STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

The data drive slid into a slot, the files ready to go.

This is it.

***

Lyra and Harun stood on either side of him, their eyes fixed on the terminal as Lucien navigated the interface. The control room emptiness amplified the sound of his fingers tapping against the keys.

Harun shifted, his voice a low whisper. “How long is this going to take?”

He didn’t look up, his focus locked on the progress bar crawling across the screen. “A few minutes. Maybe less, if the system doesn’t throw up any blocks. ”

Lyra’s eyes darted toward the door, her stance rigid, knife clenched in hand. “It’ll throw up blocks. Be ready for it.”

The files began uploading, the progress too slow. Lucien’s pulse hammered in his ears, each passing second stretching into an eternity.

The main screen flashed, the city map vanishing. In its place, the first file from the drive appeared – an erased chart, stark and undeniable against the cold digital background.

“It’s working.”

More files followed in rapid succession—redacted charts, memos detailing the recalibration protocol, video snippets of sterile rooms where people disappeared without a trace. The truth, raw and unfiltered, spread across every network.

Lucien ’s fingers clicking furiously on the keyboard to override a flashing security warning. “They’re seeing it. All of it.”

“How much longer?”

“Almost there. Just a little more...”

A sharp alarm blared through the control room, the overhead lights pulsing red. The pitch of the relay shifted, growing louder, angrier.

Harun swore, glancing at Lyra. “That’s our cue to leave.”

Lyra ignored him. “How much longer?”

“Seconds. Hold on!”

Boots pounded outside the corridor, the sound growing closer. The door hissed open, and two Stewards stepped inside, their weapons raised.

Harun ducked behind a console, swearing under his breath. Lyra ’s stance shifted, knife ready, eyes sharp.

The first Steward leveled his weapon. “Step away from the terminal. Now.”

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