Page 163 of Broken Sentinel

"They've modified you," I tell him, as if he doesn't already know. "Whatever they've done, whatever they told you—we can fix it. But we have to gonow."

"Fix it?" He laughs, the sound all wrong coming from his mouth. "There's nothing to fix. Project Duality isn't what you think."

I frown, a strange feeling creeping up my spine, while Lily tugs urgently at my sleeve. "Zara, his patterns are destabilizing. The modifications are affecting his neural pathways."

I take a step toward him. "Trent, listen to me. This isn't you talking. It's Unity's processing, their control. The real Trent would never?—"

"The real Trent?" he interrupts, that wrong smile still in place. "Which version would that be, Zara? The loyal Sentinelwho hunted Splinters? The sympathizer operative who monitored you for years? The man who shared your bed at the outpost?" He shakes his head. "We're all multiple people. It's just a question of which version wins."

What the hell is he talking about?

"What? Trent. You’reyou. You literally just fought for us at Resonance. You held the line so we could escape."

"Necessary sacrifice to maintain cover," he dismisses. "Unity needed someone inside the Haven network—someone close to you specifically. I provided that access."

No. Absolutely not.

"I don't believe you," I say, voice breaking despite my efforts. "I felt what was between us. During synchronization. No deception possible at that level. Trent, I don’t know why you’re saying these things, maybe it’s brainwashing, maybe it’s the modifications, but Iknowyou. I know you!”

Something flickers in his eyes—a momentary softness he quickly buries. "Emotions can be genuine even when loyalties are divided." He steps closer. "What I felt for you was real, Zara. It still is. That's why I'm telling you to leave—while you still can."

"Not without you," I insist, shaking my head violently.

"Then you'll die here," he states flatly. "I triggered the security alert the moment I regained consciousness."

My mouth drops open. “You fuckingwhat?”

Lily gasps. "Guards approaching! Multiple signatures!"

I stare at Trent in shock and grief. This can't be happening. This can't be real.

"Last chance," he says, eyes unnaturally intense. "Go now. Next time we meet, I won't be able to let you walk away."

"Trent—"

The chamber door explodes inward, torn from its hinges by impossible force. Through the smoke and debris steps a figure I never expected to see again—Vex, bloodied but alive, his eyes blazing with intense focus.

"Run, Flutterby," he growls, taking in the situation instantly. "Now!"

"Vex!" I breathe his name like a prayer. "How did you?—"

"Later," he cuts me off, moving between me and Trent with fluid grace despite his obvious injuries. "We need to go."

Trent's response is immediate and alarming—his stance shifting to something I've never seen from him, something faster, more predatory than even Sentinel training should allow.

"The predator adaptation," Trent says, eyes fixed on Vex with obvious hostility. "Unity has been particularly interested in your genetic structure."

"Flattered," Vex replies dryly. "But I'll pass on the processing."

"Not your choice to make," Trent says, and moves.

His speed is shocking—beyond Sentinel fast, beyond even Vex's capabilities. He crosses the room in a blur, striking with precision that should have ended the fight instantly.

But Vex is still Vex—instinct and experience compensating for raw speed. He twists away, barely avoiding the lethal blow, his own counterattack a fluid motion that speaks of years surviving in the wasteland.

"Go!" he shouts at me. "Get Lily out!"

I'm frozen, unable to process what's happening. Trent attacking Vex. Vex defending. Both men I care for locked in combat that can only end with one of them broken.

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