STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

AstroSYS propaganda.

Lucien paused, breathing hard. This was it. Their final statement.

Lyra grabbed his arm. “Come on. It’s not over yet.”

He nodded.

And as the trio vanished into the city ’s shadows, the rebellion’s message burned across the heavens.

***

The rebels settled into the safehouse, each carrying the completion of the mission in their own way.

Lucien slumped into a chair, exhaustion finally overtaking him. Across the room, Lyra paced, her boots tapping a restless rhythm against the floor. Corin sat on the table’s edge, his expression sharp.

“Lucien,” he said, his voice edged with frustration. “What the hell did you stop to do back there? You almost got us all killed.”

Lucien looked up, smirking, and turning his head toward Harun, who sat in the corner looking far too pleased with himself.

“Ask him.”

Corin ’s eyes narrowed as he turned. “What did you do?”

Harun shrugged, utterly unapologetic. “Oh, nothing big. A little something to buy us some time. A little insurance to make sure the Order doesn’t mess with our masterpiece in the sky.”

The room’s attention snapped to him.

Jaris stepped forward, his tone low, measured. “What kind of insurance?”

Grinning, Harun gestured toward the monitor on the wall. “Lucien, bring it up. ”

Lucien linked his wrist device to the display. The screen loaded an obnoxious bright animation —a cartoonish version of the starburst spinning in an endless loop, glowing neon against the dark background.

Beneath it, bold text scrolled across the screen:

SYSTEM ERROR: Your control grid is under recalibration. Please consult your friendly neighborhood rebel. Estimated wait time: forever.

Harun spread his arms and bowed. “You’re welcome.”

Lyra squinted at the screen, her lips twitching, as if she couldn ’t decide whether to laugh or roll her eyes. “That’s... one way to slow them down.”

Corin sighed, rubbing his temples. “So you stopped to upload that? While

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