"Check if anyone's following," Alexander muttered as they approached the small clearing behind a cluster of fallen trees. The location was perfect—far enough from camp to avoid being overheard, but not so distant that their absence would seem suspicious.

  "All clear," Elijah confirmed, completing a casual scan of their surroundings. "Riva's busy with that trap collection you assigned her, and Valeria's doing her usual mid-day documentation."

  Lyra sat cross-legged on a moss-covered log, her makeshift workstation already set up. She'd arranged a collection of small tools salvaged from previous floors, along with component parts organized in neat rows on a ft piece of bark.

  "Ready?" she asked as the brothers joined her.

  Alexander nodded. "Walk us through it."

  Lyra picked up her diagnostic tool. "So here's the problem—all standard Game communication runs through our neural interfaces," she expined, tapping the back of her neck where her interface connected to her spinal column. "If Valeria's interface is logging and transmitting data, it's capturing all of that."

  She sketched a quick diagram in the dirt, showing communication pathways. "But the interfaces aren't just single-channel devices. They have multiple processing yers, especially yours." She gnced at the twins. "Architect-css interfaces have a lot more capabilities than standard ones."

  Alexander's eyes narrowed slightly. "How do you know the internal architecture of Architect-css interfaces?"

  Lyra didn't miss a beat. "We found a damaged but partially functional high-end interface during a scavenging run in Sector 17. I spent weeks figuring out how it worked." She kept her focus on the diagram. "The point is, I can create a secure channel for us to communicate without Valeria being able to monitor it."

  Alexander and Elijah exchanged gnces. Alexander seemed about to press further but instead asked, "What do you need from us?"

  "Access to your interfaces, for starters," Lyra said. "I'll need to make some adjustments. Nothing physical, just software modifications."

  "You're not worried about modifying your own interface first?" Elijah asked. "As a test?"

  "Mine's already modified beyond recognition," Lyra said with a shrug. "I started tweaking it the moment I entered the Game."

  Alexander studied her for a moment. "Proceed."

  For the next hour, Lyra worked with each of their interfaces, making careful adjustments and testing the connections. When she finished, they had a secure communication channel that only the three of them could access.

  "This will let us talk without anyone else listening in," Lyra expined as she packed up her tools. "We'll be able to coordinate without Valeria knowing what we're saying."

  "This could be a game-changer," Alexander said. "But we need rules for when to use it. Too much secret communication might make us act strangely around the others."

  "Agreed," Elijah said. "We should only use it when absolutely necessary."

  "And we should establish regur check-in times," Alexander added. "Scheduled secure communications."

  As they prepared to return to camp, Alexander paused beside Lyra. "That was... impressive work," he said. The compliment seemed genuine, but there was an undercurrent of curiosity in his voice. "You've got skills that don't quite match your background."

  Lyra adjusted her tools, avoiding direct eye contact. "Sector 17 survival requires creativity. We've had to learn to adapt and repurpose technology that was never meant for us."

  Alexander nodded, though he didn't seem entirely convinced. "Well, whatever the source of your knowledge, it's exactly what we needed."

  As Alexander walked ahead, Elijah fell into step beside Lyra. "Don't mind him," he said quietly. "He's always analyzing everything. Can't help it."

  "It's fine," Lyra replied. "He's right to question. I'd do the same."

  "Thanks for doing this," Elijah said. "It can't have been easy, giving us this kind of access to your tech skills."

  Lyra gave him a small, genuine smile. "Maybe I'm just tired of being alone with my thoughts."

  They returned to camp separately, maintaining the appearance of having conducted routine equipment checks in different areas. Valeria looked up briefly from her documentation work, noting their return with casual interest before resuming her task.

  Later that afternoon, as the team navigated a particurly treacherous section of the Fallen Grove, they had their first opportunity to test the system in a practical scenario. The conversation flowed smoothly, the trio maintaining normal interaction while exchanging vital information through their secure channel. When Valeria approached, Alexander smoothly transitioned to standard communication without missing a beat.

  As Lyra and Elijah drifted to sleep that night, Alexander reflected on the day's developments. The secure channel was working perfectly—better than he'd dared hope. Yet questions lingered about Lyra's capabilities. Her technical knowledge went well beyond scavenged learning, suggesting formal training or access to restricted information.

  But those questions could wait. For now, they had successfully established their first effective countermeasure against corporate surveilnce. The bance of power had shifted, if only slightly.

  In the darkness of the Fallen Grove, Alexander allowed himself a small smile. Whatever game his father thought he was pying, the rules had just changed.