Nate called home a little after nine.
His mother answered almost immediately.
"Nate."
"Hi."
She moved the terminal farther from her face.
The kitchen appeared behind her. Same table. Same cupboard above the sink that had never closed properly.
His father was sitting on the other side with a mug in his hands.
"There he is."
Nate sat on the edge of his bed.
"You called twice."
"We noticed."
"I was working."
His mother leaned closer.
"In Varen?"
"Yes."
His father looked at her.
"You were right."
"About what?"
"The background in the news."
Nate frowned.
His father reached for his own terminal.
"They showed Ethan and Mara arriving yesterday. Your mother spent ten minutes staring at buildings behind them."
"I spent thirty seconds."
"You zoomed in."
His mother ignored him.
"Why didn’t you tell us you were in Varen?"
"I got here a few days ago."
"That wasn’t the question."
Nate looked at the wall opposite his bed.
There wasn’t much on it.
Field Command housing hadn’t given him anything worth looking at.
"I’ve been busy."
His mother watched him through the screen.
"Show me the room."
"Why?"
"I want to see where you’re staying."
Nate turned the terminal.
The narrow bed came into view, then the desk, the locker and the drain set into the floor near the shower partition.
His father laughed.
"That’s cheerful."
"It’s temporary."
His mother looked at the drain.
"Why is that in the middle of the room?"
"Easy cleaning."
She stared at him.
Nate turned the camera back.
"Field Command housing."
"What happened to the Academy?"
"I’m still attached to it."
"Then why are you living with Field Command?"
Nate had expected this part.
He still didn’t have a good answer.
"They’re evaluating some equipment."
His father lowered his mug.
"What equipment?"
Nate glanced at his right arm.
He had kept Graveshare below the camera since the call began.
His mother noticed.
"What’s on your arm?"
He lifted it.
The conversation stopped.
Black plates covered his forearm from wrist to below the elbow.
His father leaned closer to the screen.
"What is that?"
"An old Imperial armament."
"That’s armour?"
"Partly."
His mother said, "Move your hand."
Nate flexed his fingers.
"Again."
He did.
Her eyes stayed on Graveshare.
"Is it attached?"
"Yes."
"To the skin?"
Nate hesitated.
"Deeper than that."
Her expression tightened.
"Your Circuit?"
"Yes."
His father looked from Nate to his mother.
"Should I be worried by your face?"
"Probably."
"Helpful."
Nate lowered his arm.
"They’ve scanned it. A lot."
"Who?"
"Field Command. Armament Authority. People here in Varen."
"Can they remove it?"
"Not safely."
His father put the mug down.
"How did you get something like that?"
Nate looked at Graveshare.
He could tell them about Malvern without telling them what had happened beneath it.
"We recovered an Imperial facility during a Last Contact assignment. The armament belonged to someone there."
"Someone alive?" his father asked.
"No."
Neither of them spoke.
Nate continued.
"It needed another bearer."
His mother understood first.
"And it chose you."
"More or less."
"What does that mean?"
"It accepted me."
"That sounds like a different sentence."
Nate rubbed his thumb against the edge of Graveshare.
"The people here are still studying it."
His mother looked annoyed now.
Not frightened.
That was easier.
"What does it do?"
"It can form a blade."
"And?"
Nate looked at her.
She waited.
His father noticed the silence.
"There’s an ’and.’"
"There are other functions."
"What functions?"
"That’s part of what they’re testing in Varen."
His mother sat back.
Nate knew she didn’t believe that was the whole answer.
She also knew pushing harder would not make him give it.
His father changed direction.
"Are you hurt?"
"I’m fine."
His mother spoke immediately.
"Stand up."
Nate looked at her.
"What?"
"Stand."
"Why?"
"Because you said that too quickly."
His father nodded.
"She has you there."
Nate placed the terminal on the desk and stood.
His mother watched him.
"Lift both arms."
He did.
His right shoulder pulled slightly before reaching full height.
She saw it.
"What happened?"
"Minor pathway stress."
"Minor according to you or according to a doctor?"
"According to medical."
"Symptoms?"
Nate lowered his arms.
"Shoulder pain."
"Anything else?"
He should have stopped there.
She kept waiting.
"My right foot dragged."
His father stopped moving.
His mother stared at him.
"For how long?"
"A few minutes."
"When?"
"First field exposure."
"In Varen?"
"Yes."
His father spoke quietly.
"What are they exposing you to?"
Nate sat again.
"The Colossus."
His father looked at his mother.
Then back at him.
"The dead thing outside the city."
"Yes."
"You’re going inside it?"
"That’s where some of the testing happens."
His mother rubbed her forehead.
"I’ve treated two people who came back from Varen."
That caught Nate’s attention.
"When?"
"Years ago. Extraction workers."
He waited.
"Both had pathway damage. Different severity."
She looked at him again.
"They said they didn’t notice the damage immediately."
Nate didn’t answer.
His mother leaned forward.
"Did you?"
"No."
His father swore under his breath.
"It felt better inside," Nate said. "That was the problem."
His mother closed her eyes for a moment.
"When did this happen?"
"Two days ago."
"And you were going to tell us when?"
"I’m telling you now."
"Because I called you."
Nate looked away.
His father stayed quiet.
His mother wasn’t angry anymore.
That was worse.
"You could have called from medical."
"I didn’t want you both staring at a screen while doctors ran tests."
"We were already staring at screens."
Nate looked back at her.
She continued.
"We know you’re doing dangerous work. We’re not asking you to call every time someone points a weapon at you."
His father gave her a look.
"I’d be fine with that."
She ignored him.
"But if you can’t walk properly, tell us."
Nate nodded.
His mother waited.
"Okay."
His father picked up his mug again.
"Good. Now something less terrible."
Nate almost smiled.
"Such as?"
"Varen."
"What about it?"
"Is it really as large as it looks?"
They talked about the city.
It was easier.
Nate described the central rail lines, the institutional district and the Colossus ribs visible above half the buildings.
He didn’t mention the places beneath those ribs.
His father asked about food.
His mother asked whether Field Command had proper medical staff.
Eventually Ethan’s name came up.
"You saw him?" his mother asked.
"Yesterday."
"And Mara?"
"Both."
His father leaned forward.
"How was that?"
"Fine."
His mother gave him a look.
Nate sighed.
"We had dinner."
"All three of you?"
"Yes."
"At their residence?"
"Yeah."
His father smiled.
"Like old times."
Nate looked down at Graveshare.
"Not really."
The smile faded.
His mother didn’t ask him to explain.
"Did you and Ethan talk?"
"A little."
"That’s something."
Nate wasn’t sure what it was yet.
The clock behind them showed almost ten.
His mother noticed.
"You should sleep."
"I have an early start."
"Colossus?"
"I don’t know yet."
That part was true.
"Call Saturday," she said.
"I will."
His father pointed at the screen.
"Before your mother starts identifying cities through windows again."
"I knew it was Varen."
"You guessed."
"The ribs were visible."
"Minor detail."
Nate smiled.
"Saturday."
His mother nodded.
"And Nate."
"Yeah?"
"If something happens before Saturday, you can call before Saturday."
"I know."
This time he didn’t argue.
They ended the call.
Nate stayed at the desk for a while.
The room felt smaller after seeing the kitchen again.
His terminal vibrated.
Field Command.
He opened the notice.
FIELD ATTACHMENT CONFIRMED
WESTERN ACCESS FOUR
REPORT TIME: 06:20
Five personnel were listed.
REN DAREK
TESSA MARR
JORIC AMES
SAVIN COLE
NATE CALDER
Nate recognized the first two.
The other names meant nothing to him.
A faint warmth spread beneath Graveshare.
He looked down.
The six old marks appeared beneath the black surface.
Text formed across his vision.
OFFICIAL DEPLOYMENT REGISTERED
Nate straightened.
Another line appeared.
BEARER: NATE CALDER
Then four names.
REN DAREK
TESSA MARR
JORIC AMES
SAVIN COLE
Nate read them slowly.
The display changed.
LINKED PERSONNEL: 4
STATUS: STANDBY
ROSTER LINK WILL ACTIVATE AT DEPLOYMENT START
The text remained.
Darek.
Tessa.
Joric.
Savin.
Four people who would walk into Western Access with him tomorrow morning.
If all four returned, Graveshare would gain nothing.
Nate stared at the names until the display faded.
At 06:20, they would stop being names on an assignment sheet.
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