The morning air was sharp, the kind that made Jonathan's breath visible as he walked toward Rainescorp Bank. The building loomed above him, glass and steel catching the pale light. He adjusted his gray suit jacket—modern cut, sleeves rolled, tie muted. It was the inversion of his past life's armor, a deliberate disguise.
He entered the lobby. The receptionist barely glanced up. The elevator doors slid open, and Jonathan stepped inside. Floor 17. Risk Division.
The doors opened to the familiar hum of screens and keyboards. Lena was waiting near his desk, tablet in hand.
"Morning," she said.
Jonathan nodded. "Morning."
She studied him for a moment. "I want to invite you to something. Legacy training. Mid-morning. It's optional, but I think you'll find it… interesting."
Jonathan smiled. "I'd be honored."
The Invitation
Lena led him through the maze of desks. The legacy training room was tucked away near the archives, a space most trainees never entered.
The door was heavy, reinforced, with a keypad lock. Lena tapped her code. The door clicked open.
Inside, the room was dimly lit. Screens lined the walls, displaying fragments of Rainescorp's old systems—protocols, overrides, matrices. The air smelled faintly of dust and ozone.
Jonathan stepped inside. His pulse quickened. This was his architecture. His design. The prototype he and Eli had built together in those final months.
Lena gestured to a terminal. "Sit. Let's see how you handle legacy."
Jonathan sat. His fingers hovered above the keyboard.
The Test
Lena stood behind him, arms crossed. "Tag these assets. Route them through compliance. Then activate the override flag."
Jonathan squinted at the screen, pretending to hesitate. He clicked slowly, deliberately mislabeling one asset.
Lena frowned. "That's Tier 3, not Tier 2."
Jonathan corrected it. "Sorry. Still learning."
She watched closely. "Now route it."
Jonathan clicked the wrong buffer. Then corrected himself.
Lena sighed. "You're struggling with the basics."
Jonathan smiled faintly. "I learn fast."
She leaned in. "Let's try the override."
Jonathan's fingers moved faster. He navigated the system with eerie precision, activating dormant protocols, bypassing redundant checks.
The screen blinked.
"Override successful."
Lena stared. "That was… perfect."
Jonathan shrugged. "Lucky guess."
She didn't believe him.
Mid-Morning Suspicion
The session continued. Lena fed him tasks—tagging, routing, overrides. Jonathan fumbled with the first two, then executed the third flawlessly.
She narrowed her eyes. "You're inconsistent."
Jonathan smiled. "Maybe I'm just better with legacy."
She tapped her tablet. "Most trainees struggle with legacy. It's outdated. Obsolete."
Jonathan leaned back. "Sometimes obsolete systems are the most resilient."
Her gaze sharpened. "You sound like you've used them before."
Jonathan shook his head. "Just intuition."
She didn't respond.
The Reveal
Jonathan decided to show a little more prowess. Not enough to confirm anything. Just enough to deepen her suspicion.
He navigated the system faster, anticipating prompts before they appeared. He corrected errors Lena hadn't noticed. He activated a protocol she hadn't assigned.
The screen blinked again.
"Welcome, Jonathan Raines."
Lena gasped. "What was that?"
Jonathan tilted his head. "Glitch?"
She stared at him. "It addressed you by name."
Jonathan shrugged. "Coincidence."
Her eyes narrowed. "Coincidence doesn't explain precision."
Jonathan smiled faintly. "Maybe I'm just good at puzzles."
She didn't answer.
Lunch Break
By midday, the session ended. Lena dismissed him with a curt nod.
Jonathan walked to the cafeteria. The glass walls framed the city. Employees clustered in groups.
Eli sat near the window again, scrolling through his phone.
Jonathan picked up a tray—rice, grilled chicken, black coffee—and walked toward him.
"Mind if I join you?"
Eli glanced up. "Trainee?"
"Jonathan Raines."
Eli froze.
Jonathan extended a hand. Eli shook it slowly.
As they ate, Jonathan's thumb tapped against his index finger—soft, rhythmic, unconscious.
Eli stared. The tic. The same one his father had used.
Jonathan noticed the silence. "Something wrong?"
Eli blinked. "No. Just… déjà vu."
Jonathan smiled. "Happens."
Eli looked away, unsettled.
Afternoon Session
Back in Risk Division, Lena resumed the training.
She tested him again. Jonathan fumbled with tagging, misrouted compliance, then executed overrides flawlessly.
Lena watched. "You're hiding something."
Jonathan smiled. "Maybe I'm just inconsistent."
She shook her head. "No one is this inconsistent. You're pretending."
Jonathan leaned back. "Pretending what?"
She didn't answer.
Evening Reflection
Jonathan returned to his apartment. He cooked slowly—garlic, onion, rice, seared fish. The scent filled the room.
He sat by the window, watching Rainescorp glow in the twilight.
Lena was suspicious. Eli was unsettled. Voss was wary.
The override was spreading.
Jonathan smiled.
"I'm back."