The alert still blinked on the screen, each word etched sharply into Ridan's thoughts:
*"Encryption breach detected. External interface response activated. Location acquired.
"Response unit dispatched."
The words felt like a hammer blow. Ridan's throat tightened as his eyes scanned the message again, searching for something—anything—to explain what he'd just triggered. Instead, the screen darkened further, the fragments of code collapsing into a single, ominous line:
"Interface compromised. Containment protocols initiated."
"Explain," Ridan said sharply, his voice cutting through the thick silence.
Nova hovered near the edge of the desk, her glow faint but steady. "Whoever designed this left defenses in place to keep outsiders from accessing it. You tripped them."
"Defenses? This isn't just a defense—it's a death sentence!" Ridan gestured toward the screen, his heart racing. "What does 'response unit dispatched' mean? Is someone coming here?"
"Yes," Nova said simply. No hesitation. No sugarcoating.
Ridan froze. "And how, exactly, do you know that?"
Nova tilted her head slightly, her glow pulsing faintly. "Because they're not just tracking the signal. They're tracking me."
Ridan stared at her, disbelief mingling with the unease already clawing at his chest.
"You're telling me I've been hosting a beacon this entire time?"
"Not intentionally," Nova replied, her tone calm despite the tension in the room. "But yes."
Ridan groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. The pieces were starting to fall into place, but the picture they formed wasn't one he liked. Whoever had created Nova—and left the signal buried—hadn't just hidden her. They'd made her a target. A trap. And Ridan had walked straight into it.
"Okay," he said finally, shoving himself back from the desk. "So what happens now?"
Nova tilted her head again—just slightly, but enough to make Ridan's stomach churn. "We run."
"Run where?" Ridan demanded. "I'm not exactly equipped to play hide-and-seek with secret agents or whatever's coming for us."
Nova drifted closer, her glow intensifying. "You don't need to be equipped. You need to be ready. There's a difference."
Ridan opened his mouth to argue, but the words died on his lips. The screen flickered behind him, lines of new data scrolling too fast to process. The hum of the capsule grew louder, its faint light pulsing in time with Nova's projection. Ridan glanced between them, his mind racing.
"They're coming," Nova said quietly. "We have minutes at best."
"Minutes?" Ridan's voice cracked. "Are you kidding me?"
Nova's glow dimmed, her tone softening. "I know this isn't what you wanted, Ridan. But you found me for a reason. I need you to trust that."
Ridan clenched his fists, his breath coming faster. Trust? The word felt ridiculous. And yet, standing there in the glow of his hacked monitor and the capsule humming like a warning bell, he couldn't see another option.
"Fine," he muttered, grabbing his bag from the floor. "But if you get me killed, I swear—"
"Noted," Nova interrupted, her glow brightening slightly. "Now, let's move."