Crown vans blocked the warehouse exits like walls of black steel. Handlers poured out—full gear, rifles humming with relic charges. They moved efficient, no shouts, just gestures. Scar-woman and her remaining Knife grunts got cuffed fast, dragged off without ceremony.
Juno stood in the middle, directing like he owned the scene. "Secure the anomaly pair. Standard containment."
Aria's hand tightened in Kai's till knuckles went white. Lightning flickered erratic along her arms—rage leaking out.
Mina stepped up beside them, pipe still gripped like a bat. "You backstabbing little—"
One handler raised a rifle toward her.
Kai moved—fast, knife out. Echo Step charge reset? No, cooldown. Just raw speed, fusion edge glowing faint.
He stopped inches from the barrel. "Touch her and you lose the hand."
Handler hesitated. Crown insignia on his chest—mid-rank, probably used to obedience.
Juno sighed. "Stand down. The civilian's irrelevant."
Handlers lowered weapons. Barely.
Shen emerged from a van, tablet in hand, expression cool as warehouse concrete. "Report: unauthorized dive, hostile engagement, civilian rescue. Sync data logged—impressive spikes."
Her eyes flicked to Juno. Something passed there—quick, unreadable.
Aria's voice cut sharp. "He set this up. Colluded with Knife to trap us."
Juno didn't flinch. "Speculation. I tracked the Rogue signature, arrived to assist cleanup." Smooth lie. "Knife's leader confirmed bait tactics. Tragic misunderstanding."
Shen tapped her tablet. "No audio logs. Convenient."
Juno smiled thin. "Priorities, Executive. The pair's stable. Stage Two active. We bring them in for debrief."
Kai felt the tether burn—shared fury, but under it, something colder. Fear? No. Calculation.
Mina whispered low. "Kid, this stinks."
"Yeah." He glanced at Aria. "Options?"
Her eyes met his—storm brewing. "We go quiet. For now."
Handlers closed in—escort formation, not arrest. Yet.
They loaded into separate vans again. Mina got a Registry ride home—"protection detail." She hugged Kai fierce before they pulled her away.
"Watch your back," she muttered. "And hers."
Van ride silent. Aria across from Kai, wrists lightly bound with soft suppression cuffs—"precaution." Tether stretched, but distance tolerance held—no Strain.
Juno rode with them. Sat opposite, legs crossed, like a chaperone.
"You'll thank me later," he said to Aria. "This bond—it's a leash. I cut it, you fly."
Aria stared out tinted window. "You don't get to decide my sky."
Juno's smile faltered. Just a crack.
Spire arrival: underground bays, more corridors. No quarters this time. Interrogation suite—sterile room, one-way glass, table bolted down.
Shen waited inside. Rook too—leaning against wall, scarred face grim.
"Debrief," Shen said. "Velvet Knife ambush. Crown response. Anomalous sync behavior."
They uncuffed Aria. She rubbed wrists, sparks dancing.
Hours dragged. Questions looped—Knife contacts, fight details, fusion triggers. Juno sat in, "assisting."
Rook stayed quiet till end.
Then he dropped it casual. "Secondary pair mentioned in logs. Care to explain?"
Shen froze. Juno's eyes sharpened.
"Log anomaly," Shen recovered smooth. "Redacted access."
Rook's gravel voice: "I've seen redacted. Previous experiments—pairs one through six. All pruned when secondary activated. Backup duo, stronger compatibility. System overrides original."
Kai's blood chilled. Aria's hand found his under table—hidden contact. Heartlock prototype hummed faint, steadying.
Juno leaned forward. "Rumors. No proof."
Rook pulled a small drive from pocket, tossed it to Shen. "Proof. Ironwake archives. Pair 04—secondary activated. Original pruned in 'accident.'"
Shen caught it. Didn't plug in.
Room went heavy.
Juno stood. "This is conspiracy talk. The pair's Crown asset—"
"Not yet," Rook cut. "Probationary. Registry rules—duo can transfer guilds if threatened."
Aria's voice quiet. Deadly. "We want transfer. Ironwake."
Juno laughed once. Sharp. "You don't get to—"
Shen interrupted. "Request logged. Review in 48 hours."
Juno's face twisted—real anger flashing.
Handlers moved in—escort to "temporary holding."
As they led Kai and Aria out, Rook caught Kai's eye. Nodded once.
Corridor turn—Juno pulled Aria aside, low voice. "Think carefully. Ironwake's mid-tier. Debts. Weak gates. With me, you're elite."
She yanked free. "I'd rather be weak than owned."
His eyes went dark. "You'll regret this."
Back in holding—smaller room, two cots, no windows. Door sealed.
Kai paced. "Secondary pair. Means they got backups waiting to replace us."
Aria sat on cot, head in hands. Hair loose now, strands falling. "If we hit Stage Three too slow… System prunes."
Tether hummed—comfort shared, involuntary.
Kai sat beside her. Close. "We won't."
She looked up. Eyes softer than he'd seen. "Juno… he was my training partner. Years. Thought he—" Voice cracked. Cut off.
Kai didn't push. Just shoulder bump. "He's an ass."
Small laugh from her. Real.
System chimed—private.
[Trust spike sustained.
Stage 2: Partners → 92%
Heartlock prototype → Full (contact immunity to control/debuffs)
Distance tolerance: 15 meters]
Warmth spread.
Then door hissed open.
Handler outside. "Emergency dive. Rogue Gate—Riftline. Unstable. Mandatory deployment: Sync Pair 07."
Kai stood. "Now?"
"Immediate."
Aria rose too. Hand in his—deliberate.
As they walked out, system text scrolled deeper—unlocked file.
[EXPERIMENT 07 LOG:
Secondary pair identified.
Activation threshold: Stage 3 failure.
Subjects: Juno Vale / Alternate Candidate.]
And below—name redacted, but hint: female, Arc origin, Crown elite.
Aria's step faltered.
Kai felt it through tether—dread sharp.
Juno's backup wasn't random.
It was someone waiting to take her place.
(To be continued…)