The Disciplinary Tier slept in cycles dictated by the lights, not the sun.
When the overhead lamps dimmed to night-mode, the tunnels grew silent except for the hum of ventilation shafts and distant footsteps of guards.
Noah waited until the last patrol passed before leaving Kira's workshop.
His wrist display glowed faint blue — the System Trace icon pulsing slowly.
[Signal strength: 43%]
[Source: Unknown data node — classified access.]
He adjusted his cracked glasses and whispered, "Alright, mystery glitch, let's see what you are."
The deeper tunnels were nothing like the main settlement.
The walls here weren't stone or steel — they were smooth, seamless, faintly luminous, like the inside of a machine pretending to be architecture.
After ten minutes, Kira's voice called softly behind him.
"You really suck at sneaking, you know that?"
Noah jumped. "How—"
"Followed you," she said simply, stepping out of the shadows. "You were muttering code the whole way. What are you looking for?"
He showed her the flickering projection. "Something under us. The System's hiding it."
Kira frowned. "And you thought wandering into a restricted tunnel alone was a great idea?"
"Worked so far."
She sighed. "You're lucky you're cute when you're dumb."
Noah blushed instantly. "I—I'm not dumb—wait, cute?"
"Focus, genius," she said, smirking. "Lead the way."
The signal grew stronger the farther they went, until the walls changed again — now etched with glowing runes that pulsed in perfect rhythm, like circuitry fused with veins.
A sealed door waited at the end, covered in warning sigils.
[Access Denied — Level 5 Clearance Required]
Noah knelt, scanning the lock with his wristband.
Lines of code scrolled across his lenses, blurring as the System Trace activated.
[Attempting bypass...]
[Foreign signature detected...]
[Source code fragment match: 7A-FRAGMENT-001]
He froze. That code looked familiar.
It was the same string Lucas had seen in his error log back in the plaza.
"What is it?" Kira whispered.
"This door's locked with the same fragment that glitched my friend's class. The System's—" he hesitated, "—using whatever broke him to seal something down here."
The lock pulsed once, then flickered.
[Override accepted: Fragment Resonance recognized.]
[Warning: Unauthorized entry.]
The door opened with a hiss, releasing a wave of cold air.
Rows of tanks lined the chamber, filled with pale fluid that shimmered like mercury.
Inside each one floated a shape — human at first glance, but wrong on closer look, their faces blank, features half-formed.
Kira's voice echoed softly. "What the hell is this?"
Noah's lenses flickered to life.
[Subject Type: Resonance Echo]
[Data classification: DIVINE_ANOMALY_REPLICATION]
[Status: Failed synthesis]
"They're… copies," he said quietly. "The System's trying to recreate something it doesn't understand."
One of the tanks flared briefly. For a second he saw a human silhouette with faint golden patterns along the neck — then static erased it.
Kira stepped closer, unease in her tone. "Recreate what?"
"Divine resonance," Noah whispered. "Someone like Lucas."
The lights turned red.
[Security alert: unauthorized access.]
Drones descended from the ceiling, metal wings folding open like blades.
"Move!" Kira shouted.
They ran, the air alive with energy blasts, until the door sealed behind them again.
Catching his breath, Noah stared at the line of text still flashing on his wrist display.
[Fragment match: 7A-FRAGMENT-001 — Source identified: Haven-17 Sub-Core]
He whispered, "So whatever happened to Lucas… the System's been trying to copy it."
Back in the workshop later, he encoded a single hidden message and sent it upward:
[Message queued: "The System's studying you. Be careful."]