"You look... familiar."
Victor Slade's words lingered in Elijah's mind like phantom code. They echoed louder than the synth-pop beat still pulsing through the Neonspire Tech Expo.
The top predator of Apex Corp hadn't aged. He wore the same immaculate suit and had the same shark-smile behind polished glasses. But the way he looked at Elijah—as if scanning beyond the surface—cut deeper than any glitch.
[Mission Progress: Recruit Henrik Thorne – 30% Complete]
[Shadow Network Protocol: UNLOCKED]
[Active Nodes: 0]
"He shouldn't recognize you," Shade muttered in his ear, his tone unusually tight. "Unless… some systems don't just reboot; they rewrite."
Elijah didn't reply. His thoughts were already swirling elsewhere—plotting, calculating, sharpening.
[Expo Overflow Lounge – 9:41 PM]
The afterparty buzzed with energy and networking eagerness. Investors, developers, influencers—all recharging over overpriced synth-cocktails under Apex's ever-present logo rotating above the dome's skylight.
Elijah spotted his target across the room: Valis Rehn, a mid-level Apex logistics operator, smart enough to see a good exit, desperate enough to take it.
[Shadow Network Active]
[Target: Valis Rehn — Potential Ally]
"Valis," Elijah called as he approached, his smile casual and confident. "Great work out there. I heard logistics nearly fell apart—until you jumped in."
Valis blinked, clearly flattered. "You're… the MindVault guy, right?"
"The one and only. Still alive and kicking despite a certain hacker's cheap shot."
[+2 IP: Ego Stroke Successful]
[+1 IP: Icebreaker Banter]
Nearby attendees turned at the sound of Elijah's voice. A few leaned in subtly, whispering—"Isn't that Kane? From the pitch crash?"
[+1 IP: Passive Crowd Effect]
Elijah gestured toward a nearby pillar draped in AI-themed LED graffiti. "Apex is growing, sure. But it's bloated. I'm building something nimble. Disruptive. You in?"
Valis hesitated. Then he said, "Off the record? Yeah. I'm tired of being a cog."
[+3 IP: Strategic Bond Formed]
[Node: Valis Rehn – ADDED to Shadow Network]
"First domino falls," Shade said. "Congratulations, Mr. CEO."
[Neonspire's Backstreets – 11:03 PM]
By nightfall, Neonspire changed from dazzling to dangerous. Flickering neon signs bathed cracked pavement in artificial color. Skimmers buzzed above like angry hornets, and the alleys whispered with low-tech life.
Elijah veered off the main path, his Shadow System pulsing to alert him.
[ALERT: Foreign Signal Detected — Apex Signature]
[Shadow System Attempting Countermeasure]
"We've got company," Shade growled. "Corporate-grade. Not subtle."
A drone slid down from the rooftops, nearly silent except for the soft whirr of its stabilizers. It was sleek, black, and deadly.
System Signature Detected.
Shadow Variant: UNKNOWN.
Cipher Variant: ACTIVE.
"Of course," Elijah muttered.
And just like that, Lyra Voss dropped beside him, crouched in leather, her lips curled up.
"I leave you alone for an hour and you call in a corporate death balloon?"
"I have my charms."
"Will you two flirt or focus?" Shade snapped. "That thing's primed for system capture."
Lyra's Cipher System flared, lines of glowing code slicing into the air like knives. She threw a firewall glyph just as the drone readied a projectile.
It fired.
FWIP—SSZZZ.
The dart zipped past Elijah's shoulder, grazing his sleeve. The fabric melted in a hiss of acidic steam.
[WARNING: Damage Threshold Approaching]
[+1 IP: Risk Proximity]
Elijah dove, catching Lyra mid-step and pulling her behind a trash crate. Her back hit the wall, and his hand gripped her waist.
Another dart slammed into the bricks just above her head.
They froze—breathing hard, eyes locked.
"Remind me why I didn't disable you during the pitch?" Lyra asked, her lips inches from his.
"Because under all that code, you like me."
She rolled her eyes but didn't pull away.
[+2 IP: Physical Proximity]
[System Compatibility: 72% – Connection Strengthening]
A final drone pass missed them as Lyra launched a pulse grenade. Her glyphs guided it like a precision virus. The explosion rippled in silent EM waves. The drone sparked, spasmed, then dropped like scrap.
[BitCrack Rooftop – 11:37 PM]
They crouched above the rooftop bar, the neon skyline blazing behind them. Elijah scanned Lyra's profile in the electric blue. The wind ruffled her short hair.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I've had worse first dates," she replied, her breath still quick. "But next time, you catch the drone."
"I'll remember that."
A pause.
Lyra's gaze softened, just for a moment, her sarcasm fading.
[+1 IP: Emotional Trust Progressed]
Then—
PING.
[ERROR: SYSTEM CONFLICT DETECTED]
[CODE ECHO: 013]
[WARNING: Shadow/Cipher Parity Breach Detected]
The glitch pulsed like a heartbeat, and Elijah gasped. The crimson error code seared into his vision, a static hum clawing at his skull like a trapped signal. His HUD trembled. The Cipher glyphs dancing across Lyra's glove scrambled—matching his own display.
"What—what is that?" Lyra whispered.
Her Cipher System flickered, spitting the same corrupted string.
ECHO-013.
"Shade?" Elijah hissed.
"That's not a random bug. That's a breadcrumb. Something wants to be found."
[System Synchronization Detected – Shadow + Cipher]
[Glitch Signature Logged: Tier Unknown]
They stared at each other.
"My system's never done that," Lyra said slowly.
"Neither has mine," Elijah replied. "Until now."
From the rooftops above, unnoticed by either of them—
A second Apex drone hovered, recording everything.
Its lens pulsed, once, and a data stream transferred silently to a screen inside Apex's black-glass tower.
Victor Slade leaned forward in the glow, watching the stream play out.
On his monitor:
FILE OPENED: SYSTEM ANOMALIES
SUBJECT: ECHO-013
STATUS: LIVE. DANGEROUS.
His smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Welcome back, Elijah Kane."