DING.
Xavier's device chimed once, sharp and out of place against the quiet room. He picked it up and frowned at the display. A string of letters and numbers sat there without context, no header, no signature, nothing that identified where it came from or why it existed. Before he could tilt the device or swipe again, a second ping followed, shorter this time, another mix of characters that looked just as meaningless.
He stared at it long enough that Arlen noticed.
"What is it?" she asked, already moving closer. "You look like someone just kicked the table out from under you."
Xavier turned the screen toward her. "This."
She leaned in, eyes narrowing as she read both pings carefully. She didn't touch the device, just studied it like she was afraid it might react. "That's not a normal transmission," she said. "Looks like someone pulled data out before the protocol finished. Like they didn't have time to package it properly."
"Pulled from where?" Rin asked.
