Josh didn't bother knocking.
He burst into the hallway outside the shared quarters and banged once on Jules' door before throwing it open. She was already halfway out of bed, tugging on boots, eyes sharp even in half-sleep.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Ty," he said. "I caught him trying to tamper with the internal console panel."
Her face darkened. "You sure?"
"He had a nail. He was testing the seal — the screws. Then he looked straight into the camera and smiled."
"Shit," Jules muttered, already reaching for her jacket. "Where's Jessi?"
Josh had already turned to the next door, pounding on it as he called, "Jessi! Wake up!"
The door cracked open a moment later. Jessi stood in pj pants and a hoodie, hair askew, rubbing her eyes. "What—"
"It's Ty," he said, cutting her off. "He's not just sick. He's trying to get access to the system."
"What?" Her voice pitched up, panic blooming behind her eyes. "No. No, he wouldn't—"
"He had a nail, Jessi. He's testing the access panel."
Jules stepped in behind Josh, tone gentler but firm. "We need you to stay calm. And we need you to help us figure out what else he might be hiding."
Jessi's mouth opened, closed. "He's—he's sick. He was scared. He told me—"
"He told you a lot of things," Jules said, voice still even. "But we have to deal with the facts. And the fact is: he made a move tonight."
Josh added, "If he's compromised, if this was the plan all along — then we're on borrowed time."
The silence stretched.
Jessi looked down, arms crossed tightly over her chest. "What do we do?"
Jules glanced at Josh. "We finish the lockdown protocol. Cut all interior access. We do it now. And we start prepping for a forced breach — just in case."
Josh nodded grimly.
"And Ty?" Jessi asked, voice small.
Josh didn't flinch. "He stays in containment. Until we figure out what he's really here for."
Jules turned and strode toward the central command room.
Josh lingered for a second with Jessi.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
She didn't answer. Just closed the door behind her — too quietly.
--
JESSI.
The hallway was dark except for the faint blue glow of the emergency sconces pulsing low along the baseboards. Jessi sat alone on the narrow bench just outside the security hub, her knees pulled to her chest, forehead resting on them.
She hadn't said a word after Jules left.
She couldn't.
Her chest felt tight. Not with fear—though fear was there too—but with the ache of betrayal. Of being wrong. Of wanting to be wrong.
Ty. Sweet, quiet Ty from 3C. Who'd carried her groceries. Who'd helped her pass corporate law by trading notes and bad jokes. Who she remembered watching old disaster movies with in the lounge when no one else showed up.
Had he been lying to her the whole time?
Had he changed?
Or had something happened out there—to his mind, to his soul—that turned him into a weapon waiting to be triggered?
She lifted her head slowly, pressing the heel of her hand to her burning eyes.
A part of her still wanted to believe he was innocent. That maybe he was just scared, or trying to survive.
But another part—the part that had watched the glitch on the console, the strange flicker in his eyes—knew better.
"Why did you come back?" she whispered into the silence.
No one answered.
So she curled tighter, willing her breathing to steady, willing the tears to stop.
Because if the boy she'd once trusted was a threat now… she didn't know what that said about her. Or what she'd do when the time came to choose.