Ava kept close behind Lucas, boots crunching over rusted pipe casings and fractured walls.
Lucas didn't hesitate. No second-guessing. He moved like someone who'd drawn these paths in his sleep. It would seem that the upgrate was effective before Lucas had always rely on Ava sytem to lead the way.
They reached a junction of three deadends.
Lucas stopped, crouched by a wall panel crusted in oxidized grime. He drew a slender tool from his belt—the panel clicked open.
Inside: a mess of old cabling, brittle insulation, dust thick enough to write in.
Taped dead center on the metal frame was a black data drive, no label—just a twist of red wiring like veins curling around it.
Lucas peeled it free, spun it once in his palm, and plugged it into a narrow port below the exposed panel.
Ava crossed her arms.
"What are you doing?"
His fingers moved without pause.
"Framing someone."
The screen hummed awake—faint red, flickering like a dying ember.
[FIRE DETECTED: SECTOR 07-PHX]
