Lyra awoke earlier than the others, as she often did. The pre-dawn light barely penetrated the makeshift shelter they'd constructed on the outskirts of the medicinal gardens. They'd spent three days exploring Floor 5, gathering resources and preparing for their first attempt at the Garden Keeper Guardian. Today was the day.

  She moved quietly, not wanting to disturb the others. Alexander had scheduled their Guardian attempt for mid-morning, when the Garden Keeper's toxic emissions would be at their weakest according to the information they'd gathered at the trading post.

  Lyra reached for her pack, withdrawing her equipment for a final check – a ritual she'd maintained since her days in Sector 17. Tel had drilled into her that equipment failure at a critical moment meant death, a lesson Lyra had never forgotten.

  She began with her scanning device, a modified tool she'd enhanced with components from the trading post. The moment she initiated the diagnostic sequence, she knew something was wrong. The calibration was off, and several critical connections showed signs of interference.

  Frowning, Lyra disassembled the device with practiced efficiency. Inside, the careful modifications she'd made yesterday had been altered. Someone had deliberately misaligned the crystal matrix and reversed two key circuit connections. To the untrained eye, the sabotage would be indistinguishable from normal wear, but Lyra knew better.

  This was the third time her equipment had "malfunctioned" since joining the team. The first time, she'd quickly identified the tampering but kept her discovery private. The second time, she'd repaired the sabotage while looking for patterns. This time, the evidence was even more btant, confirming her suspicions beyond doubt.

  Valeria. It had to be.

  Lyra gnced across the shelter where Valeria slept, her breathing too even to be natural. Pretending to be asleep while watching Lyra discover the sabotage, perhaps?

  Rather than confront her, Lyra continued her inspection, careful to keep her expression neutral despite the anger building inside her. She methodically checked the rest of her equipment, finding two more subtle acts of sabotage – a weakened power connection in her communication device and a compromised seal on her toxin filter, which would have been particurly dangerous against the Garden Keeper's poison attacks.

  Working with the quiet precision that came from years of salvaging and repairing delicate technology, Lyra corrected each sabotaged component. But this time, she did something more. As she reassembled each device, she added a small modification – an imperceptible marker that would change color when activated by a specific frequency. A trap for the saboteur.

  By the time she finished, the others were beginning to stir. Lyra packed away her tools, her face revealing nothing of what she had discovered.

  "Equipment check," Alexander announced as the team ate a quick breakfast. "This Guardian uses toxins, so everyone verify your filters and protective gear. No mistakes today."

  Each team member reported readiness in turn. When it came to Lyra, she simply nodded. "All systems functional."

  Valeria's eyes narrowed slightly, the only indication of her surprise or disappointment.

  As they approached the central garden where the Guardian awaited, Alexander gathered them for a final strategy review.

  "Remember the pn," he said. "The Garden Keeper has three phases. First, it will try to immobilize us with tangle vines. Riva, you'll counter with area protection. Second phase, it releases toxic spores. Everyone activate filters at my signal. And third phase, it sends healing energy to the pnt minions. That's when we need Lyra's disruptor to break the connection."

  Lyra felt the weight of the disruptor device at her hip. The tool she'd constructed specifically for this battle – the one Valeria had sabotaged most extensively. The one that would fail at the critical moment if Lyra hadn't discovered the tampering. The timing couldn't be coincidental.

  "I've made some st-minute adjustments to the disruptor," Lyra said evenly. "It should now be twice as effective, with a broader range."

  Alexander nodded approvingly. "Good. That gives us a better window during the third phase."

  Valeria's expression remained neutral, but Lyra caught the slight tension in her shoulders. The sabotage had been meant to make Lyra look incompetent in battle, perhaps even to endanger her enough to force her exit from the team. Instead, Lyra had turned it into an advantage.

  The battle with the Garden Keeper unfolded much as they had anticipated. The pnt-human hybrid Guardian controlled a vast array of medicinal and toxic flora throughout the arena, using them as both weapons and healing sources.

  When they reached the third phase, Alexander gave the signal. "Lyra, now!"

  Lyra activated the disruptor, which performed fwlessly – better than originally designed. The energy wave severed the Guardian's connection to its healing pnts, leaving it vulnerable. The team pressed their advantage, and within minutes, the Garden Keeper colpsed, its form dissolving into system particles that scattered throughout the garden.

  "Excellent work, everyone," Alexander said as victory notifications appeared in their interfaces. "Especially you, Lyra. That disruptor modification made the difference."

  Valeria's tight smile didn't reach her eyes.

  As they gathered their equipment and the Guardian drops, Lyra activated the hidden frequency emitter she'd prepared. To most of the team, nothing seemed to happen. But Lyra watched as the invisible markers she'd pced on her sabotaged equipment began to glow with a subtle blue luminescence – visible to everyone.

  "What's happening to your gear?" Elijah asked, noticing the glow emanating from Lyra's devices.

  "Interesting," Lyra said, her voice deliberately casual. "I added tracer elements to my equipment this morning after discovering someone had tampered with them. The traces respond to the specific frequency I'm emitting now, showing exactly which components were sabotaged."

  A heavy silence fell over the group.

  "Are you saying someone sabotaged your equipment?" Alexander asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

  "Before a Guardian battle," Lyra confirmed. "The disruptor, the toxin filter, and the communication device. All altered in ways that would appear as simple malfunction, but could have been lethal during combat."

  "That's a serious accusation," Valeria cut in. "Anyone could have accidentally disrupted your makeshift modifications. Perhaps the components were simply unstable."

  "The tracer doesn't just show what was tampered with," Lyra continued calmly. "It also reveals residual biological signatures from whoever handled the components."

  This was a bluff – her markers could do no such thing. But the calcuted risk paid off immediately.

  Valeria's composure cracked, just for a moment. A fsh of panic crossed her features before she controlled it.

  Alexander didn't miss it. His eyes narrowed as he looked between Lyra and Valeria.

  "I suggest," Lyra said, "that we have a team discussion about trust and cooperation once we reach our next camp. For now, we should move on. Floor 6 awaits."

  Alexander gave her a measured look, then nodded. "Agreed. We'll continue this conversation in private." His gaze settled on Valeria with a new coldness. "All of us."

  As they departed the Garden Keeper's domain, Lyra maintained her position at the rear of the group. She had id her trap and the saboteur had revealed herself – not just to Lyra this time, but with evidence the others could see. She had exposed the threat without direct confrontation, allowing Alexander to witness the truth himself.

  Valeria walked stiffly ahead, her back rigid with tension. She kept gncing at Alexander, trying to read his reaction, but his expression remained impassively focused on the path ahead.

  Elijah dropped back slightly to walk beside Lyra. "You knew it was her," he said quietly. "For how long?"

  "Since the equipment malfunction before the Tunnel Serpent," Lyra admitted. "But suspicion isn't proof."

  "Why not confront her directly?"

  Lyra's gaze remained on Valeria's back. "In Sector 17, you learn to pick your battles carefully. Direct confrontation just makes enemies more dangerous. Better to let them reveal themselves when others are watching."

  Elijah studied her with newfound respect. "Strategic patience."

  "Survival," Lyra corrected. "Now Alexander has seen the truth for himself. That's more powerful than any accusation I could make."

  As they approached the transition point to Floor 6, Lyra felt a weight lifting from her shoulders. The sabotage had been meant to undermine her, perhaps even eliminate her. Instead, it had become the evidence that would strengthen her position within the team.

  She had learned long ago in the scrapyards that every attack could be turned into an opportunity – if you were patient enough to set the right trap. Tonight, when Alexander called for that private conversation, she would be ready with more than accusations. She would present solutions. And perhaps, finally, the real reasons behind Valeria's persistent attempts to undermine her would be revealed.

  The path to Floor 6 shimmered ahead, its environmental hazards and fallen grove awaiting them. But for now, Lyra allowed herself a small moment of satisfaction. She had survived worse than Valeria's sabotage in Sector.17. And unlike her opponent, she never underestimated those she considered enemies.