The communicator hissed with static. Riven adjusted the dial, pressing down on the worn casing. For a moment, there was only air and noise, then a voice broke through.
"...ven?"
He froze. "Cassian?"
The signal glitched, then came back, rough, barely holding. "You're still there… thank whatever deity had a hand in it. Talia just pulled the committee together... It's tense out here... some of them think the whole thing was staged. She's holding it, but everybody's on edge."
Static again, followed by a ragged breath through the line.
"We might've found something... another control site, buried deep in the structure. It doesn't have remote access, so everything has to be done by hand. They think it could shut the whole node down if we get to it..."
Riven stepped closer to the wall, holding the device higher. "Glasswing."
The line stuttered, then fell silent.
"How do you know that name?"
"It came up," Riven replied after a short pause.
"What...?" Cassian started, but the connection broke mid-sentence, the rest swallowed by static and distortion. Then he exhaled, sharp and half-laughing. "Of course you do. Because this whole fucking thing keeps getting weirder... If the node starts reshaping terrain, it'll wipe out half the upper sectors, the valley routes too. They can still evacuate, but the damage would be bad. Talia's working on it, but they don't even know what's buried under half these paths."
Riven pressed the unit closer to his mouth. "What do I need to reach?"
Cassian's voice came faster now, like he was walking. "They think you're close to it. That place you're in... it's on the same line. There should be a drop shaft near the northeast tunnels, if the map's right. Glasswing's supposed to be down there..."
The communicator crackled, then static built up again.
"Cassian?"
"... find the… shaped wall... carved in. That's the..."
The line snapped.
Riven stayed still, listening. A faint tick from the circuitry came in, then nothing. The unit was cold in his hand again.
Dust had settled in streaks along the far wall, pushed by a faint draft, but the air didn't feel as heavy anymore. Cassian's voice had made it through. He wasn't entirely alone down here now.
He tucked the communicator away and turned. Anya was already moving forward, her hand trailing the wall like the structure itself was guiding her.
Riven exhaled and followed.
The corridor narrowed into a gradual slope, walled in by broken pipes and layers of old sediment from where water once moved. The air was damp, changing slightly with the pressure around them. Riven adjusted his footing now and then, keeping an eye on the ceiling as they went.
The core pulsed again, with that familiar green ripple across the casing. It seemed to be giving directions.
Riven slowed, watching as the pulse repeated. At every junction or break in the wall, the core gave off a faint glow, like it was pointing, like it knew the way.
His sister had never mentioned anything like this. She said the cores could respond, maybe adapt in some situations, but not lead or guide… and definitely not understand... She said they were just leftover tech, able to connect if the system was right. But this was starting to feel like a whole lot more.
He was still caught in thought when he looked up... only a bit too late.
The ceiling cracked above them, caused by a split in the structure he hadn't seen. Debris came down fast as a metal conduit tore loose and dropped. Riven pulled Anya back and took the hit along his right side. The force slammed him sideways into the wall. He didn't remember hitting the ground. Only the light: green, white, then none.
Pain came in sharp spikes: ribs, shoulder, hip. His breathing turned shallow and the edge of his vision blurred.
Anya crouched beside him, her hands hesitating for a moment before settling, one to his cheek, the other to his chest. Her expression didn't change, but the gesture felt like an unusual attempt at comfort. Like she needed him to know she was there, that she'd seen everything and recorded it somewhere deep inside herself.
Riven blinked hard, gritting against the pressure in his ribs. The air stung going in. He pushed himself upright with one arm, steadying against the wall until his feet found their place. He reached out and let his hand rest lightly on Anya's shoulder.
"I'm okay," he said.
She nodded with a slight motion and turned to continue walking.
He followed.
As they continued walking, the corridor gave way to something larger. One moment they were winding through narrow paths and broken stone, the next they stepped into a wide, hollowed dome, which had almost an ancient feel to it. The space rose and curved outward, a deep cylindrical chamber with narrow platforms circling the walls. Above, cracked beams supported what was left of a skylight, the structure rising far higher than made sense for something buried this deep.
He stopped walking.
Neon-lit strands lined the inner ring, glowing faintly green and blue in the dark. Metal rails followed the walkways in a spiral, leading down to a wide, sunken floor that looked like an old control area, long unused.
Riven felt the core stirring in the satchel.
Suddenly, a sound came in, like someone had leaned close to a faulty mic. It was Cassian. "If you're where I think you are, there should be a chamber up ahead, it seems to be open space, and some of the lighting should still be working."
Riven lowered the device, looked out across the space. "Yeah," he said softly. "I'm definitely there."
His voice echoed back to him.
He stepped onto the metal walkway where a half-buried console stood nearby, tall and smooth with its surface unbroken. He ran his fingers along the edge, brushing away dust until metal showed through.
His sister had described places like this before. Deep structures meant for memory backup. She called them the last memory palaces, where fragments of the Lady's code might still remain.
Riven had never believed they'd find one. And now that he was standing in one, part of him wondered if he was even awake. His side still ached from the hit, so maybe he'd been more out of it than he realized. Maybe this was just his mind slipping.
Then the core buzzed, and a few words lit faintly on its surface.
I see you now. Connection stabilizing… stay with me.
He stared at it. "What is this?…"
No reply, of course, and the message disappeared soon after.
Riven shook his head, almost laughed, then readjusted. This was no time for a mental breakdown, he had to focus. He closed the flap and straightened, wiping his palm on his coat.
Ahead, Anya had already crossed the threshold of the ring. She stood near the inner steps that led downward with her back to him. Waiting.
The gate ahead was sealed, massive, circular, set into the far wall like part of a long-dead system. Panels sat on either side, one shattered, the other dark but still intact.
Riven approached slowly and tried to shake the frame, but it didn't budge.
The core, nestled in the satchel, pulsed once, red this time. Then still.
He unfastened the flap and lifted it out. The casing was warm, its edges gleaming faintly. Across its curved surface, a new line appeared:
Manual input required to proceed. I am listening.
He stared at it for a second, then exhaled through his nose. "No shit."
He moved to the wall panel and crouched. With some effort, he pulled the cover loose and then removed it completely. Behind it, a narrow access port came into view, old, partly rusted, but intact. He traced the wiring with his eyes, hoping for a sign of power, but the lines were cold. Nothing was running through them.
He pulled the communicator from his coat.
"Cassian. You said the path led here. I'm at some gate, but nothing is responding. Are you sure this is the place?"
Only static.
Then, faint and clipped: "...trying to draw power from the solar panels. Talia's redirecting it through the old system, but she needs your signal to make the connection steady... might get one burst through to start the gate opening..."
The line fractured.
Talia's voice came next, a little steadier. "If we force it too hard, the line might burn out. You won't hear from us again if that happens."
Riven didn't answer right away. He was staring at the core, its surface dull now, like it had gone quiet just when he needed it most. And the thought of losing the connection pressed in. Hard.
"This is not a good idea, I don't like it one bit," said Cassian through the comm.
Riven kept his eyes on the core. If this was going to work, it had to start here. Whatever was sealed behind that gate, whatever this place was, they didn't have time to wait for a perfect fix. And no one else could reach it from where he was.
"I have to try," he said quietly.
Silence filled the channel for a few seconds, long enough to feel like doubt.
Then Talia's voice returned a bit lower. "It'll take a couple of hours, maybe more."
Riven leaned against the gate and slid to the ground. "It's not like I'm going anywhere..."
He set the communicator down, not bothering to power it off.
The adrenaline was gone, and in its place came the rest of it: pain, doubt, exhaustion. He stared across the chamber, jaw tight, until his hand curled into a fist without thinking.
He turned to the core. "Say something useful..."
But the core didn't react.
"You told me to find this place. You lit up, pulsed, dragged me through a collapsing system, so if you're going to glitch out now, do it somewhere else."
Still nothing.
Riven slammed the side of the core against his knee. "You're just hardware. Just... old metal."
The light blinked once.
System stable. You're still here. I'm listening.
He laughed. Bitter, breathless. "Of course you are."
He let the core rest beside him, pressing the heel of his hand into his brow, somewhere between a headache and resignation.
But then another hand touched his. He looked up.
Anya knelt beside him, with her eyes still distant and unreadable, took his hand and held it between both of hers. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and unsteady, barely more than a whisper.
"...you're not wrong."
It was the first thing she'd ever said.
Riven stared at her.