Chapter 1186

Jane followed Frederick deeper into the dim corridor. Her body remained taut, senses sharp, yet an odd calm settled over her mind—an unshakable trust in the man at her side. They stopped at a chamber she knew all too well. It was here they had once pulled Lucas from captivity. Only now, the transparent enclosure didn’t hold her brother—it held Judson and Mr. Reese, ringed by armed soldiers whose rifles gleamed under harsh overhead lights. White-coated researchers moved briskly among the guards, their quiet murmurs barely audible through the sealed glass. Three familiar figures drew her eye. “Brother Lucas… Brother Isaac… Brother Harold? When did you all get here?” The last she’d seen them, they’d been at home, grumbling about her and her sister’s marriage prospects under the watchful eye of their eldest brother. Lucas pushed his gold-rimmed glasses higher. “We’re not the only ones here. Look—over there.” Jane followed his gaze. Seated at a microscope, a figure turned at the sound of he