"Penny!!"
Charles shouted from the boat, cutting across the ocean near the explosion site. "Penny!! It's Dad!!"
He scanned the nearby boats, all searching the expanding radius around the blast zone. The aircraft had already crashed into the sea, now slowly sinking. All that remained above water was a thick column of black smoke and scattered fire.
"Major!" One of the soldiers pulled up beside Charles's boat.
Charles turned sharply—it was Angelo. "Angelo, did you find them? Any leads?"
Angelo shook his head. "I've sent a dive team to search underwater. In case there's…" He bit his tongue before finishing the sentence, 'in case they find Penny's remains.'
"Keep looking," Charles growled, then suddenly grabbed Angelo by the collar and pulled him close. "My daughter can't die. Do you hear me? If she does… all my children will."
Not just Zoren. All of them. Charles couldn't endure that.
"No remains means good news," he muttered to himself. "That means they're alive. Somewhere."
