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***Cont..
You still know how to read me," Kael said softly, his voice a low drawl hiding something deeper beneath the surface.
Ezra took a deep breath, holding up the holo-chip. "I didn't come here empty-handed."
Kael's gaze flickered to it but remained still. "What's on it?"
"More evidence," Ezra murmured. "Veyra's infiltration map, her drones, her connection to Nico. I took it right out of her vault."
Kael's jaw tightened as he stepped closer, the gentle hum of the servers syncing with Ezra's racing heartbeat. "And why should I care about all this again?"
"Because I…" Ezra's voice faltered. He gripped the chip tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Because I can't stop thinking about you. About how I've tried to sabotage us. I'm not doing this for her anymore — I want to do it for us."
Kael's expression shifted, a flicker of pain crossing his face. "Do you really believe this will fix everything just immediately?"
"No." Ezra's shoulders trembled. "But it's a beginning." He stepped forward, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I was lost, Kael. I thought I was doing the right thing, that you were the enemy. But now—" His voice cracked. "Now I understood what I did, I can't bear to lose you. Not to Veyra. Not to Nico. Not to anyone."
The silence between them felt denser than a shout. Kael's gaze searched Ezra's face as if trying to decode something unfamiliar. Slowly, he reached out, his fingers brushing against the bandage peeking from under Ezra's sleeve. "You're trembling," he murmured.
"I'm scared," Ezra confessed. "But I'm here."
Kael inhaled sharply. "Let's figure this out later."
Before Ezra could respond, the lights in the room flickered. The servers groaned. Luka's voice crackled through the intercom, urgent and sharp: "Kael—Ezra—Nico's signature just reappeared. It's coming from inside."
Ezra turned to the screens just as a grainy feed appeared — a figure moving through another section of the sublevel. His stomach dropped.
Nico.
Or what remained of him. Half of his face was now covered in dark cybernetics, a cold blue light pulsing beneath his skin, the rest still human — sneering, eyes wild.
Kael's body tensed, muscles coiling. "Veyra rebuilt him."
Ezra's breath hitched. The holo-chip suddenly felt insignificant in his hand. "What did she do to him?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "She turned him into her weapon." He glanced at Ezra, a storm brewing in his eyes. "Stay close to me. This isn't over.