Rain starts to fall as I huddle behind a maintenance shed, watching Eliot through my binoculars. He's standing completely still, arms slightly raised, facing off with Lucinda the black bear. The team's comms crackle in my ear with overlapping voices.

"Eliot! You realize that this is gonna end badly, right?" Nate sounds more resigned than worried, like this is just another Tuesday.

Hardison's panic comes through next. "He's out of his damn mind, man! Insane! Crazy white..."

"Hardison, that's not helping," Sophie interrupts, her normally smooth voice tight with tension.

I adjust my grip on the tranquilizer gun I managed to acquire from zoo security. The rain intensifies, making the metal slippery. "I've got a clear shot from here," I whisper into my comm.

"Do NOT shoot unless absolutely necessary," Nate orders immediately. "We don't know how she'll react to the dart."

"Eliot can handle a bear?" Parker sounds genuinely curious, like she's asking about the weather.

"Parker, do not go into that cage," Nate warns, reading her mind.

Through my binoculars, I see Eliot shift slightly. Lucinda growls, rising up on her hind legs. My finger tightens on the trigger. "She's escalating," I report. "I need a decision, Nate!"

The team erupts into chaos again, everyone talking at once. In the distance, I hear a zoo security cart approaching. We're running out of time.