The room didn't stay still for long.
It shifted.
Not in a dramatic way.
Just enough to feel wrong.
Sarai noticed it first.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she turned her head toward the ceiling, listening more than looking.
"…did you hear that?" she asked.
Virek was already moving.
"I heard it," he said, stepping away from the wall and scanning the upper panels.
A soft mechanical click followed.
Then another.
Sarai's shoulders tightened.
"…that's not a good sound," she said.
"No," Virek replied, his voice steady. "It isn't."
The lights flickered once.
Then steadied.
A low hum built beneath their feet—deeper than before, heavier. Not just the door locks this time.
Something bigger.
Sarai shifted her stance, her gaze moving quickly across the walls.
"…he's doing something," she said.
"He already did," Virek replied.
A panel along the far wall lit up faintly.
Sarai's attention snapped to it.
"…okay," she muttered. "That wasn't on before."
"Don't touch it," Virek said immediately.
She glanced at him.
"I wasn't planning to just stand here either," she said.
He stepped closer as she approached the panel anyway, his presence right behind her now.
"Then don't guess," he said. "Read it first."
Sarai crouched slightly, her eyes scanning the interface as her fingers hovered just above the surface.
"…it's layered," she said. "Not random. This is controlled."
"What does it control," Virek asked.
Her eyes flicked across the display.
"…sections," she said.
He stilled slightly.
"Explain."
Sarai didn't look up.
"It can divide the building," she said. "Close off parts, isolate others… basically turn this place into separate zones."
"That's what he's doing," Virek said.
Sarai nodded once.
"Yeah," she said. "And we're in one of them."
The hum deepened.
Then—
a heavy metallic slam echoed somewhere behind them.
Sarai flinched slightly and turned her head.
"…that was close."
"It's getting closer," Virek said.
Another slam followed.
Louder this time.
Sarai stood up quickly.
"…okay," she said. "So we need to move."
Virek didn't argue.
He was already looking toward the corridor.
"Stay with me," he said.
She gave him a look.
"I was planning on it," she replied.
They moved together.
The corridor outside felt tighter than before, like the walls had shifted inward just enough to change the space.
Sarai kept glancing back, her steps quick but controlled.
"…this feels like a maze," she said.
"It is," Virek replied.
Another slam echoed behind them.
Closer.
Sarai's breath hitched slightly.
"…yeah, I don't like that."
They reached a split in the corridor.
Two paths.
Sarai slowed just enough to look between them.
"…which one?" she asked.
Virek's gaze moved once.
Twice.
He chose.
"Left."
Sarai didn't question it.
She followed.
The corridor narrowed further as they moved, the ceiling dipping slightly, the air feeling heavier.
"…this is worse," she muttered.
"It's intentional," Virek said.
Another slam.
Closer again.
Sarai glanced back—and saw it.
A barrier dropping from the ceiling, sealing the path behind them.
"…Virek," she said, her voice tightening.
"I see it," he replied.
They moved faster.
The corridor split again ahead.
Sarai slowed just enough to hesitate.
"…wait—"
Her device buzzed in her hand.
She froze.
"…what is that," Virek asked.
Sarai stared at the screen.
"…it's giving me access," she said.
"To what?"
Her eyes flicked up to him.
"…path control," she said.
That didn't sit right.
"Don't trust it," Virek said immediately.
"I don't," she replied. "But we don't have time to ignore it either."
The barrier behind them dropped faster.
Closer.
Too close.
Sarai's pulse kicked hard in her chest.
"If I activate this," she said quickly, "it opens one path fully."
"And the other?" Virek asked.
"…locks," she said.
Silence.
Just a second.
"Pick," he said.
Sarai looked between the two paths.
One slightly wider.
One narrower.
The screen pulsed again.
"…this one," she said, tapping the panel.
The right path opened instantly.
"Go," she said.
Virek grabbed her arm—
—but the other path slammed shut with a force that shook the floor.
The impact broke his grip.
Sarai stumbled back.
"…wait—"
A barrier dropped between them.
Fast.
Final.
Silence hit immediately.
Sarai stared at it, her breath catching halfway.
"…Virek?" she called, stepping forward and pressing her hand against the surface.
Nothing.
No response.
She swallowed, forcing her breathing to steady.
"…okay," she said quietly. "Okay."
Her hand dropped slowly from the barrier.
She turned.
The space on her side was different now.
Wider.
More open.
Too open.
"…great," she muttered.
Keller's voice came back, calm and steady.
"Separation improves clarity."
Sarai closed her eyes for half a second.
"…you are so annoying," she said under her breath.
Silence followed.
Then she straightened.
Her shoulders rolled back.
Her breathing evened out.
She looked around again—really looked this time.
"…okay," she said quietly.
Her voice steadied.
"Let's see what you actually built."