Kael woke to the hum of old power and the sting of antiseptic in his lungs.
His eyes opened slowly. The ceiling above him wasn't Zone Three—it was metal-paneled, dusty, and patched together with old steel plates. A soft blue light flickered from somewhere behind him.
He tried to move.
Pain rolled through his ribs, sharp and immediate.
"Don't," a voice said coolly. "You'll tear the seal."
Kael winced. He turned his head slightly.
Juno stood against the far wall, arms folded, her cloak now draped over a terminal chair. Her visor was off, revealing pale eyes under sharp black bangs. She didn't look tired—but she didn't look comfortable either.
"Where are we?" Kael asked, voice cracked.
"Transit substation. One of the old emergency shelters. Scrubbed from the grid years ago."
Kael groaned and sat up slowly. His torso was wrapped in clean bandages, blood soaked through just enough to prove it was real.
"You dragged me here?"
"You passed out on your feet after the kill," she replied. "Didn't think you'd want to bleed out in a hallway."
Kael leaned back against the rusted wall behind him.
"…Thanks," he muttered. "I guess."
Juno didn't respond.
The silence stretched.
Kael finally broke it.
"You knew what that thing was. The Nullborn."
She nodded. "I've fought them before."
"And the suit? The EXE Frame—whatever the hell that was?"
"You synced with a dormant shard. Probably unstable."
Kael frowned.
"Why the hell do I feel like you know more than you're telling me?"
"I do," she said plainly.
Kael narrowed his eyes. "And?"
"I don't trust you yet."
"Fair."
He laid his head back, staring up at the old ceiling.
"So, what now? You cuff me to a table and start asking questions?"
"No," came a third voice. Light. Warm. Confident.
Kael blinked.
The new voice came from the far end of the shelter, near the open maintenance door.
A girl stood there.
Hood up. Loose brown bomber jacket with a dozen pins. Cargo pants tucked into scratched boots. Her eyes were warm, curious, and just a little dangerous.
She had a lollipop in her mouth and a small black drone hovering lazily behind her shoulder.
"I ask the questions," she said. "You two look like hell."
Juno tensed slightly.
Kael's hand moved instinctively to his coat—but it wasn't there.
The girl held it up, tossing it to him casually.
"Relax," she said. "Didn't steal anything. Could've. Didn't."
"Who the hell are you?" Kael asked.
She grinned.
"Mira Kaen. Underground broker. Digital smuggler. Also probably the only person who can explain what's happening to you without sounding like a corporate PSA."
Kael blinked. "You know about the suit?"
"I know what you're becoming."
That shut him up.
She walked over and leaned against the nearest terminal, eyes flicking to Juno.
"Didn't expect to find a live Frame ping in Zone Three. Most of those shards are toast. Guess you got lucky, huh?"
"I wouldn't call this lucky," Kael muttered, rubbing his ribs.
Mira chuckled.
"You're still breathing. That's something."
Juno looked between them.
"You tracked the activation signal."
"Please," Mira replied. "I live for that kind of static. The moment he synced? Lit up three city sectors. Half the grid thought it was a false nuclear alert."
She gave Kael a long, unreadable look.
"You made noise. That means others are going to start looking."
"Who?" he asked.
She didn't answer right away.
Instead, she walked over to his bag, pulled out the cracked Frame core, and studied it with a flick of her scanner.
"Old as hell," she murmured. "But still running hot."
Kael looked at her, careful.
"You synced too, didn't you?"
Mira smirked.
"Not yet. But mine's listening."
She pulled a slim drive from her back pocket. Sleek. Unmarked. Faintly pulsing with violet light.
It hummed when she held it close to Kael's core.
"Compatible frequencies," she said quietly. "Interesting."
Juno stepped forward.
"You're planning to sync?"
"Eventually."
"It'll hurt."
"I know."
Mira didn't seem afraid. Just… expectant.
Kael leaned forward, wincing as his side flared again.
"Why are you helping us?"
"I'm not," Mira said. "Yet."
"But you showed up."
"Because something bigger's coming. You felt it. Juno knows it. I've seen the traces."
Kael looked down at the frame in his hands.
It pulsed, faint and red.
Alive.
"We're not the only ones with suits, are we?" he asked.
Mira looked away for the first time.
"No. We're not."