Three days.
That was the timeline.
Janus did not rush decisions.
They evaluated.
Measured.
Categorized.
Rudra had been moved from anomaly to asset.
Or threat.
He wasn't sure which was worse.
The warehouse Mira chose sat near the river, forgotten and half-collapsed. Rusted metal. Broken windows. Silence.
"Training?" Rudra asked.
Mira stood in the center of the open floor.
"Adjustment."
"The system is getting weaker."
"It's not weaker," she corrected. "It's calibrating."
He flexed his fingers. His muscles still carried the echo of the taser shock.
"The predictions are slower."
"Because you are hesitating more."
That irritated him.
"I jumped rooftops while being hunted."
"And you doubted the jump."
Silence.
She wasn't wrong.
The system pulsed faintly in his vision.
Micro-Hesitation Detected
Cognitive Conflict Increasing
"I don't hesitate," he muttered.
"You do," she said calmly. "Because you're beginning to understand consequence."
She threw a metal rod at him without warning.
The system flared.
Catch — 93%
Dodge — 88%
Freeze — Impact
He caught it midair.
Barely.
His shoulder protested.
"Again," she said.
She threw another.
Then another.
Faster.
The predictions came in fragments now. Shorter bursts. Less clarity.
He missed the fourth.
It struck his ribs.
Pain spread.
"Why are you doing this?" he snapped.
"Because Janus won't."
He stilled.
"They won't train you," she continued. "They'll refine you."
"Refine?"
"Remove the parts that hesitate."
The system flickered.
Neural Suppression Probability — 62%
Cognitive Override Implant — 41%
"They were going to control me," he said.
"Yes."
"And you're not?"
She met his eyes.
"No."
That answer unsettled him more than control would have.
That night, the message arrived.
Not on his phone.
Not through a call.
Through the system.
Unknown Signal Intercepted
Encrypted Channel — Passive Access
Mira noticed immediately.
"They're contacting you."
"How?"
"They know the architecture."
The message unfolded across his vision.
No distortion. No glitch.
Clean.
Precise.
JANUS DIRECTIVE: INITIATE CONTACT
Coordinates appeared.
A rooftop.
Downtown.
Time: 21:00.
"They're bold," Rudra said quietly.
"They're confident," Mira corrected.
"Should I go?"
The system pulsed.
Attend — Recruitment Path (Survival 82%)
Ignore — Escalated Containment
Ambush — High Casualty Projection
Eighty-two percent survival.
High.
Too high.
"They want you calm," Mira said.
"They think I'll accept."
"Yes."
"Would you?"
She didn't answer.
21:00.
The city lights flickered beneath him.
Rudra stood on the rooftop.
Alone.
No visible guards.
No drones.
No vehicles.
Just wind.
Then footsteps.
Measured.
A man emerged from the stairwell.
Mid-forties.
Tailored suit.
No weapon visible.
The system pulsed sharply.
Threat Level: Controlled
Authority Marker: High
Identity Match: Partial
The man stopped a few steps away.
"Rudra Malhotra," he said evenly.
"You've been busy."
"Who are you?" Rudra asked.
The man smiled faintly.
"You can call me Director Ilyas."
The system reacted immediately.
Janus Executive Tier Confirmed
So this wasn't a field operative.
This was hierarchy.
"You tried to implant me," Rudra said.
"We tried to stabilize you."
"By altering my brain."
"By protecting it."
The wind intensified.
Director Ilyas stepped closer — not aggressively.
Measured distance.
"You possess access to predictive architecture beyond civilian clearance," he continued. "You are unregulated."
"I didn't ask for it."
"History rarely asks permission."
Rudra held his gaze.
"You killed my father."
A pause.
"No," Ilyas said calmly. "We attempted containment. He refused."
The system pulsed faintly.
Statement Confidence: 78% Truth Probability
That shook him more than denial would have.
"You're dangerous," Ilyas continued. "Not because of what you can see."
"But because of what you might choose."
"And if I choose against you?"
"You won't."
Arrogance.
Or certainty.
"We can give you structure," Ilyas said. "Resources. Protection. Answers about the system."
The word answers landed heavily.
Rudra's pulse quickened.
"You don't understand what you're carrying," Ilyas said quietly. "It's older than you think."
The system flickered unexpectedly.
Signal Interference Detected
Older?
"What is it?" Rudra demanded.
"A prototype," Ilyas replied. "One that was never meant to survive outside controlled minds."
Silence.
Wind.
City noise below.
"Join us," Ilyas said simply. "You'll keep your autonomy. Within reason."
"Within reason," Rudra repeated.
"Yes."
"And if I refuse?"
The director's expression didn't change.
"Then we assume instability."
"And?"
"Instability gets corrected."
There it was.
No threats.
Just policy.
The system pulsed.
Accept — Integration Path
Refuse — Active Pursuit Resumes
Delay — Uncertain Variable
Uncertain variable.
Rare.
He focused on the director.
"Three days," Rudra said.
"You said you'd decide in three days."
A flicker of approval in Ilyas' eyes.
"You're listening."
"Three days," Rudra repeated.
The director studied him carefully.
"You're already leaning toward us," he said softly.
"Am I?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you're tired of running."
That hit too close.
The system flickered erratically.
Emotional Conflict Rising
Decision Threshold Approaching
Director Ilyas extended a small black card.
No logo.
Just a symbol.
Two intersecting lines.
Janus.
"Call when you're ready," he said.
"And if I don't?"
"We'll call you."
He turned and walked back toward the stairwell.
No guards emerged.
No dramatic exit.
Just confidence.
Rudra stood alone on the rooftop again.
The system pulsed faintly.
Decision Pending.
Behind him, the air shifted.
Mira stepped out from the shadows.
"You didn't refuse."
"You told me not to rush."
"And?"
"I'm thinking."
She watched him closely.
"They're not wrong about one thing," he said.
"Which is?"
"I don't understand what this system is."
Mira's expression changed slightly.
For the first time—
Concern.
"No," she said quietly.
"You don't."
He looked at her.
"Then tell me."
She hesitated.
Which meant the answer mattered.
"It wasn't built to predict outcomes," she said.
"Then what was it built to do?"
A long silence stretched between them.
Below, the city continued unaware.
"It was built," she said finally,
"to choose them."