C3 - Into the lab

Mike and Noah stood in the shadow of the towering Stenian University of Applied Sciences. The cold steel and glass reflected the city's artificial lights, and the towering banners above still preached the same empty slogans.

"Denied, huh?" Noah muttered, mimicking the receptionist's monotone voice. "State your purpose. State your purpose. Man, what's the point of calling it a university if you need VIP access just to ask a question?"

Mike wasn't in good mood. "We're getting in. One way or another."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "And by 'one way,' you mean trespassing?"

Mike gave a slight nod. "Pretty much."

The perimeter was heavily monitored, but the maintenance office at the back was less guarded. Crates and scrap metal littered the area. The security drones hummed faintly overhead.

Mike looked for patterns and found it "Drones rotate every 50 seconds. While surveillance cameras rotate about every 20 seconds. That's half a minute of no surveillance over the door, which we can use to sneak in."

"Seriously? Where did you learn this stuff?" Noah asked.

"Living with a mad scientist makes you mad eventually," Mike said flatly.

They sprinted and hid behind a crate waiting for second window of no surveillance, when next window arrived Mike quickly located the access panel. "Old model. Security override still works."

"Lucky us"

A quick series of key inputs and the door hissed open. "We're in," Mike whispered.

The hallways were deserted. Most labs had shut down for the evening. Security cameras lined the corridors, but luckily there was a discarded signal jammer, which Mike was able to power on.

"The singnal jammer has only power for thirty minutes or maybe less, I can't tell for certain"

"Plenty of time for a quick crime" Noah whispered.

They navigated through the twisting maze of white walls and doors until they reached Lab 4A - Dr. Caven's lab. A small plaque read:

> Authorized Personnel Only.

"Guess we're personnel now," Noah said, trying to open the door. Locked, of course.

Mike knelt beside the terminal, prying open the access panel. "Standard biometric lock. But the external ports are still active. I can force it open."

A tense minute passed as Mike worked, sweat forming on his forehead. Finally, the lock clicked, and the door slid open.

Inside, the lab was a chaotic mess. Piles of documents were stacked carelessly. displays hanged from ceilings above research tables, Half-built devices and disassembled tech were scattered across every surface.

"Your dad really needs a cleaning service," Noah muttered.

Mike ignored him. "We're not here to admire the decor."

He scanned the shelves until he found a small, inconspicuous metal pen drive labeled 'REPORT - 017'.

"I saw him writing this report yesterday this has to be it" "Let's take this and go."

Back in their dorm, the tension lingered. Mike's fingers hovered over his laptop keyboard. He hesitated.

"What if it's encrypted?" Noah asked.

Mike shook his head. "My dad wouldn't waste time on that for personal research."

With a deep breath, Mike inserted the drive. Files loaded instantly. A series of documents, audio logs, and videos appeared but one file caught his eye:

> "Event Frequency Report - Dr. Andrew. Caven"

He clicked it. A plain text document scrolled into view.

---

Subject: Anomaly Frequency Report Author: Dr. Andrew Caven

> Over the past 17 years, the frequency of detected anomalies has increased by approximately 450 times. The once isolated cracks have begun forming with alarming regularity. Not just in established Zerolands, but in regions previously unaffected.

Government agencies have insisted on a strict policy of suppression. Civilian reports are dismissed. Surveillance feeds are doctored. However, the data is irrefutable. The fractures are accelerating.

Some entities from the cracks are becoming more aggressive. Unlike before, containment protocols are no longer sufficient. Attempts to 'neutralize' anomalies have failed.

Mike's chest tightened. "450 times.... That's not just a slight increase.... Wait 17 years?.... that's almost my age."

Noah said "Okay, so, worst-case scenario the world falls apart. What's the best-case scenario?" anxiously

"Best case?" Mike closed the laptop. "We figure out what's gonna happen."

To be continued...