That night, the camp called for an assembly.
Leaders of different survivor factions gathered in the dome—some scarred, some augmented, none without history. Aria stood at the center, exposed beneath the humming lights.
"They'll ask you to lead them," Ilya warned. "Or destroy you out of fear."
Aria laughed bitterly. "Some choice."
Rhea squeezed her hand. "Whatever you say… we'll follow you."
The debate was fierce. Some saw Aria as hope—a direct line to the truth of ICEGARDEN. Others saw her as a threat, a possible weapon waiting to be activated.
"We've all been burned by experiments," one woman shouted. "Why should we trust another one?"
Aria stepped forward. "Because I was one. And I know what it means to lose control of your own story."
Silence followed.
Then an older man stood. "What are you proposing?"
"Unity," Aria said. "We stop hiding in corners. We find the others like us—before the wrong people do."
Kael nodded slowly. "We stop running."
A vote followed. Hands raised. Voices counted.
It was close. But the decision was made.
Aria would lead.