: Fault State

The next room wasn't a room.

It was a tunnel. Straight, narrow, steel-lined. No lights. No exit in sight.

Lucas stepped inside first. The floor shifted under his boot like walking on static.

Ava followed. Her bracer pulsed once, then dimmed again.

[SYSTEM STATE: INTERFERENCE FIELD – PASSIVE SCAN ONLY][CAUTION: ENVIRONMENT MAY BE SIMULATED OR PHASE-SPLIT][NOTE: YOU HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE]

She frowned. "No, I haven't."

Lucas glanced over. "What?"

"My system just told me I've been here before."

"Charming. Mine says it doesn't exist."

He smacked the side of his bracer—no response.

[MONOPOLY SYSTEM: ERROR 502 – VALUE LOGIC UNMAPPED]

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "This place doesn't have values. That's the problem. My system runs on comparative worth. Everything in here is blank."

"So it's a trap."