Page 228 of Rescuing Ally: Part 1

For now, that’s enough.

Chapter 58

Two weeks have passedsince Hank and Gabe returned. One week until my thesis defense.

The lab space Mitzy allocated to Malikai and me is crammed with evidence of our frantic work—printouts covering every surface, simulations running on three separate screens, and equations scrawled across two whiteboards. The air smells of dry-erase markers and the burnt-coffee residue from too many all-nighters.

“Your containment field stability projections are unprecedented,” Malikai says, scrolling through the latest simulation results. “The committee won’t know what hit them.”

I save the data and stretch, wincing as my spine pops in three places. “I couldn’t have done it without you seeing those phase inconsistencies in the original model.”

Malikai waves this off. “You would have caught them eventually. I just accelerated the process.”

My phone buzzes. A text from Harrison:Your father asked me to drop off some important documents at the condo. Can you meet at 7pm?

I frown. My father hasn’t mentioned sending anything.

Working late with Malikai. What documents?

Harrison responds:Legal paperwork. Your father insists they need your signature today.

“Coffee break?” Malikai stands, rubbing his eyes. “My brain needs more caffeine to process quantum mechanics at this hour.”

Outside, Guardian HQ feels different.

Tense.

The usual hum of activity is replaced by something more deliberate—security patrols moving with heightened vigilance, operatives traveling in pairs, eyes constantly scanning.

“Is it just me, or are the guards doubled at the perimeter?” I murmur to Malikai as we walk.

“Seems like, and look…” He points to a pair of guards passing by. “They’ve switched to tactical radios instead of the standard comms.”

“Something’s happening,” I whisper, instinctively moving closer to Malikai.

“I heard things,” he admits, voice barely audible above the wind. “In the mess hall this morning. Ethan and Blake talking.”

I slow my pace. “What things?”

Malikai glances around before continuing. “Alpha team was ambushed during a rescue mission in Oceanside. Three operatives wounded. Someone hacked their mission network and fed them looped security camera footage from the target location—they walked right into a trap thinking the corridors were clear.”

My blood turns to ice. “That’s not possible. Guardian’s mission networks are?—”

“Designed by Mitzy herself. I know.” His eyes meet mine, troubled. “That’s what has everyone on edge. Whoever did this had inside knowledge. You think it’s him?” Malikai asks, reading my expression.

“Who else has the resources? The motivation?” I scan the tree line beyond the fence, suddenly feeling exposed. “Hank told me Malfor never stays quiet this long after being compromised.”

“Stitch said the same thing to Mitzy last week. Called his silenceunprecedented.”

Three nights ago, I woke to Hank and Gabe’shushed voices in the living room when they thought I was asleep. Gabe’s words echo in my memory:He’s building something. The bastard always retreats before a major strike.

“He’s like a spider,” I murmur. “Weaving his web, waiting for the perfect moment.”

Malikai’s expression darkens. “And you think that moment is here?”

“Yesterday, I accidentally overheard Forest, Mitzy, Sam, and CJ. They were in the corner booth, speaking about Sentinel’s symbol appearing in three locations in one week.

When we arrive, The Guardian Grind is uncharacteristically quiet. The usual buzz of conversation is muted, replaced by tense whispers and watchful eyes.

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