MILES POV
I blacked out. Or maybe I didn't. The taste of blood still sat heavy on my tongue, thick and metallic, spreading every time I tried to swallow. My eyes opened slowly, vision dragging itself back into place. The first thing I saw was Tessa. She was already looking at me. No panic. No rush. Just a small nod.
Right.
So this was part of it.
A sudden kick drove straight into my gut, folding whatever air I had left. A dry gasp tore out of me before I could stop it. Fingers dug into my hair again, yanking my head up. My neck protested, the world tilting with it.
"You're doing just fine," Cole murmured close to my ear, like we were having a casual conversation instead of this. There was something in his voice—light, almost amused.
His fist pulled back.
"Cole, enough!" Allen's voice cut in, sharper this time.
Cole paused mid-motion, his arm still hanging in the air. Slowly, he turned his head toward Allen, a faint crease forming between his brows like the interruption annoyed him more than anything else.
Bootsteps echoed.
Not rushed. Not hesitant.
Orion.
He stepped forward, and just like that, Cole's grip disappeared. My body dropped, hitting the floor harder than I expected. The impact sent a dull shock through my chest, but I stayed down this time, breathing through the ache instead of fighting it.
Orion brought his arms to his chest in a firm salute before facing the judges.
"My name is Orion Smith," he said, his voice steady, carrying easily across the room. "Commander of the Arcades regiment."
The murmurs that had started to rise died down again.
He took a slow look around the court before continuing. "For years, we've been fighting a war we were never built to win." He let that sit. "We adapt, we survive—but we don't win."
He stepped forward, stopping somewhere between me and Allen.
"Until now."
A few heads shifted.
"During the last attack," he went on, "Sergeant Miles Walker engaged a Sentinel with nothing—no weapon, no support—and walked away from it."
No reaction at first. Just silence.
Then small movements. People adjust. Glances being exchanged.
"He didn't just survive," Orion added. "He drove them back."
That did it. The silence changed. Not broken—but thinner now.
"If we're ever going to turn this war around," Orion said, "it starts with something different. Something we haven't had before." His gaze flicked down to me for a second. "It starts with him."
Allen let out a dry scoff.
"You don't control what you don't understand," he said, stepping forward slightly. "And when it turns on you, don't act surprised."
Orion didn't react.
"That's the point of the Arcades," he replied calmly. "We go where others won't. We deal with what others can't."
The judge in the middle leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His long hair fell slightly around his face as his eyes settled on Orion.
"What exactly are you proposing?"
"Give him to us," Orion said. "Let him join the Arcades. We move beyond Sector 3, push outward, take back what we've lost."
A pause.
Allen shook his head, already unconvinced. "And when he loses control?"
Orion's mouth curved slightly—not quite a smile.
His eyes shifted.
Cole moved.
A boot nudged my side, rolling me onto my back before settling heavily against my chest. The pressure forced a strained breath out of me. I looked up just in time to meet his eyes.
"Then we deal with it," Orion said.
Cole didn't look away from me.
"Don't shit your pants Allen… if he slips," he added, his voice flat now, "he doesn't get a second chance."
The weight of his boot pressed just enough to make the point clear.
The room went quiet again.
Not the same silence as before. This one sat differently. People– thinking, measuring, deciding.
Bit by bit, the murmurs returned, softer this time.
The judge exhaled slowly, his gaze drifting down to me. Calm. Too calm. Like he'd already seen worse than this.
"This decision goes beyond this court," he said finally. "Sector One will have the final word."
Another pause.
"But until then…"
The gavel came down.
"Miles Walker lives."
Something in my chest loosened before I could stop it. A breath left me—longer than it should've been, like I'd been holding it this whole time without realizing.
"He will remain under the custody of the Arcades," the judge continued, "specifically under Captain Cole."
The words settled in.
Not freedom.
But not death either.
Around me, the tension shifted again. Not gone—just… redirected.
Allen turned first, muttering under his breath as he stepped away. Zach followed, throwing one last look my way, sharp enough to linger even after he was gone.
I stayed on the floor a second longer, letting the weight of it all sink in.
So I lived…For now.
••••••••
"Hey, Miles. Sorry I had to hit you that hard earlier. They wouldn't have bought it," Cole said.
"No problem, Captain." I nodded.
The damp cloth dragged across my cheek again, loosening the dried blood stuck to my skin. It burned where it passed, sharp enough to make my jaw tighten, but Tessa didn't stop. She shifted closer, one knee brushing the edge of the bed as she reached up, pressing the cloth against the cut near my temple. Water slipped from the fabric, trailing down past my ear before dripping off.
She leaned in slightly, steady, focused, like nothing else in the room mattered.
Cole stayed on the other side, back against the wall, arms folded, one leg crossed over the other. He glanced at us once, then looked away, like he had already moved on from whatever this was.
"You survived," Tessa said quietly, still working at the blood. "Even after that speech."
I let out a faint breath. "I remembered what you said… figured if I was going to die, I might as well say something first."
Her hand slowed. For a moment, she stopped entirely.
Our eyes met.
Something in hers softened. A small smile touched her lips before she looked away again.
"Well… it worked."
I found myself smiling too. "I'm glad it did."
Her fingers brushed lightly against my face as she adjusted the cloth, colder than I expected. Neither of us pulled away.
The door creaked open.
Cole groaned under his breath, dragging a hand over his face. "Oh geez…"
"Coleeee."
The voice bounced into the room before she did. She walked in with a bright grin, shorter than I expected, her hair barely brushing her neck. Her eyes landed on me and stayed there, lighting up like she'd just found something interesting.
"Well, you must be Miles Walker."
I nodded slowly. She didn't blink.
She turned back to Cole, her grin widening. "Coleeee, you haven't told him about me!?"
Cole exhaled. "I've barely spoken to him." He gestured lazily. "This is Colonel Zoey. And that's Lieutenant Connor."
Connor stood a bit behind her, arms at his sides, expression flat. He didn't bother hiding the way he looked at me.
Zoey didn't wait. She stepped closer, leaning in just enough to study my face.
"Pleasure," she said. "You've already met Sergeant Tessa, I see."
Tessa didn't respond.
Her hand kept moving, but slower now. Repeating the same spot like she hadn't noticed.
Zoey's smile stretched. "We're going to have so much fun."
My brows pulled together. "Fun… ma'am?"
Cole let out a quiet breath. "Stay away from her if you want to live. Or you might end up on a table somewhere."
Zoey waved him off immediately. "It's called curiosity." Her eyes flicked back to me. "And I'm sure Miles understands that." She leaned in slightly again, studying. "Look at you… pretty grey eyes, white hair…"
She paused.
Her expression shifted.
"Damnit, Cole." She shot him a look. "You didn't have to hit him that hard."
Cole looked away like he didn't care.
"I literally watched you knock his tooth out," she added.
The door opened again.
Orion stepped in, shutting it behind him as his gaze moved across the room. The energy shifted almost immediately.
"Getting Miles was the first step," he said.
The room quieted.
"What happens now?" I asked.
Cole pushed himself off the wall, turning toward me. "Now?" He paused briefly. "We find whoever's been letting them in."
My hands tightened slightly at my sides. Sector 4.
"Miles…"
Tessa's voice cut through my thoughts.Her hand had stopped completely now.
I looked at her.
"Your wounds…" she said, quieter this time.
Her eyes dropped to my mouth.
"…your tooth."
I felt it then. My tongue brushed against it, whole like it was never knocked off.