybe this is what they mean when they say the soul is tired.

I want to close my eyes and drift away again, but I can’t.

So, I finish my coffee and drag myself to the showers. I let the hot water pour over me until my muscles feel human again. Until the weight in my chest loosens enough for me to breathe.

Back in the room I share with Thea, I grab a fresh pair of pants and a clean tee. I dress, brush out my hair, and pin it into a low bun. I stand in front of the mirror and inhale deeply—again and again—until the nerves settle and the nausea passes.

Yesterday, I stood face to face with an alien.

I haven’t let myself think about that until now. But I’m ready to admit it scared me. Thea might have been right. What’s up there might be even scarier than Rourke.

Which means fear can’t be my compass anymore. Readiness has to be.

I don’t know if the aliens are going to find the Legion in that warehouse. I don’t know if they’ll find what they’re looking for. But I need to be ready either way. Because even if they do find it, I know they’ll come back.

It’s why the ship stationed over D.C. changed form when we passed by. It’s why they’re here. We took something from them, and now they want it back.

I have a sneaking suspicion that taking out the Legion is about revenge. But what happens to the rest of us? Is this just our problem? Or is it about to become a global one?

Will our allies work with us? Will our enemies?

Dad used to talk about legacy before he died. How it’s the truth we pass down from one generation to the next. So, why didn’t he ever tell me about the aliens? Why didn’t he prepare me? Why did he disappear into obscurity when this was waiting for me?

Maybe he hoped—foolishly—that it would never happen. Maybe VAL was just his contingency plan.

Either way, I need to figure out how to initiate the Jetlet Protocol. Because if we’re going to win this war, we’ll need every last advantage.

Rourke must know VAL is different. That she’s not just smart, but evolves.

She’s a weapon.

Or can be.

That’s why he wants to get his hands on her.

I won’t let him.

I give myself one final moment to breathe before I open the door, step into the hallway, and run straight into Scooter.

“Whoopsies,” he says, stopping to check on me. “Didn’t see you there, Nova.”

I give him a once-over. “Why aren’t you in the mess hall?”

He lifts a finger to his lips. “I was fooling around with that hot chick from the infirmary. Nurse Mary.”

“The lady with the compression socks?” I frown, tilting my head.