Jo’s stomach clenched as Ava and Viktor vanished, leaving behind a trail of destruction, unanswered questions, and the promise of retribution. She needed them to not only reach the underground hangar but also discover the role of the Abacus. The departure left a silence between them, not of peace, but of wounds too fresh to heal.

Maya’s home city lay in ruins, and their only leverage—answers locked within stolen equipment—had slipped through their fingers. Now they faced punishment for letting the enemy walk. "I understand some of what just happened, but I can't get distance from this anger," Maya said to her friend Jo. She was comfortable with Marcus, but the words weren't for him. Jo listened. "They are responsible for the destruction of my home and countless lives Jo. How can we just let them go?"

"I know," Jo felt off balance. She had leaned fully into her feelings, but as she focused on the devastation and fallout, she struggled like Maya. Jo wanted to comfort Maya and ease her pain, but she didn't have the words to bridge the gap left by their loss and betrayal.

Marcus spoke up, "Well, I for one can't stand either Cassandra or Reeves. I can't explain it really, and I can't make sense of it," he paused. "But it still feels right. What we're doing I mean." Marcus’ bluntness was his strength, but Jo knew he saw more than he let on. His insight steadied them.

Jo took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, her thoughts a chaotic storm of the past few days’ events. Each choice felt like a weight pulling her deeper into uncertainty. Had she gambled their future on trust that might not even be deserved? She needed a walk to help clear her head and proposed they begin heading back.

"Lieutenant, the squad that I sent with you just returned. Did you redirect them?" Reeves' voice came over the comms.

"Yes, sir. There was an explosion that rocked the underground. Is everyone okay?" Jo replied.

"Well, yes. I believe so," replied Reeves.

"I can guess what's coming next," Maya spoke up in the silence.

"Yes, let's start the walk back," Jo said. Jo activated her hologram recorder, scanning the room as she captured the scorched remains for her report. Small electrical fires were burning on some of the consoles, and wisps of smoke curling from them. "There was no excuse for all three of us to have had our cameras off," she managed a wink at them. "Our training prepares us for stressful days like these. We should have done better."

"Sorry Jo, I didn't have mine on either," replied Marcus.

The comms opened with static, but Reeves remained silent. The static crackled faintly, a cold reminder of how tenuous their connection to command had become.

"Sir," Jo spoke up. "Sir, I have bad news," Jo explained: the lab was completely emptied; every piece of equipment was gone or destroyed when they arrived. As she recounted the events, Jo couldn’t shake a gnawing suspicion that Cassandra’s agenda went far beyond recovering stolen equipment. What was she really after? The thoughts rolled in her head. Then, she shifted into her defense: 1) If the military had included Veridian Security earlier, a lot of suffering would have been avoided; and 2) They would have easily been able to secure the stolen devices. Jo felt more confident defending her choices than she did about letting Viktor and Ava go.

After some yelling and berating, punctuated by Cassandra’s faint accusations in the background, the comms went quiet. Jo’s stomach turned. The inquiry wouldn’t just question their actions—it could dismantle everything they had worked to protect. Cassandra's accusations hinted at deeper plans within Veridian Security—an undercurrent of conflict Jo was only starting to grasp.

Reeves's voice, cold and authoritative, echoed through the room. "Surrender your augment records and prepare for questioning. You're relieved of duty, effective immediately. The squad will escort you back to base, and you can expect a court-martial inquiry into your actions today and the past week."

Jo turned off her augment recordings and signaled the others.

"Well, that sounded about right," Maya spoke as they continued their slow walk back to the surface. "We’ll be fortunate if this doesn’t end with us in a cell."

Marcus agreed, "To say the least. And if they don't hold us responsible, we'll still have to answer for it. Cassandra’s accusations of co-conspirators left me stunned."

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"Until now, I didn't feel like a conspirator. That's new." Maya added. She couldn’t fathom why they had let them go, especially with so much at stake: a device that destroyed blocks of infrastructure that killed people and shattered countless lives across Symmetrist and the Quantum Collective. “They butchered our home, and we just handed them a free pass,” Maya’s voice trembled. “How could we do that?". Maya’s voice cracked, "How can you trust them after what they’ve done? After what they’ve cost us." Her words hung in the air, heavy with accusation and sorrow.

Jo and Marcus let the words sink in, experiencing similar feelings. That had just found out who was to blame.

Marcus spoke next, "Well, at least you can stop blaming yourself." Marcus’ voice was steady, a calming anchor in the storm. "Don’t let their games make you forget that. You’ve been carrying this weight too long, Maya. It’s time to let it go before it drowns you."

It was well known in the leadership team that Maya felt responsible. The frequency beacons used to seek the source of the disturbance escalated the power draw. "I... don't know." Letting go of the guilt was harder than she could admit. "I still don't understand why a standard frequency probe would cause that sort of response. Unless it was deliberately programmed into the Abacus—sabotage, built to amplify its destruction. If that’s true, the danger could be far greater than we imagined."

"Perhaps," said Jo. Their pace quickened as they neared the hatch to the upper layers, each step heavy with anticipation. "Maybe we should take the long way," she said, her voice laced with hesitation. They were in no rush. Every step felt like a reminder of what they had left behind—the sacrifices they had made, and the ones still to come. It was like a death march towards final judgment for the three of them. The corridor’s shadows stretched, the faint hum of distant machinery the only outside sound. Each step marked time, pulling them closer to judgment.

"Well, if that is true then it certainly isn't your fault. If anything by altering your diagnostic you saved countless more lives, Maya." Marcus felt a renewed energy. Marcus forced a smile, hoping his words would lift Maya’s spirits. But deep down, he couldn’t ignore the nagging sense that their choices might haunt them all, "If that thing was programmed to amplify its energy, that's direct sabotage. No way Kai or Sarah would have done something like that."

"That should be in our report," Jo said. "It is standard operating procedure to send beacons, and those are standard frequencies. The fact that changing the probe's dynamics reduced the signature sounds like sabotage to me." The Abacus had become a symbol of everything they didn’t understand, a relic of power demanding answers they didn’t have.

They walked nearly a third of a mile before any talked again. The silence wasn’t just between them—it was in the empty corridors, the echo of their footsteps the only reminder they weren’t lost in the void. The weight of each step echoed, each one heavier than the last. Jo’s shoulders ached, her body mirroring the strain of her mind. The tension between them began to ease, though the scars of their choices lingered.

They were growing more confident in their decision to let Ava and Viktor go. Jo’s mind churned into a prayer in the leadership vacuum they were leaving: Ava would help the team regroup, and Charlie would help unravel the full extent of the sabotage. But without answers, the coming storm would swallow them whole. And, she knew Cassandra and Reeves' search had just begun putting both the hangar and Chung in continued jeopardy.

Maya’s words felt foreign even as she said them. It was difficult to reconcile her anger with the faint glimmer of hope Jo’s faith inspired. She broke the silence talking mostly to herself, "If anyone can find out, it's Charlie." Maya’s voice steadied. 'Charlie will figure it out. We owe it to everyone—to the ones we lost—to see this through. Maya let the words begin to fill a deep void within her. "Jo," she said, "I don't know how you got to your decision, Jo, I may not understand your decision, but I’m starting to believe it was the right one." Maya’s grief was a storm, crashing against her resolve with every step. Trusting Jo felt like clinging to a lifeline in a sea of betrayal.

Jo nodded, her confidence grew not from certainty, but from necessity. She squared her shoulders, embracing the weight of the coming days with a grim resolve. She wondered if she would see Jonathan again. She couldn’t afford doubt—not now, not when so much depended on her. Every step back to the depot was a step into a fire she had to face for all of them.

Maya’s touch was light, almost hesitant, but it carried the weight of her gratitude. 'Thank you, Jo. For everything,' she said, her voice soft but resolute.

After a few minutes, they were in the main depot again. Maya reached out to touch Jo's arm. Maya’s touch was light, almost hesitant, but it carried the weight of her gratitude. "Thank you, Jo. For everything," she said, her voice soft but unwavering."

Jo turned to her friend, a continuing unspoken gratitude passing between them like a quiet acknowledgment. Marcus gave a short nod, his face thoughtful as he weighed Maya's words.

Maya continued, "There is no one else I could imagine going through this week, but you. Thank you so much," Maya was unable to contain her tears.

"You too Maya," Jo embraced her with one arm, pulling Marcus in with the other. "Both of you."

The steady rhythm of boots echoed through the corridor, a stark reminder of the judgment awaiting them.

"Okay guys, tell the truth about everything except the last 10 minutes. It is best to forget that entirely."

They took a deep breath, taking a moment together. A squad came into view down the hall.

"Looks like our escort is here. Stay strong," Marcus said squeezing both of their arms, though the sight of the squad sent a chill through him.