"If you're done grandstanding, I believe I still have a product to pitch."
Elijah Kane's voice sliced through the crowd, even as Lyra Voss's glowing specs hovered midair like a personal victory banner.
She turned, eyebrows raised. "Still here? I thought your system would've short-circuited from embarrassment."
The audience chuckled, half nervous, half intrigued.
[System Update: Mission Completed; 10 IP Earned]
[Insight Protocol Unlocked]
[System Prompt: Use Insight to analyze target: Lyra Voss]
"Now that's timing," Shade chimed in Elijah's head. "Wanna peek under the hacker queen's hood?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Elijah muttered, tilting his head as the Shadow System's interface expanded.
[Activating Insight Protocol…]
The world slowed down just a bit. A halo of coded glyphs surrounded Lyra—text strings, system hooks, live-processing overlays. The Cipher System was encrypting its specs live, feeding false data to hide its weaknesses. But one thread lagged behind the rest, like a mismatched stitch.
[Detected: Latency Artifact in Cortex Ghost sync protocol. Vulnerability; minor]
[Suggested Counter: Tactical Redirection]
Elijah smiled.
"She's fast," Shade murmured, "but she's not flawless. Go get your spotlight back, sugar."
[Neonspire Tech Expo — OmniDome Centerstage]
"I'll admit," Elijah said, stepping forward, "Cortex Ghost is flashy. But sometimes, the flashiest code hides the deepest flaw."
Gasps rippled. Lyra's smile twitched.
"Oh?" she said, chin tilting. "Do enlighten us."
"Your quantum pairing protocol—it jitters at 4.6 milliseconds," he said. "Probably stable on a local loop, but introduce external interference? Memory ghosts turn into memory glitches."
There was a pause. Lyra's system flared subtly as she ran diagnostics. She didn't flinch—but she blinked. Just once.
[+3 IP: Technical One-Up]
[+1 IP: Crowd Re-Engaged]
Henrik Thorne stepped forward, intrigued again.
Elijah seized the moment. "MindVault isn't just personal storage. It's emotional tagging, synaptic mapping, predictive recall. Ghosts can echo, but vaults protect. Your Cortex forgets. My Vault remembers."
[+2 IP: Emotional Appeal]
[Current IP: 16]
Lyra folded her arms, lips twitching. "You're sharper than you look."
Elijah leaned closer. "And you're prettier than you hack."
[Flirt Detected]
[System Compatibility Rising…]
She let out a low laugh. "Careful, Kane. Compliments can be vulnerabilities."
"Only if I'm not charming enough to back them up."
"Someone's on a roll," Shade said, mockingly impressed. "We might just be a power couple yet."
[Neonspire Skyline – Post Expo, Evening]
The crowd dispersed slowly as expo booths powered down. Drone taxis whirred overhead, casting flickering neon shadows onto the rain-slick streets. Apex Corp's billboards blinked from every tower screen:
"TRUST APEX. OWN YOUR FUTURE."
Victor Slade – Chairman & Visionary
Elijah stared up at Victor's smirking face, projected 200 feet tall above the city.
"I'll own yours first."
[System Alert: New Mission Unlocked]
MISSION: Recruit Henrik Thorne as Ally
Time Limit: 48 hours
Reward: Unlock Shadow Network Protocol (Lv.1)
Description: Establish a strategic alliance. Influence can't rise without loyal nodes.
"Ooh, big boy moves incoming," Shade said. "You ready to form a network, boss?"
Elijah's gaze flicked to Henrik Thorne, who stood near the parking corridor, murmuring to an assistant. Elijah noted his hesitation—his curiosity.
"I'll make the first move," Elijah said. "This time on my terms."
[OmniDome Lower Deck — Investor Lounge]
Henrik was reviewing a dossier on a transparent tablet when Elijah approached.
"You're not afraid of sparring with smarter competition," Thorne said without looking up.
"Only when they win," Elijah replied coolly.
Henrik chuckled. "You remind me of Slade when he still had humility."
"I'll try not to develop that flaw."
[+1 IP: Strategic Wit]
Henrik raised an eyebrow, then tapped on his wrist console. "Coffee. 9 a.m. tomorrow. Luxon Cafe, Upper Tier. Impress me again."
[Ally Potential Flagged]
[Mission Progress: 30%]
"He's a gatekeeper," Shade said. "Get him on board, and we can scale the network. Influence is like a virus—it spreads faster with hosts."
"I prefer the term empire," Elijah muttered.
[SkyBridge — Leaving the Expo]
Elijah walked toward the lift pods when he heard the low hum of military-grade drone rotors above him. People scattered slightly as a VIP escort glided down.
He looked up.
Victor Slade.
Gray suit, polished shoes, smug aura still intact. The years hadn't aged him. He looked like the same bastard who'd stolen everything—but older Elijah could now see the cracks.
Victor scanned the dispersing crowd. Then his eyes landed on Elijah.
And paused.
"Mr. Kane," Victor said, smiling faintly. "You look... familiar."
Elijah's heart skipped once. Shade tensed.
[Danger Flag Detected: Victor Slade]
[System Lockdown; Monitoring Anomalous Interaction]
Victor's gaze lingered one second too long. As if he knew something.
As if he remembered.
"You a student exhibitor?" Victor asked casually. "Or just a lucky spectator?"
Elijah didn't blink. "Bit of both. I'm... working on a comeback."
Victor smirked, half-amused. "Good. Comebacks make for the best endings."
Then he walked off, flanked by Apex drones. A quiet storm in a silk suit.
"He knows something," Shade murmured. "Or he's bluffing. Either way, game's on."
Elijah stared into the Neonspire skyline, where Apex's crown jewel tower pierced the clouds.
"Then let's make it the last one he gets."