The Crown Complex was quiet.
Too quiet.
Tyler noticed it before the System did.
The usual background noise—machinery hum, distant voices, footsteps echoing through unfinished corridors—was gone. Even Mira, normally humming or tapping her fingers when bored, stood still near the stairwell.
Jonah frowned at his tablet.
"…That's not right."
"What?" Tyler asked.
"We have a delivery scheduled. No cancellations. No delays." Jonah looked up. "Someone's inside."
The System pulsed, but not with a warning.
[Observation Mode Active]
No hostile intent detected.
Unknown variable present.
Tyler raised a hand.
"I'll check."
Jonah opened his mouth to object—then closed it.Instead, he grabbed a radio.
"I'll stay on comms."
Tyler moved slowly through the central corridor, footsteps echoing against concrete and steel. The unfinished atrium opened ahead of him, sunlight pouring through the cracked glass ceiling.
And there—
Someone was sitting on a stack of sealed crates like she belonged there.
A woman.
Mid-twenties, maybe.
Dark hair tied loosely behind her neck.
Simple clothes—black jacket, jeans, boots—but clean. Intentional.
She wasn't looking around.
She was waiting.
Tyler stopped several meters away.
"You're trespassing," he said calmly.
She looked up.
And smiled.
Not flirtatious.
Not mocking.
Just… amused.
"So this is Tyler Brooks," she said. "You're shorter than your paper trail."
Tyler blinked.
"My what?"
She slid off the crates and walked closer, hands visible, posture relaxed.
"Relax. If I wanted to cause trouble, you'd already be reacting." She tilted her head slightly. "The System didn't warn you, did it?"
Tyler froze.
The air felt heavier.
"…What did you just say?"
Her eyes sharpened—not predatory, but focused.
"Good. That means it's paying attention."
The System chimed—delayed. Uneasy.
[Unknown Interference Detected]
Classification: Anomaly (Non-hostile)
Jonah's voice crackled in Tyler's ear.
"Tyler. Your vitals just spiked. What's happening?"
The woman raised a finger politely.
"Ah. You brought friends. That's new."
She extended her hand.
"Name's Aria Vale."
Tyler didn't take it.
"…Vale?"
She sighed.
"Yeah. That Vale."
Jonah's voice cut in sharply.
"Tyler—step back. Now."
Selene Vale's last name.
Tyler's jaw tightened.
"So this is a threat," he said.
Aria shook her head immediately.
"No. If Selene wanted you pressured, you wouldn't see me. You'd feel paperwork crushing your lungs."
She looked around the unfinished complex, eyes scanning details too quickly, too accurately.
"I'm here because something changed," Aria continued."And I wanted to see it before she did."
Tyler frowned.
"Changed how?"
Aria met his gaze.
"The city stopped behaving predictably."
Silence.
That hit deeper than she probably intended.
"The permits," she went on. "The delays. The shadows growing instead of headlines."She smiled faintly. "That's not how people like you usually move."
Tyler crossed his arms.
"And what do you want?"
Aria hesitated.
Just a fraction.
Then—
"I want to know if you're real," she said honestly."Or just another bubble that pops the second the city squeezes."
Jonah's voice returned, lower now.
"She's telling the truth."
Aria's eyes flicked toward the hidden cameras.
"Hi, Jonah Reed," she called out. "Still allergic to bullshit, I see."
Jonah cursed under his breath.
"You know her?" Tyler asked quietly.
Jonah didn't answer right away.
"…She's a problem."
Aria smiled wider at that.
"I prefer 'independent.'"
She turned back to Tyler.
"Here's the thing," she said, tone shifting—serious now."I'm not on Selene's side. But I'm not on yours either."
She stepped closer—but stopped just outside his personal space.
"I'm watching."
Tyler held her gaze.
"Why?"
Aria's smile faded.
"Because people like you don't show up often.""And when they do… they either change the city."
She glanced upward, toward the glass ceiling and the skyline beyond.
"…or they get erased."
The System pulsed again.
Not warning.
Not reward.
[Variable Acknowledged]
Name: Aria ValeStatus: Unaligned ObserverPotential Impact: UnknownRecommendation: Do not antagonize.
Aria stepped back.
"I'll leave now," she said. "No harm done."
She paused, then added softly:
"Oh—and Tyler?"
"Yes?"
"If Selene sends someone to break you…"Aria's eyes gleamed with something unreadable."…they won't look like enemies."
Then she walked past him, footsteps light, unhurried—like someone who knew no one would stop her.
The doors closed behind her.
Silence returned.
Mira finally spoke from the stairwell.
"…Did that just happen?"
Tyler exhaled slowly.
"Yeah."
Jonah's voice was grim.
"She's not bluffing."
The System chimed one last time.
[New Long-Term Variable Added]
Faction Proximity IncreasedNarrative Complexity: Rising
Tyler looked at the door she'd exited through.
Selene had made her move.
But she hadn't sent a weapon.
She'd sent a mirror.
And that was far more dangerous.