The silence didn't last.
It never did.
Aarav stood still, staring at the empty space where the distortion had vanished.
"…It's gone," Mira said.
"…For now," Aarav replied.
His eyes didn't move.
"…But it didn't leave."
The air felt different.
Not heavy.
Not distorted.
But—
Monitored.
The screen flickered.
Sharper than before.
More aggressive.
[ E X T E R N A L I N T E R F E R E N C E D E T E C T E D ]
[ S Y S T E M R E S P O N S E I N I T I A T E D ]
Mira's expression tightened.
"…That's new."
"…Yeah."
Aarav exhaled slowly.
"…Now it noticed."
The ground beneath them trembled slightly.
Not violently—
But precisely.
"…It's reacting," Mira said.
"…No."
Aarav's voice dropped slightly.
"…It's targeting."
Inside the observation room—
Every screen lit up at once.
"…System-wide fluctuation detected!"
"…It's deploying again," another voice said.
"…But this time—"
A pause.
"…It's not localized."
The leader's expression hardened.
"…Global response?"
"…No."
Dr. Veer stepped forward.
"…Focused response."
Silence.
"…On what?" the leader asked.
Veer didn't hesitate.
"…On him."
Back on the street—
The air snapped.
Hard.
A distortion opened.
Not like before.
Not gradual.
Immediate.
Mira stepped back.
"…Again?"
"…No."
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
"…This is different."
The space split.
Clean.
Sharp.
And from it—
Something stepped out.
Not one.
Not multiple.
One.
But—
Different.
Taller.
More defined.
More stable.
Its presence alone—
Pressed against the air.
[ S P E C I A L E N F O R C E M E N T : P R I M E ]
"…Prime?" Aarav muttered.
Mira's voice lowered.
"…That doesn't sound good."
"…It isn't."
The unit stepped forward.
Slow.
Measured.
"…External interference confirmed," it said.
Its voice—
Clear.
Cold.
"…Correction priority updated."
Aarav stepped forward.
Calm.
Unbothered.
"…You're getting faster," he said.
"…Adaptation required," it replied.
Silence.
"…So you've noticed it too."
The unit paused.
"…Define."
Aarav smirked faintly.
"…The one watching."
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The air shifted.
The unit's presence tightened.
"…Unrecognized variable," it said.
"…Correction required."
"…Yeah."
Aarav's eyes sharpened.
"…That's your answer to everything."
Inside the observation room—
The data spiked violently.
"…This is different," an analyst said.
"…It's not just reacting to Aarav."
"…It's reacting to the interference."
Veer's gaze remained fixed on the screen.
"…It's trying to isolate it."
"…From him."
Back on the street—
The Prime unit moved.
Faster than anything before.
No delay.
No warning.
Aarav reacted—
Barely.
The strike passed—
Too close.
"…Fast," he muttered.
The follow-up came instantly.
Cleaner.
Sharper.
Aarav blocked—
But the impact pushed him back.
Further than before.
"…Aarav!"
He steadied himself.
"…Yeah."
"…This one's different."
The Prime unit didn't stop.
It stepped forward again.
"…Containment escalation."
The air tightened.
More than before.
Not just around him—
But everywhere.
"…It's locking everything," Mira said.
"…Not everything."
Aarav's gaze sharpened.
"…Just me."
Because this time—
The system wasn't just correcting.
It was—
Focusing.
And that—
Made it far more dangerous.