"The Federation's got too tight a grip on the shards. Maybe all this—the contest, the failures, the chaos—it's not just coincidence. What if this is punishment? For trying to serve both sides."
The hum of the pod's systems continued behind him. Still running. Still steady.
Elias didn't answer. The lights flickered again as the corridor stretched out behind them, pipes still glinting in the low light.
Cube X hadn't lost control.
It just hadn't decided what to do with it yet.
Elias shook his head once, jaw clenched. He started to speak, but the system prompt flickered into view above the group—Save a life. 24 minutes remaining.
The glow pulsed in steady rhythm, a silent countdown pressing into the back of his mind.
Paul took a single step forward. His Ikona flickered low at his side, the dim light casting a tired sheen across his face.
"Even so, this—" he began, voice weighted, uncertain.
He didn't finish.
