"Don't shoot-we're on the same side. Bellamy gun down." Octavia barked

I stepped out into the open. A dozen rifles snapped up instantly, barrels aimed at my chest. My stomach twisted, but before I could even blink, Bellamy stepped in front of me like a human shield.

"No, no, no, no- It's not her." He insisted, voice sharp, urgent.

The soldiers didn't lower their guns. Their helmets and visors made them faceless, harder to read. My hands twitched at my side. I wasn't Josephine anymore, but that didn't mean they'd believe it.

"Gabriel, we can use a little help." Octavia called out

Gabriel emerged from the tent, calm but heavy, like a man who knew exactly how this was going to go.

"Xavier? Xavier, brother get out of the way." A woman's voice cracked. Her eyes landing on Gabriel- hope, grief, betrayal all tangled together.

"Layla, it's okay. Nelson, put the weapon down. All of you weapons down. That's an order" Gabriel said

Nelson scoffed.
"You don't give orders. Where's the old man? Layla, search the tent." The man ordered

"The old man is dead. So is Xavier." Gabriel said firmly

For a moment, silence hung like a blade. Then Nelson's jaw clenched.
"On your knees." He said

Gabriel obeyed without hesitation, lowering himself into the dirt. The others shifted, their weapons still trained. Nelson's gaze dropped to the back of Gabriel's neck- and froze on the scar.

"Gabriel." Nelson whispers

Gabriel nodded once. No denial. No fight. Just truth.

That was when Layla snapped. She lunged forward, slamming her gun across his face. Gabriel staggered, blood spraying his lips.

"Traitor!" She screamed, fury twisting her voice raw. She kicked him once, hard, before Nelson grabbed her and dragged her back.

"Layla, easy. Easy" he muttered, holding her by her shoulders.

But her eyes never left Gabriel. And the way she looked at him- like a ghost of her brother was staring back- made me realize this was going to get a lot worse before it got better.

"Explain." Nelson demanded

The word cut through the air like a blade. Nelson stood over us, all of us on our knees on the dirt. I could feel the grit digging into my skin, my wrists aching from the ropes.

"I didn't want this. I loved Xavier like a son, you know that." Gabriel said, voice steady but weighted.

"Don't say his name" Laylas voice cracked, her hand trembling on her weapon.

"Layla, if you can't handle this, maybe you should wait outside" Nelson told her carefully

Her chin lifted stubbornly.
"I'm fine. I need to hear this" she said

Gabriel exhaled slowly.
"Eduardo brought me back without my consent." He said

My eyes flicked toward Bellamy. His brow furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line.

"Eduardo's been dead for ten years, killed by sanctum guards around the time the old man disappeared." Nelson said

"It wasn't sanctum guards." Gabriel replied

"Ten years? He's been lying to us for ten years, letting me call him brother?" Laylas breath hitched

"He's still our leader" Nelson said, his voice rough but unwavering

"No. He's a traitor, and a prime. He could've told us the truth, but instead he let us think we were abandoned. Now give me back the gun, and let me end this once and for all" Layla said, the words dropping like poison.

My pulse spiked as Nelson's hand hesitated on the weapon.

"Wait" Bellamy's voice broke through, sharp and commanding.
"If this what you really want, at least wait until he delivers the bomb." He said

I whipped my head towards him.
"What are you talking about?" I ask

"Shut up" Layla snapped, eyes burning into me.

Bellamy didn't falter.
"I'm talking about weaponized red sun toxin. Gabriel's a nightblood. He can walk in right through the shield and deploy it. Once it's in the air, he finds our friend Raven. She'll bring the shield down for the rest of us. We use the chaos of the evacuation to recuse our people. You kill the primes. That's how this ends" he answered

Nelson's eyes narrowed, but then he nodded.
"It's a good plan" he says

"Come on. You trust them just like that?" Layla snapped

"No. But i will...when he kills Josephine prime." Nelson pulled a sword from his side and held it out toward Gabriel.

My chest tightened.
"I'm not Josephine." I say

"It's true. Josephine's gone. I took the kind drive out myself." Gabriel said firmly

"Hes protecting her. How much more proof that he's a traitor do we need?" Layla spat

"No... if you kill her yourself, I won't build upon the bomb." Gabriel said, his voice final.

Nelson's eyes darkened, but after a long pause, he backed off.

"Good. First, we gather the toxin. There's a cave on the way to the anomaly." Gabriel said

"You're not going anywhere. Neither is your long lost friend." Layla said, her eyes darting at me.

"We can do it. Just tell us what to look for." Octavia spoke, her voice steady.

Gabriel's hands moved over the device, fingers steady even as his words carried weight of regret.
"A device like this was one of the reasons I left. I wouldn't build Russel his bomb, and here I am building one for you. Never mind me. I'm rambling. Your boyfriend should be at the cave by now. You know it's too bad they took an antitoxin.  That is one sibling relationship that could use a good guided hallucination." Gabriel ranted

My gaze lingered on him for a second before the sound of boots against floor pulled me back. Layla entered, eyes sharp, jaw clenched.

"Yeah. Be a shame is one of them was murdered before they worked it out." She said coldly

Gabriel looked up, his mouth parting.
"Layla. I'm-" he starts

"Don't you dare apologize. This bomb, if the primes have one then why haven't they used it on us?" She asked, stepping closer, the look of betrayal in her eyes.

"I don't know. Probably because turning is into raging killers isn't their best interest." Gabriel's tone was calm, but there was an edge of exhaustion under it.

"Then what's it for?" She demanded

His eyes flickered with a dark memory.
"Josephine and Simone were intrigued by a pattern in the visions of those who survived being caught out in the eclipse. Despite my best efforts to stop them, they started leaving test subjects outside to study it. Now not surprisingly believers in the divinity of the primes invariably reported seeing us as gods or as angels. What interested the Lightbournes more was the aggression response of the faithful was almost aimed at the less devout." Gabriel explained

"Believers killing nonbelievers." I muttered, the words bitter in my mouth.

Laylas lips pressed into a hard line. She leaned in close to Gabriel, her voice low and lethal.
"I swear on my brother's memory, if you betray us, I will kill you." She said, gave me one last glare, then stormed out.

The silence she left behind was heavy. I watched Gabriel's face as he adjusted a piece of the device, jaw tight, eyes unfocused. He wasn't just building a bomb- he was carrying centuries of choices on his back.

"Josephine was right. This is mount weather all over again. That bomb won't just cause chaos. It'll cause a massacre. There has to be a better way than using a massacre as a distraction to get the shield down." I said, my voice low.

His hands stilled, his gaze lifting to me.
"Look if you're worried about your people they'll be fine. Put in wall restraints to fend for themselves as soon as the early warning system is triggered and evacuation begins" he said

"I told you I'm not just worried about-" I start, then his words stuck with me. That was it.

"The early warning system. The insects are affected by the toxins first. That's why they're in tanks all over sanctum." I say

"Im aware. It was my idea. What's your point?" He asked, eyes narrowing.

I leaned forward, my heart pounding.
"We use less of the toxin. Enough to affect the bugs but not the people. Just enough to trigger the evacuation. Can you do that?" I ask

His mouth twitched.
"Yes, but without the chaos, I won't have time to take the shield down. Your people will still be prisoners and the primes will still be primes. We will kill some bugs though." He says

"So we take down the shield first." I said

Gabriel froze, then shook his head.
"First, as in before the evacuation, while everyone still at home? Look, Diana, I don't mean to be rude but-" he starts

"Josephine could do it. Think you can get your children to let me go with you?" I cut him off

His eyes lingered on me, unreadable. Doubt filling his eyes- but also hope.
"It's doubtful. They're not gonna like it. Neither is Bellamy." He admitted

I squared my shoulders.
"We got this, Gabriel." I said firmly

For the first time, he let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh.