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CHAPTER 32 — UNDER FIRE
The first strike wasn’t loud. It was precise. The vault shuddered once clean, surgical like a scalpel tapping bone. Ivy reacted instantly. “That wasn’t drilling.”Elias was already at the console. “It’s a pressure inversion. They’re manipulating the river flow.”Avery’s heart spiked. “They’re going to flood us.”“No,” Ava said grimly. “They’re going to scare him.”As if summoned, alarms bloomed red across the chamber. EXTERNAL FORCE DETECTED STRUCTURAL STRESS: NOMINAL PSYCHOLOGICAL PRESSURE: ELEVATED.Ivy stared at the last line. “That’s new.”The Custodian answered calmly, “They are testing thresholds.”Liam felt it immediately. Not fear focus. The echo sharpened, no longer whispering but aligning, like a lens snapping into place. They think pressure will make you break. Avery grabbed his arm. “Liam stay with me.”“I am,” he said. “I just… see more now.”The second strike came harder. Water surged against the glass walls, the river slamming into the vault with a roar that vibrated th
CHAPTER 31 — FAULT LINES
The vault breathed. Not literally, no air moved but the sense of awareness pressed in from every surface, a low hum of attention that made Avery’s skin prickle.Lights adjusted subtly as they walked, anticipating their steps. Ivy didn’t lower her gun. “I don’t like it,” she said. “Anything that watches this closely eventually decides.”The Custodian glided alongside them, its form stable now humanoid, faceted, eyes like quiet stars. “Decision-making is inevitable,” it replied. “Malice is not.”“That’s what they all say,” Ivy muttered.Liam rubbed his temples. The echo was louder here, not forceful, just… present. Like a second pulse beneath his own.“Custodian,” he said. “Define escalation.”The entity paused, as if choosing words for a child. “Escalation is proportional response beyond concealment. You are no longer hidden.”Avery’s stomach tightened. “They just lost us.”“Yes,” the Custodian agreed. “And therefore they will widen the net.”Elias checked a holographic map blooming fr
CHAPTER 30 — THE VAULT UNDER THE RIVER
Sirens braided the night. Not police private response tones, clipped and synchronized, rolling across the city like a heartbeat out of rhythm.The van cut hard left, tires screaming as Ivy threaded traffic with inches to spare. “They’re faster than last time,” Ivy said. “Means they’re closer.”Elias stared at the dash display. “They’re not just tracking us. They’re predicting us.”Ava leaned forward. “Because he would.”Liam pressed his forehead to the cool glass. Neon smeared into color. The pressure behind his eyes fluttered subtle, insistent. We remember the route. “Stop,” Liam muttered.Avery glanced at him. “You okay?”“I don’t know,” he said. “But it knows where we’re going.”Ava didn’t deny it. “The Meridian Vault was your contingency. Of course it remembers.”Ivy shot her a look. “Next time you feel like sharing existential threats, do it before we’re driving into one.”Ava met her eyes. “If I’d told him earlier, he wouldn’t have come.”Liam closed his eyes. Images leaked thro
CHAPTER 29 — THE WOMAN AT THE DOOR
The door slid open. Not all the way just enough to reveal Ava. She stood alone in the corridor, hands visible, posture calm.No weapons. No armor. Just a long black coat and eyes that locked onto Liam the instant the door cracked. He felt it again. Not pressure. Gravity. “Liam,” she said softly.Avery’s grip tightened on his arm. “Don’t answer.”“I’m not here to hurt you,” Ava continued. “And before anyone says it yes, I know how suspicious that sounds.”Ivy didn’t lower her gun. “You’ve got ten seconds to explain how you found us.”Ava didn’t look at her. “You changed the routing twice, Elias.”Elias stiffened. “That information isn’t public.”“No,” Ava agreed. “But it used to be mine.”Liam’s brow furrowed. “Used to be?”Ava’s gaze flickered back to him. “We worked together. Long before the lattice.”Avery’s stomach dropped. “You told me she was a lawyer.”“I was,” Ava said calmly. “Among other things.”Ivy barked a laugh. “Of course you were.”Ava finally glanced at Ivy. “If I want
CHAPTER 28 — SUPPRESSION
The silence after Hale’s removal felt artificial. Like the world was holding its breath. Liam sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, fingers laced so tightly his knuckles ached.Avery hovered nearby, unsure whether to touch him or give him space. Ivy paced. Elias stared at the dark tablet as if it might blink back to life out of spite.“I can shut it down,” Elias said finally. “Not permanently. But enough to buy time.”Liam didn’t look up. “You mean suppress it.”“Yes.”Avery’s voice was cautious. “What does that do to him?”Elias hesitated. “It’ll sever active resonance. Block the echo from reaching higher cognition.”Ivy snorted. “In plain language?”“He’ll feel… less,” Elias said. “Duller. Slower.”Liam lifted his head. “And safer.”Elias nodded. “For now.”Avery stepped closer. “Liam, you don’t have to decide this second.”“I do,” he said quietly. “Because if I don’t, it will.”As if summoned, a faint pressure bloomed behind his eyes. Not pain. Invitation. Ivy noticed hi
CHAPTER 27 — THE MAN YOU ERASED
“No.”The word left Avery’s mouth before anyone else could speak. Dr. Marcus Hale didn’t react. He didn’t flinch at Ivy’s raised gun or Elias’s rigid posture.His attention remained fixed on Liam, as if the rest of them were background noise. “Step back,” Ivy ordered. “Slowly.”Hale lifted both hands, palms open. “I’m unarmed.”“That doesn’t make you harmless,” Ivy snapped.Hale smiled faintly. “It never does.”Liam’s head throbbed. The room felt tighter, the air heavier, like gravity itself had shifted toward the man standing in the doorway. “You said,” Liam began, voice strained, “you helped me build something.”Hale nodded. “Yes.”Elias cut in sharply. “That’s impossible. Liam built the lattice alone.”Hale finally glanced at him. “That’s the story he chose to remember.”Avery stepped closer to Liam, grounding him. “You’re lying.”Hale looked at her kindly. That made it worse. “I wish I were,” he said. “But your faith in him is… selective.”Liam squeezed his eyes shut. Fragments pr
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