[POV Era]

  The thunder of water crashing down from the base of the dam was a constant roar that helped mask the hiss of my own cooling systems. I was crouched among the shadows of a cluster of industrial pipes, my body still vibrating from the tension of the escape. High above, at the crown of the dam, searchlights danced frantically, sweeping the concrete in pursuit of the intruder who had desecrated the Leader’s sanctuary.

  "System, detection status," I ordered in a mental whisper.

  [The settlement’s long-range scanners have lost your thermal trail thanks to the river mist. However, the alert status remains at Red Level. Immediate social reintegration is recommended to establish a solid alibi. If 'Guard Era' is not seen soon, her absence will be the data point that closes the circle of suspicion.]

  I began to move with calcuted caution, avoiding the main walkways. As I circled the lower turbine block, my optical sensors detected two familiar heat signatures moving through the central housing courtyard. I froze, slipping behind a reinforced column.

  About fifty meters away, Chelsea and Sora were walking briskly toward a crowd gathering near a guard post. I could see Sora’s face, lit by the emergency mps. She was pale, brows furrowed in intense analysis. Chelsea beside her looked lost, gncing toward the Leader’s Residence with a fear I knew all too well. They were going to ask what was happening, like any other frightened citizens.

  For a microsecond, the part of my consciousness that still answered to the name Orion wanted to run to them. I wanted to grab their shoulders and tell them that the man protecting them was a monster pying God with the flesh of the invaders. But Era’s logic smmed my joints to a halt.

  "Not prudent," I analyzed. "If I appear now, soaked and with my chassis at its limit, Sora will see the inconsistencies. Her technical mind will not accept the coincidence of my appearance right after the arm."

  [Correct decision], the system intervened, its voice now deeper, almost satisfied by my self-control. [Observe from a distance. The best way to protect them is not to link them to the anomaly you represent. Proceed to the assigned housing using service routes. You must be seen 'waking up' because of the noise, not returning from it.]

  I watched them walk away, two flecks of humanity in a nest of concrete. It hurt to see them like that, but I forced myself to turn my back. I used the shadows with a mastery only a body designed for war could possess. I crossed Sector B through the cargo alleys, jumping from shadow to shadow with metronomic precision.

  Near our concrete room, I deactivated thermal camoufge to let my temperature stabilize and deliberately smeared my jacket with dust from the ground to hide the marks of the fall. I walked toward the door with heavy steps, making sure a couple of neighbors leaning out their windows saw me pass.

  "Hey, you! The new one!" a man shouted from a nearby doorway. "Do you know what’s going on up there? It looks like the Ganuts got in!"

  I stopped and feigned confusion, rubbing my eyes as if I had just woken up. "No idea. I heard the sirens and came out to look. Is the Leader alright?"

  The man shrugged, frightened. "They say someone tried to kill him. You’d better get inside, guard. If there are killers loose, you don’t want to be in their way."

  I nodded and stepped inside, closing the door with a whisper. Once inside, I leaned against the wall and let my core stabilize. Chelsea had not returned yet, which made sense if she was with Sora and the others. I wasn’t worried. The system had confirmed that Sora was a valuable asset to the settlement; no one would harm her while the turbines still needed maintenance.

  I spent the night in a state of processed vigince, analyzing every millisecond of the boratory recordings. The shrunken Ganuts. The biotic energy. The Leader was distilling something. This was not just survival; it was a pursuit of power that pced him on the same level as those who had sent the ships.

  When the first ray of gray light slipped through the window crack, I stood up. Chelsea had returned at dawn and was sleeping on the cot beside mine, her breathing uneven, a sign of nightmares. I didn’t wake her until the light grew strong enough.

  "Chelsea," I said softly, touching her shoulder. "It’s time. We have to go to the mess hall."

  She jolted awake, staring at me wide-eyed for a second before recognizing me. "Era… st night… there was chaos. The sirens, the guards…"

  "I know. I heard it from here," I lied, keeping my tone as neutral as possible. "Let’s get breakfast. I need you to tell me what happened in Sora’s sector."

  We walked toward the industrial mess hall under an oppressive atmosphere. The pce was unusually quiet. People did not talk; they whispered, casting sidelong gnces at the guards, who now patrolled with rifles at the ready. We found a pce at a side table, and Sora was already there, surrounded by her group.

  I sat across from Chelsea, ignoring Sora’s inquisitive stare as she scanned me like an equation she couldn’t solve.

  "So, how was st night?" I asked Chelsea, trying to sound interested but not anxious. "Was Sora okay? Did you get to talk much more?"

  Chelsea nodded, taking a sip of the watery soup. "Yeah. I stayed with her in her area until the guards forced us to disperse. She was scared, Era. They say someone broke into the Leader’s house and that it’s a spy from another settlement. Sora had to help check some pressure sensors that failed because of the arm."

  Sora cut in, her voice calm but sharp. "It was an overload in the security system. Whoever got in knew what they were doing. Era, you didn’t see anything? Your room is close to the access ramp."

  "I was sleeping like a log until the siren shook me," I replied, holding her gaze. "I’m a security guard of the university, Sora, not a superhero. If something happened, I’m gd it wasn’t at my door."

  Hearing that Sora was physically fine and that her position had not been compromised by the intrusion brought a relief the system logged as a drop in simuted cortisol levels. Everything was under control, or so it seemed, until the sound of heavy boots striking the metal floor of the mess hall made everyone freeze.

  A dozen guards entered, led by the gray-bearded man who had greeted us at the gate. His face was flushed with rage and ck of sleep. He climbed onto one of the central tables, smming the metal with the butt of his rifle to demand silence.

  "Listen up, everyone!" he roared, his voice echoing through the industrial hall. "By direct order of the Leader, all morning bor activities are suspended. Nobody leaves this mess hall!"

  A murmur of panic rippled through the four hundred people. Chelsea grabbed my arm, her fingers trembling against my jacket.

  "Last night, we suffered an act of terrorism!" the guard continued. "Someone among us is not who they cim to be. Someone attempted to sabotage the source of our survival. The Leader wants to speak to all of you. Emergency assembly in the central pza of the dam in ten minutes! Move, unless you want to be considered accomplices!"

  The guards began herding people toward the exit. I looked at Sora, who exchanged an armed gnce with Leo. Then I looked up toward the Leader’s Residence, high above us. The game of hide-and-seek was over.

  [Alert], the system said. [Voice analysis of the guard suggests they are not looking for a generic saboteur. They are searching for something specific. Era, the egg in your backpack… if the Leader has biotic sensors in the pza, we are about to walk into a trap we will not be able to walk out of.]

  I adjusted my backpack, feeling the scarlet heartbeat of the egg against my back, and prepared for the worst. The emergency meeting was not meant to share information. It was a hunt—and we were the prey.