This chapter is dedicated to MasterAdam , wdhenning , MikeDePaoli , and all my male readers. As a woman writing Sci-fi for the very first time (who really struggles with technical details), I can't tell you how much I appreciate your willingness to read, provide feedback, and offer much needed male perspective.

Also, Adam, much as I love you, you have to wait for updates like everyone else. No spoilers even for my husband. 😂

Oh, and a special thanks to my son who isn't on Wattpad, but showed me his engineering workbook so I didn't have to sift through YouTube tutorials. 💕

***

The day passed in painful slow-motion as Kanden ignored everyone in the room. Loathe as he was to admit his immature behavior, even he had to draw the line at staying in the washroom.

After emerging, he rummaged through the lockers out of curiosity and boredom, discovering clothing in clear plastic, never used with faded labels and a thick layer of dust on the packaging. He was tempted to ask why perfectly good items sat here for two centuries, but that meant acknowledging Father's presence. Childish or not, Kanden wasn't sure he could address him or Zephyr without exploding. As far as he was concerned, they were equally at fault. The only difference was they could hurl insults and push all his buttons while remaining calm.

Several pairs of boots sat in boxes, waiting to be worn. With his ruined, he decided to try a few to see if any fit. He didn't have large feet, but some of these were ridiculously small, and the numbers in the tongues made no sense. Most said things like "Made in the USA," though a couple said Vietnam or China. The names were vaguely familiar — faraway places from old stories or something from a book. Without having any visuals to go with the names, they remained words with no meaning, lost to the shadow of time. But more important than exotic labels and much more confusing were the strings laced through little eyelets. Who would waste their time tying shoes?

Once he found a pair that didn't pinch or leave too much space inside the toe cap, he pulled the laces as tight as they'd go before stuffing them into the tongue and shaft. He could figure out how to tie them later. For now, he had other priorities.

Testing them for comfort, he moved to the next locker, noticing a stiffness around the heel, but they seemed okay. He didn't want to overexert himself too much in case his rib pinched, so he took frequent breaks and kept his motion limited.

The second storage compartment contained supplies like knives with folding blades and multi-tools (one of which he placed inside his pocket), writing apparatuses with ink and lead, and paper. Now that was a novelty Kanden had read about but had never actually seen outside of a bound book. Pieces of flimsy metal in a tiny box, flares, weird clips, binders with paper, a stack of books in every size and genre, and maps all took up the shelf space.

Little elastic bands also sat in a box, and Kanden grabbed one, stretching it with his thumb and forefinger. The band slipped before smacking him in the forehead with a snap, and he glared at the offensive item on the floor. If he untangled the little metal clips, he could potentially make darts out of them, but he doubted they'd do much damage other than to vex someone. The edges were too blunt to cause much harm.

Before he could spend too much time debating whether he wanted to try launching the bands at Father or Zephyr, Kanden grabbed the binder, maps, and any books he could carry, walking slowly to the table. He needed a break between each step so he could breathe through the pain screaming in his side, but he made it on his own and deposited his items on the surface.

He'd only flipped to the first page in the thick binder, reading the words PROJECT SOTERIA in large block letters before Zephyr spoke, breaking Kanden's concentration. "Are you still ignoring me?"

Yep.

Kanden peeled the second page back, fascinated by how paper could be loose with little holes to fit the large silver metal rings. Such a concept seemed inefficient; what if the pages tore?

A small text sat atop the page, titled in bold with normal text following:

Soteria: the Greek goddess/personification of safety and salvation, deliverance, and preservation from harm.

Interesting. This must have been one of the original sets of instructions for the Undergrounders. Noteworthy was that whomever had designed this project chose a lesser known mythological figure rather than someone with more power.

"Kanden, I'm sorry. Will you please say something?"

Why did people apologize after saying something they meant? Ryker had done it too while attempting to take back his words. Maybe they hadn't intended to say those things out loud, but they certainly meant them in the moment. They could at least own their words without tacking on an automatic excuse.

"Piss off."

Until Father and Zephyr provided proof, Kanden would believe in Ryker's innocence. His boyfriend wasn't present to defend himself, and he'd never given a reason to appear untrustworthy. Extroverted with a charming smile with gorgeous crystalline dark eyes, Ryker carried conversation well, but he wasn't flirtatious in public. Though he did resent the societal hierarchy, he'd never used Kanden for favors or to advance his status.

The idea Ryker would betray him was absurd. Blaze had always hated Kanden, and Father had never found the match suitable. Ryker was too low-born, taken into a respectable position by Mother, who'd recognized his potential. Zephyr looked up to Father as a paternal-figure after his dad died, so he'd probably lick his hero's feet if ordered to do so.

"Well, that's kind of why I need your help."

Awkward silence followed. Then, "I'm sorry, what?" Was Zephyr asking what Kanden thought?

A bitter laugh broke the silence as Zephyr pushed himself into a sitting position. Leaning against the wall the bunk was attached to, he panted as if he'd run several kilometers. He shook his head and laughed again. "I can't move my right leg," he said in a low voice. "I haven't felt it since I woke up the first time, but I was in too much pain to give it much thought. And I'd be happy to keep ignoring it except I really need to use the washroom."

Any resentment toward Zephyr evaporated, replaced with guilt. Whatever he might have said, this man risked everything to protect Kanden. He might not walk again, all because he had to be a damn superhero instead of staying out of trouble. But he hadn't. Loyal and fearless, Zephyr fought for someone he deeply cared for: Kanden, the strange boy no one understood or cared to know. The nepo child of an elite family who didn't quite fit in with anyone.

The worst part of all this wasn't knowing that Zephyr had done this for him, but that Kanden had to feign ignorance about his best friend's condition. Until this point, they'd never kept secrets from each other, and Kanden would have to lie until Marina returned to deliver the bad news.

A brief glance at the bunk above Kanden's showed Father asleep on his side with his back turned to them. His breathing was deep and slow, and he gave no indication of whether he secretly overheard them. The only reason Kanden suspected he slept was because the man never could resist inserting himself into conversations, and he always had an opinion about something.

On a positive note, he was resting after what had to be the worst day of his life. Despite his harsh words for Ryker, Father had shown a new side of himself, displaying a rare vulnerability he probably hadn't shared in years. It was the first time Kanden had truly sympathized with him, wishing he'd opened up sooner.

Closing the binder, Kanden pushed himself up, inhaling sharply through his nose when his rib pinched his side. He hoped the pain wouldn't linger because he wasn't sure how long he could carry on like this. Nothing wiggled, but sitting, standing, or lying in bed all hurt. How the hell was he supposed to help Zephyr to and from the washroom?

Once he reached the bed, Zephyr used his hands to scoot forward. One leg easily touched the floor while the other dropped like a rock. Then, Zephyr grabbed the upper bunk to pull himself up, but he stumbled, almost crushing Kanden with his weight.

Fire burst from his left side, but Kanden kept his yelp inside as his legs buckled. "Sheesh, do you eat bricks for every meal?" He leaned into Zephyr to keep himself from falling, hoping the other guy would hurry and straighten on his own, or they'd both be in a heap of trouble on the floor.

"Maybe you don't eat enough," Zephyr grumbled, shifting so he balanced on one foot and took the pressure off Kanden. "You should try it. Put some hair on your chest."

Kanden snorted. "I don't think my body agrees." He'd been waiting for puberty to hit since he was thirteen. Six years later, and he still didn't have the height, stature, or hair that every other guy seemed to have. He could barely grow fuzz on his face.

Focusing on the task at hand, Kanden frowned. Now came the difficult part: Zephyr's injury seemed to affect the nerves on his right side. Kanden's were on the left. The storage lockers didn't yield anything to assist with walking, leaving him as Zephyr's human crutch.

"We might have a problem," he whispered. "We need to lean on each other and walk as one."

Zephyr groaned and cursed under his breath. "I will love you forever and owe you my firstborn child if you can get me across the room because I am not relieving myself on this bed, and I've been holding it too long already."

Ew. This also probably wasn't the time to mention that while the ringing hadn't fully subsided, Kanden's smell worked perfectly fine, and Zephyr had done just that at some point before waking the first time after Marina patched him up. Kanden planned to change the bedding the moment Zephyr made it safely to the toilet.

They positioned themselves so they leaned against each other for support before stepping together as one unit. Right and left legs in unison on the inside, then reverse. When they took that first step, Zephyr lurched, and Kanden shoved his weight into the other man's side, biting his lip as his body threatened to fold into itself. Holy moly, Zephyr was heavy.

"You can do this," he gasped, unsure which of them he was encouraging.

After several minutes of near tumbles, muttered swearing, and breaks between each step, they finally made it to the bathroom, where Zephyr clung to the door frame and rested on the hard surface. Eyes fluttering closed, he sighed. "Thank you. I'll try not to fall in the shower."

"Do you need more help?" Kanden asked, doubting his friend's capability while admiring the sheer determination.

Zephyr hung his head and shrugged. "Sometimes, a man just needs to shower on his own. And I definitely don't want anyone holding anything for me."

Kanden scrunched his nose at the insinuation and averted his gaze. He didn't want that image in his head — not now, not ever. That was too weird. They were best friends. Always had been, always would be, but some lines weren't meant to be crossed. Nope. Nah-uh. That was something people did in very committed relationships, like him and Ryker, because couples were supposed to care for one another.

Hands raised in defeat, Kanden backed away and cleared his throat. "Okay, you win. I'll change your bedding and find some clothes. Just knock on something when you're ready to come out so I can haul your heavy ass back to bed."

Zephyr stuck out his tongue and spanked himself. "I'll have you know, people quite like this heavy ass."

"I'll take your word for it. Now get in there before you wake up my dad. This conversation is already skeeving me out."

"You like it," Zephyr said with a mischievous grin before blowing him a kiss. Then he closed the door before Kanden could melt into a puddle of mortification. Why couldn't his best friend be serious for once in his life? Not everything had to be turned into a joke.

Kanden set himself to work with finding clothes large enough for Zephy's long limbs and changing the sheets. Father had somehow slept through it all, shifting only once to lay on his back and snort. One hand rested on his stomach while he draped the other arm over his face.

Muffled water sprayed behind the door, and Kanden checked in once to set a stack of neatly folded clothes on the small sink, keeping his gaze glued only to what he needed to see. There were no shower curtains, and even though Zephyr had allowed him in, Kanden felt like an intruder, invading something very personal and private.

"I'll be in the kitchen area," he announced on his way out. "Just knock on the wall when you're ready."

Zephyr grunted an affirmation, and Kanden booked it back to the table before he could accidentally catch a glimpse of something he'd never unsee.

Now with a moment to himself, Kanden filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stove before returning to the table. The binder sat in front of him, begging to be opened, but first, he wanted to see those maps. Carefully removing one from the stack of books and papers, he unfolded and straightened it with his hands. His eyes widened as he examined it, realizing it wasn't a set of directions, but an actual schematic with lines indicating a complicated structure. Small letters at the top revealed this to be the main level of Project Soteria: Underground Bunker 004. In the upper right corner was the page number, 8.

Kanden started. There was more? Shuffling through the pile, he took every piece of paper he could find and arranged them by type, setting anything aside that didn't match the first set of schematics. Once he had everything organized, he flipped through the pages, revealing at least four levels, including the main habitat and conservatory. A page was missing, but he hadn't removed everything from the locker when he'd searched it earlier. Still, he couldn't help his excitement once he realized he held an actual layout of the entire set of natural and man-made caverns.

With this information, the maintenance team could find another way to the solar panels. Wait, no, the Undergrounders could go to the Overland.

The world moved in slow-motion, twisting Kanden's heart in spikes of joy as slow thuds pulsated in his neck. Whether anyone knew these existed, or the diagrams had been lost to time, Kanden now held everyone's fate on a tiny kitchen table in a secret room.

The kettle whistled, making Kanden jump and Father snort. Ignoring the latter, he turned off the heat and hobbled to the washroom, knocking on the door before opening it a crack. If anyone understood how to read these, it would be Zephyr. He'd wanted so badly as a child to be an engineer, but went into security for reasons Kanden still didn't understand. "Zeph, are you almost done," he whisper-shouted. "I just found something you'll want to see."

Steam wafted into the main room from the crack, blasting Kanden's face with humidity. The faucet turned with a squeak, and the water abruptly ceased. "Please tell me it's a painkiller," Zephyr groaned. "I feel like someone ripped my back open."

This probably wasn't the time to tell him that yes, that's exactly what had happened. Instead, Kanden said, "Marina will come back with that soon. Get dressed, and I'll show you something even better. I think this will get everyone to stop fighting."

"Oh?" Zephyr's voice held a curious note, but Kanden couldn't see him from this side of the door, unwilling to go inside unless the former requested assistance.

"Hurry," he urged, bouncing on his feet and wincing at his body's reminder that he was in no condition for squirming. All his anger over Ryker had momentarily disappeared. There was no time for that, not when bigger things were at stake. For once, he couldn't focus on anything but sharing this discovery of something so much larger than everyone combined with his very first friend. This was their moment to experience together, and perhaps the first time in years Kanden felt anything akin to hope.