The room smelled of ozone and overheating circuits, monitors lining the walls like a digital cathedral. Streams of code cascaded across every screen, pulsing in a rhythm almost alive.
A voice crackled from the speakers, familiar, teasing, and sharp: "Didn't think I'd see you in the web this deep. Guess the city's got its claws in you too."
I froze a moment, then muttered under my breath, "Still alive, I see. Miracles, or skill?" Sarcasm was my shield; caution, my sword.
The voice chuckled. "Since you're this deep, I suppose it's fair for me to reveal my name… I'm Rei."
Rei. The hacker who had guided me, warned me, kept me just out of the Syndicate's teeth. The one I thought was outside, who had faked capture to see how I'd react. Not an enemy. Not an ally. Just a test.
"You've been… guiding me all this time?" I asked, letting disbelief coat my words in sarcasm. "And here I thought I was making progress on my own. Cute."
"Guiding," Rei admitted. "Not saving. Not controlling. Watching, testing, giving just enough to see if you could survive. That's all."
I leaned back against the railing, letting my mind trace every move, every warning, every near-miss. It wasn't betrayal. Not exactly. It was… preparation. And now the lines between trust and suspicion blurred sharper than ever.
"I guess I should thank you, then," I said, voice dry. "Or plot your digital demise. Choices, choices."
Rei's laugh echoed softly through the speakers. "Keep watching the Veins, Dylan. Pay attention. You'll need every observation you've learned so far."
And just like that, the voice went silent, leaving only the hum of monitors and the sharp pulse of the city. The partnership was uneasy, yes but now, for the first time, I knew who I was dealing with.