Scene 1 – The Holo-Grid BreachBack at DreamWare Corp, the holo-grids flickered like wounded stars. Notifications screamed across Elaris's screens unauthorized access points blinking red. Every AI module she trusted had been compromised.
Elaris: "Impossible… how? Who?"Her wrist-console vibrated, pinging a new override request. The signature wasn't random it was familiar, eerily methodical.
Kael's voice cut through her earpiece, low, dangerous:Kael: "Don't touch anything until I get eyes on the culprit. Someone inside is dancing with fire… and they don't care whose floor burns."
Elaris's eyes scanned the digital map employee profiles, clearance logs, security keys. One name pulsed repeatedly: the security chief from the masquerade.
Scene 2 – The Silent CoupThrough the office, lights dimmed in perfect synchronization every floor, every terminal reacting as if preprogrammed for chaos. Holo-panels glitched, showing corrupted data, erased logs, and financial transfers she hadn't authorized.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard, fire in her eyes. "No one betrays me and walks away unscathed."
A shadow flickered outside her window Kael, already scanning the building from the rooftop.
Kael: "They're smart, but predictable. Follow the breadcrumbs. And El… stay sharp. Dreams die when the dreamer is slow."
Scene 3 – The ConfrontationIn the server hub, the culprit waited calm, almost smug. The DreamWare security chief stepped out from behind the racks, blade tucked into a suit jacket, eyes scanning her like she was a puzzle to solve.
Chief (cold, sharp): "You shouldn't have come here alone, Miss Veyra. You think the masquerade was a warning? This is the classroom."
Elaris: "Classroom? You've just failed the test."
She activated the defense grid automated lasers crisscrossing the server room, holographic decoys shimmering into existence. Sparks flew. The digital and physical collided security drones activated mid-flight, walls lit with projection shields.
Scene 4 – The Layered TrapKael burst through the emergency hatch, moving like liquid shadow, taking out security drones and neutralizing guards with precision.
Kael (gritting teeth): "Every betrayal has a price… and you're about to learn yours."
Elaris combined hacking with physical strategy rerouting power, locking doors, creating traps. Together, they turned the server hub into a storm of light, glass, and fire.
Chief (frustrated): "You're playing with fire you can't control!"
Elaris (smirking, fingers flying): "I'm not controlling fire. I am the fire."
Scene 5 – The AftermathHours later, the hub lay in ruin corrupted terminals, shattered glass, sparks still sizzling across the floor. Elaris's reflection glitched in the shattered holo-panels, Kael's shadow beside her, both breathing heavy.
Elaris: "They thought the Masquerade was the worst. DreamWare proves it can be worse."
Kael: "This isn't over. They'll regroup, adapt… next time, they'll strike faster. But we'll be ready."
A single alert pinged from her wrist-console — a red digital rose, hovering over a new target list. No name. No signature. Just a promise.
Elaris glanced at Kael, her eyes dark with resolve: "We find them… before they find the circuit again."
The board is exposed. The enemy is inside. Survival is no longer just about the masquerade — it's about protecting the empire, the people, and the circuit itself.