BE QUIET

The Clan had gathered around the central table, Myst's broken data still flickering across the screen.

Razor leaned against the table, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the incomplete files Cipher had managed to recover. Blaze stood nearby, idly rolling a knife between his fingers, while Echo sat perched on the edge of a crate, unusually quiet.

"We can't ignore what we saw," Shade finally broke the silence, his voice even but firm. "Myst isn't just a stray caught in the storm. Whatever Project Blue Rose is, she's at the center of it."

Cipher exhaled sharply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Well, she's not ready. You all saw what happened—she merged with the damn system. That kind of power isn't something we can just play around with. If she loses control again..."

"She won't," Nyx cut in smoothly, but there was an edge to his voice. "She's stronger than you think." Everybody darted their eyes at him who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Strong or not, she's unpredictable," Razor countered. "And unpredictability gets people killed."

Myst, listening from the adjacent room, clenched her fists. They were talking about her like she was some kind of malfunctioning weapon, something that needed to be contained. She can't help but agree, she's more dangerous than she was when they met her.

She took a breath, forcing herself to listen as Echo spoke up. "So, what's the plan?"

Shade exchanged glances with Cipher. "There's a location tied to the encrypted files—an old Ascended relay station. If there's any more data on that Project Blue Rose, it'll be there."

"Then we go," Blaze said simply. "In and out before they even know we're there."

Razor strongly interjected, emphasizing each word. "Myst stays behind." He was looking towards the closed door. A beat of silence followed.

"Excuse me?" Myst stepped into the room, arms folded, eyes burning with disbelief.

Cipher sighed. "You're compromised. You need time to figure out what's happening to you. If something goes wrong in the field—"

"I can control it," she snapped. 'Don't leave me,' she wants to plead.

"Like you controlled it earlier?" Blaze challenged. "You nearly fried the entire safehouse system."

Myst bit the inside of her cheek, her nails digging into her palms. They had already made up their minds. No amount of arguing would change that.

"Fine," she said coldly, turning on her heel. "Do whatever you want."

She didn't wait for their response as she disappeared down the hall.

Later that night, the safehouse was quiet. The others were making final preparations for the mission, and Cipher had ensured that Myst's access to their systems was limited.

But they underestimated her.

She moved quickly, slipping into the control room. Cipher's locks were good, but she had learned enough to bypass them. It wasn't long before she had their coordinates. The relay station was a few miles beyond the city's perimeter—heavily guarded, but nothing the Clan couldn't handle.

Myst grabbed a light pack, ensuring she had what she needed. If they wouldn't let her be part of the mission, she'd follow her own way.

The night air was cold against her skin as she slipped through the underground passage, one of the many hidden exits the Clan had set up but rarely used.

The moment she emerged onto the streets, she was on the move, staying to the shadows, her mind set on one goal as she grabbed onto her jacket.

She didn't notice the figure watching her from the rooftop above.

Flux, who was unusually quiet since the meeting. He exhaled slowly, fingers tightening around the ledge as he observed her disappearing form.

With a sigh, he pushed off from the edge, vanishing into the darkness after her.