STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

progress bar inched forward at an agonizing pace, the numbers crawling when they should have been racing.

Corin’s voice crackled through the comms, sharp and impatient. “What the hell is taking so long? You should ’ve been in and out by now.” His voice was strained, the undercurrent of doubt unmistakable. “Unless this is a setup.” The words cut like a sharp sword and sent a fresh wave of dread through Lucien.

Lyra’s eyes darted to him, her eyes widening, and Harun’s hands froze mid-motion, his mouth pressed into a thin line. For a split second, doubt flashed across their faces, and Lucien felt it like a knife to the gut. They think I might have led them into a trap.

Lucien stepped forward, instinct taking over. “Let me see it.”

Harun hesitated, then shifted aside slightly. Lucien ’s fingers hovered over the keys, a tremor running through them before he forced it down. This is what I know. This is what I’m good at.

He began typing, his movements quick and deliberate. The interface responded almost immediately, the sluggishness fading as he bypassed the redundant security protocols designed to stall intrusions. Just treat it like another day at the Bureau.

Harun’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “What are you doing?”

Lucien didn’t take his eyes off the screen. “Disabling the bottlenecks. They ’re not part of the core system, just obstacles to delay external access. I’ve worked around them before.”

The terminal let out a low beep, the progress bar ticking upward as his commands took effect. A new pathway opened on the display, lines of data flowing faster now.

“There,” he breathed, glancing up at Lyra, who studied him before giving a sharp nod.

Corin’s voice returned, less accusatory but still edged. “You better be right, Bureau Boy. Because if you’re not, we’re all dead.”

***

Harun quickly plugged a slim data drive into the port, the tiny click of connection sending a ripple through the room. The progress bar appeared, inching forward painfully slow. “Alright. We’re pulling the erased charts and the Recalibration Protocol. ”

Lucien ’s stomach twisted as the progress crept forward.

Erased charts. Lives scrubbed from existence. He forced himself to keep his

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