The space on Sarai's side felt different the second the barrier sealed behind her.
Not just physically.
Intentional.
She stood still for a moment, letting her breathing settle before she moved. Her eyes tracked the room slowly—walls, ceiling seams, the faint glow of inactive panels spaced too evenly to be decorative.
Nothing here was random.
"Alright," she murmured, shifting her weight slightly. "Let's see what you actually built."
Her voice didn't echo.
That was the first thing she noticed.
The sound was absorbed.
Contained.
"Controlled acoustics," she said quietly, glancing upward. "That's cute."
Keller's voice came back, smooth and close enough to feel personal.
"You adapt quickly."
Sarai rolled her eyes, though her stance tightened just a fraction.
"You keep saying that like it's surprising," she replied, stepping further into the room.
Her gaze moved constantly now, never settling in one place for long.
"If this is your big plan, I'm not impressed yet," she added.
A pause.
Then—
"Not yet," Keller said.
That made her smile slightly.
There it was.
"…okay," she said, nodding once. "So this is the part where you try to scare me?"
"No," Keller replied.
A beat.
"This is the part where you understand."
Sarai stopped walking.
She didn't turn in a circle like someone looking for him.
She just tilted her head slightly, listening.
"Understand what," she asked.
"That you were always going to end up here," Keller said.
Sarai's lips pressed together briefly before she let out a small breath.
"Wow," she said. "You really think you're doing something right now."
She started moving again, slower this time, more deliberate.
"You didn't drag me anywhere," she continued. "I walked in."
Another pause.
"I know," Keller said.
That made her stop.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…yeah," she said quietly. "I figured you did."
She crouched near one of the panels, her fingers hovering just above it as her eyes scanned the surface.
"It's layered again," she muttered. "Same system… just more locked down."
"You shouldn't touch that," Keller said.
Sarai smirked faintly.
"Then you probably shouldn't have put it there," she replied, tapping it lightly.
Nothing happened.
Not immediately.
She tilted her head, studying the response delay.
"…there it is," she murmured.
The panel flickered.
Not fully active.
But enough.
"You're testing limits," Keller said.
Sarai leaned back onto her heels slightly, glancing around again.
"No," she said. "I'm figuring out where they are."
She stood slowly.
"Big difference."
Silence stretched for a moment.
Then—
movement.
A figure stepped into view from the far end of the room.
Not Keller.
Bigger.
Heavier.
Armored.
Sarai blinked once.
"…okay," she said under her breath. "That's new."
The man didn't rush.
He walked forward slowly, like he already knew she couldn't leave.
Sarai shifted her stance, her weight settling into something more balanced.
"Alright," she said, raising her hands slightly. "Let's not do anything dramatic."
The man didn't respond.
Of course he didn't.
He lunged.
Fast.
Sarai stepped off-line immediately, her hand catching his arm just enough to redirect the force past her instead of through her.
"Yeah, no," she said, pivoting away. "We're not doing that."
The second strike came quicker.
She ducked under it, stepping back to create space instead of closing it.
Different from Virek.
Intentional.
She wasn't trying to overpower him.
She was reading him.
The third attack came heavier.
She blocked this time, her forearm absorbing part of the impact as she twisted away from the rest.
"…okay," she muttered. "You hit hard. Noted."
The man adjusted.
So did she.
Her eyes flicked once—toward the panel.
Then back.
She moved again, stepping in just enough to bait another strike before slipping past it.
"Come on," she said under her breath. "Just a little more."
The man lunged again.
She let him.
At the last second, she shifted sideways and grabbed his arm, using his momentum to pull him slightly off balance—
—and drove him toward the panel.
His body slammed into it.
The system reacted instantly.
The panel flared to life.
Sarai didn't hesitate.
Her hand came up and activated it before it could reset.
The room shifted.
Hard.
The floor beneath the man dropped slightly, destabilizing his stance just enough—
—and Sarai used that opening.
She struck fast.
Precise.
Not to overpower.
To disable.
The man staggered.
She stepped back immediately.
Breathing steady.
Eyes sharp.
"…yeah," she said quietly. "That works."
Silence followed.
Then Keller's voice returned.
"…interesting," he said.
Sarai straightened slightly, brushing her hands off like she hadn't just fought someone twice her size.
"You're not the only one who plans ahead," she said.
A pause.
"You walked into this," Keller said.
Sarai tilted her head.
"Yeah," she replied. "And now I'm walking out of it."
The panel behind her flickered again.
This time—
a path opened.
Not wide.
But enough.
Sarai glanced at it.
Then back toward where the armored man was still trying to recover.
"…appreciate the assist," she said lightly.
Then she moved.
Fast.
Not running blindly.
Running with direction.
Keller's voice followed her.
"You think you've won something."
Sarai didn't slow.
"No," she said. "I think I'm getting closer."
She disappeared into the corridor.
And this time—
the system didn't close behind her fast enough.