PUZZLE

The low hum of machinery filled the old, underground lab of the Clan, punctuated by the occasional spark of recalibrating hardware.

Cipher's fingers flew over the console, lines of code cascading across the screen as he prepped the new test he planned.

Liora stood in the center of the room, shifting her weight from foot to foot. The events of the past day still lingered in her mind—the salvaged drone, her unintentional command, the message that had shattered the Bastion's fragile sense of security.

She clenched her fists. They were testing her abilities now, but part of her felt like she was testing herself.

"You ready?" Cipher barely glanced at her as he adjusted the parameters. "Not that it really matters. We're doing this either way."

Liora exhaled sharply. "Yeah, I got that."

Flux and Razor stood off to the side, both watching with unreadable expressions. Razor's arms were crossed, his stance firm, while Flux leaned against the wall, still with his unreadable gaze.

Cipher pressed a button. The room dimmed, and a flickering holographic interface formed in the air before Liora. It was an old security system simulator, used to bypass encrypted networks and hijack mechanical units.

"Just get in, override the system, and take control."

Liora hesitated. "And if I can't?"

"Then we go back to square one and start again." Cipher retorted.

She exhaled, then reached forward, fingers grazing the shifting lines of code. The moment she touched it, a sharp static pulse crackled through the air.

Cipher's screen glitched, his console briefly shorting out before resetting itself.

Liora's vision blurred, her fingertips burning cold. The interface warped—then, suddenly, she was inside it. Not just accessing the system, but embedded within it, her senses expanding into the network's pulse.

It was like she had stepped into the machine's consciousness, her mind skimming across data points, recognizing patterns with an ease that should have been impossible.

"Whoa." Cipher's voice cut through the haze. "That's... new."

Razor's expression darkened. "What's happening?"

Flux finally moved, pushing off the wall. "She's not just breaking the system. She's syncing with it."

Liora felt like her body will get stuck in the dimension. The thought scared her. She gasped, pulling herself free from the network. Her heart pounded in her ears, her skin tingling like static still clung to her.

The interface flickered, then shut down completely.

Cipher stared at his now-blank screen. "Okay. That's not what I said."

"Try getting into that." Liora took a shaky breath. "Then tell me about it." Her knees almost failing her. Good thing that she could support herself now.

She fixed her composure, turning to Cipher's direction. "I'll...just take a break."

Liora shut the door of the room behind her, pressing her back against the cold metal. The room was small, barely more than a repurposed storage space, but it was hers for now.

She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to move. Dwelling on everything that recently emerged wouldn't change the fact that someone—no, the Ascended—had found her.

That they were watching. That they wanted her.

Her hands felt unsteady as she peeled off her jacket and tossed it aside. She needed something to focus on, something to anchor herself before the weight of uncertainty pulled her under.

Her gaze landed on the salvaged drone sitting on the table. The same one she had manipulated, the same one that had responded to her without her knowing how or why.

Cipher quietly handed this to her after that test, no reasons laid out. Maybe if she examined it, she'd find some kind of clue—some logic behind what had happened.

Liora sat down, fingers trailing over the exposed wiring. The drone was an old government model, its plating scratched, circuits corroded in places.

It had been dead weight until she had unknowingly willed it back to life. Now, it was dormant again, silent and unresponsive.

She hesitated before pressing a hand against its outer shell, willing something—anything—to happen.

A flicker.

Static crawled up her arm, a sharp, electric pulse snapping through her veins.

Then—

A flash. A cityscape—no, a memory?—flickering in blue light. A voice distorted beyond recognition. A hand reaching out.

Liora's breath hitched as her vision snapped back into focus. The drone remained lifeless, but something in her had shifted. She could still feel everything under her skin, like a frequency she wasn't fully tuned into yet.

Before she could make sense of it, a knock sounded at the door. Liora flinched, snapping her head toward the sound. Her voice felt caught in her throat.

"It's me."

Flux. She swallowed, glancing once more at the drone before pulling herself together. "Come in."

The door creaked open, and Flux stepped inside, his usual nonchalant demeanor in place, though his gaze flicked over her with quiet assessment.

"Figured you'd either be breaking something or thinking too hard."

"Turns out I'm good at both." Liora huffed a quiet breath, shaking her head.

Flux smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "That drone giving you some trouble?"

She hesitated, eyes dropping to the machine. "I don't think it's the drone."

A beat of silence hovered between them. Then, as if sensing she wasn't ready to talk, Flux simply nodded. "Well, whatever it is, don't let it eat you alive."

His words were casual, but there was weight behind them. Liora found herself holding onto them longer than she expected.

She nodded back, and for now, that was enough.