Synthia adjusted the strap of her pack as she looked at the others. “It’s time we move. If we’re going to survive and succeed. We need somewhere we can work. A lab, a base… something permanent.”

  Helix, sitting cross-legged by the safe house’s reinforced entrance, frowned but nodded. “About time. We’ve been sitting ducks here, waiting for the military to find us, At least the drones seemed to have stopped.”

  “Do we even know where to go?” Nova asked, pulling the coat she had found tighter around herself. “The military controls everything, and most of the infrastructure belongs to them or the government and private corporations that are loyal to them. If there’s a lab out there, it’s probably locked down tighter than we can handle.”

  “Let’s just start with recon,” Synthia said firmly. “Military patrols have thinned out. We should be able to move more freely, at least for now. We will look for an abandoned site, and work with what we have. That’s all we can do.”

  Null stood off to the side, his face unreadable as always. He adjusted the strap of his sword across his back. Infy’s orb hovered beside him, its glow dim but steady.

  “We’ll find something,” Infy said through Synthia’s Nexus. “If there’s anything worth salvaging in this sector, Null and I will sense it.”

  The group exchanged glances, uncertainty written across their faces, but they had no better option. One by one, they filed out of the safehouse, disappearing into the run-down industrial zone.

  The area around the safe house was desolate, a crumbling industrial sector long abandoned by the Martian corporations. Broken factories and skeletal machinery littered The air was heavy and still, amplifying the crunch of their boots against the ground.

  They moved cautiously, staying low and keeping their eyes on the horizon. Null walked ahead of the group, his movements fluid and precise, while Infy hovered close to his shoulder. Nova and Helix kept to the rear, scanning for any signs of danger. This was the formation they had decided on before moving out.

  The patrols had truly died off; they hadn’t seen a single drone or soldier since leaving the safe house. Yet, Synthia couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something was wrong. The area they were exploring didn’t fit with anything she remembered from her studies.

  Martian colonies were designed as self-contained zones, meticulously mapped and interconnected by transport networks and tunnels. She had pored over colony schematics and maps before, but none of them mentioned a zone like this—an abandoned industrial sector that seemed to have vanished from official records.

  It felt like a ghost, a place forgotten by time—or deliberately erased. The skeletal remains of factories loomed around them, their jagged edges worn smooth by years of neglect.

  Synthia kept scanning the horizon, her unease growing with every step. What kind of place was this, and why had it been left to rot? Worst yet, if it was abandoned why did it still have an atmosphere?

  Null paused mid-step, his head tilting slightly, his dark eyes narrowing as if listening to something distant and intangible. Infy’s orb flickered erratically, a sign that they had noticed it too.

  “The melody’s changed,” Infy said, their voice low and thoughtful coming from Synthia’s nexus. “Something nearby is manipulating the fields.”

  Null raised his hand, motioning to the others to stop what they were doing. His focus was unwavering, his expression sharpening as he signed quickly. Infy translated: “We need to check it out. Now.”

  Synthia glanced at the others, her brow furrowing. “Manipulating the fields? Could it be the military?”

  Infy pulsed faintly in response. “Unlikely they are unaware of the fields. I think it is something else entirely. Whatever it is, it’s close—and it’s powerful.”

  Without hesitation, Null turned toward the source of the disturbance, his movements deliberate and purposeful. The group exchanged uncertain glances but followed, knowing better than to question the instincts of someone who could hear the universe itself.

  The closer they got to the building, the stronger the song became for the pair. Null, seemed drawn to it, his steps quickening as he approached the crumbling structure. The others had to break into a jog to keep up.

  The building was old, its surface pitted and scarred from years of exposure to the environment. The faint remains of a corporate logo were etched into the metal above the entrance, though it was too faded to read.

  “Looks like a lab,” Helix muttered, running his fingers over the rusted edges of the doorway.

  Synthia nodded, her gaze scanning the structure. “Could be. But if it’s been abandoned this long, why would it still be attracting Null and Infy and what is manipulating the fields?”

  Infy pulsed faintly, their light flickering. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

  Inside, the air was cold and stale, and the dim light of their equipment revealed a scene of chaos. The walls were scorched and pitted with bullet holes, and overturned equipment littered the floor.

  “This wasn’t abandoned,” Nova whispered, her voice shaky. “This was… attacked.”

  Helix crouched beside a shattered console, running his fingers over the scorch marks. “This was a battle,” he said grimly. “And not a small one. Looks like they were trying to defend something important.”

  As they moved deeper into the lab, they began to salvage what they could. Synthia directed the group, sorting through shattered consoles and broken machinery for anything usable.

  Null, however, seemed distracted. He moved through the lab with a quiet urgency, his gaze darting toward the far side of the room. Infy hovered beside him, pulsing faintly.

  “What is it?” Synthia asked, watching him closely.

  Null didn’t respond. He stopped in front of a section of the wall that looked… off. The surface was smoother than the rest of the lab, untouched by the battle that had scarred everything else. He raised his hand, running it over the metal.

  Infy pulsed brightly, and Synthia’s Nexus buzzed.

  “A concealed safe,” Infy said, its voice humming through Synthia’s Nexus. “Something inside is manipulating the fields”

  Null stood motionless in front of the smooth section of wall, his dark eyes narrowing as his hand brushed the surface. The others gathered around him, curious but cautious. Synthia noticed a faint frown forming on Null’s face—an expression of rare uncertainty.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  Null gestured for silence and continued to inspect the wall, his movements slower than usual. Infy pulsed faintly, its light dimming and brightening as though mirroring Null’s thoughts.

  “The safe is… unusual,” Infy said. “Its structure is composed of altered materials—like our sword. The gravitational and electromagnetic properties have been augmented, making it resistant to normal bypass techniques. This… shouldn’t be possible here.”

  “Not possible?” Nova repeated, tilting her head. “What do you mean? Like, beyond human tech?”

  Null glanced back at her and nodded, then returned his focus to the wall. His hands moved in precise but slower gestures than usual, almost hesitantly, as though he were feeling his way through the mechanisms rather than understanding them outright. Infy began to glow brighter, its energy rippling outward in faint waves as it synchronized with Null’s attempts.

  “It’s resisting,” Synthia murmured, watching as the surface seemed to shimmer faintly under the combined efforts of Null and Infy. The metal rippled like water, then snapped back into place as if rejecting their tampering.

  Helix frowned. “Can’t he just—”

  “No,” Infy interrupted, its voice seemed sharper now. “This isn’t a conventional safe. It’s not just locked; the Fields around it have been rewritten. Whoever created this has reinforced it on a fundamental level. This kind of manipulation isn’t just advanced—it’s almost… ” he didn’t finish his sentence, but Infy knew this was of high tier alien design.

  Null continued his work, his focus unbroken despite the resistance. Slowly, the rippling began to stabilize, and the gravitational distortions weakened. Infy pulsed brighter, adding its energy to Null’s movements as the electromagnetic interference unravelled.

  After several tense minutes, there was a soft click. The safe’s surface shimmered, then faded into view, revealing a small, heavily insulated compartment. Null stepped back slightly, his hands falling to his sides, his expression still clouded with uncertainty.

  “What the hell kind of tech is this?” Helix muttered, with an edge to his voice.

  Synthia knelt closer to inspect the now-visible safe. The smooth, reflective material didn’t resemble anything she’d seen before. Even in the most advanced labs on Mars, this kind of engineering wasn’t something humanity could achieve—not now, not even close. And judging by the age of the lab, this safe had been here for years, if not decades.

  “This doesn’t make sense,” Synthia said quietly, half to herself. “This lab is ancient—probably abandoned long before the Merge even existed. Whoever created this had technology far beyond what we have today.”

  Nova shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. “Are you saying it’s not human tech?”

  Infy pulsed faintly, its tone calm but cautious. “I’m saying this level of Field manipulation shouldn’t exist here, on Mars, or anywhere in humanity’s reach. Not in this era. Someone has broken the accords”

  Synthia’s mind raced. If this wasn’t human, then what was it? A modified alien artifact? Left behind by a civilization advanced enough to manipulate Fields? And if so, why here, in an abandoned lab on Mars and what are the accords? The possibilities unsettled her, but she pushed the questions aside as Null stepped forward again, opening the safe fully.

  Inside, a crystalline container rested on a cushion of reinforced insulation. It glowed faintly, casting soft, prismatic light across the room.

  “It’s Zallium” Infy's voice came from Synthia’s Nexus.

  The lab fell into an uneasy silence as Null held the crystalline container, his grip steady but his expression unreadable.

  The soft, alien glow of the Zallium seemed to vibrate through the air, sending a faint shiver down Synthia’s spine.

  She glanced at the others. Nova looked fascinated, her eyes glued to the glowing material. Helix, on the other hand, was tense, his jaw tight as he studied Null and Infy for any clue about the situation.

  “We need answers,” Synthia said finally, breaking the silence. “If this is so important to be stored here, we need to know what it was for?”

  Infy’s orb pulsed faintly, drawing the group’s attention. “Zallium,” he began, his tone carrying a weight of significance, “is no ordinary material. It’s an advanced synthetic element, one that can only be created by civilizations that have reached a higher tier of knowledge—a level humanity has yet to achieve.

  Zallium is the key to manipulating the fields for all races. Think of it as a catalyst, a bridge between intent and reality. How it’s forged determines which fields it can interact with, and once programmed, it executes those commands flawlessly, seamlessly altering the fabric of existence. It’s how the rest of the universe wields what you might call ‘magic,’ and knowledge of its purpose and existence is one of the highest laws of council. That is why its presence here is so alarming.”

  Synthia stared at the shimmering material in silence, the weight of its implications settling over her. "So this… this is how they’re able to manipulate reality itself?"

  “Exactly,” Infy replied. “This is their tool, their secret. And if someone brought it here, it means they’ve been working in the shadows, far beyond what the Martian government—and in defiance of the council.”

  Meanwhile Null started to salvage equipment from the lab with a fervour bordering on panic. Infy pulsed brightly “There is equipment here. We need to send a message.”

  Synthia frowned. “To who?”

  “Zero,” Infy replied, its tone sharper than usual. “He will come. He must.”

  “Zero?” Nova echoed. “Your father?”

  Infy didn’t respond immediately, and Synthia understood why they were in a hurry so didn’t push for more.

  Null gestured silently toward the pile of salvage he had managed to gather, his movements deliberate. Infy hovered closer to the group, their orb pulsing with a steady glow. “We need to build a device,” Infy explained, their tone lighter now, trying to ease the tension. “The equipment here should be enough. It’ll connect to the Solar Information Network—SNet—and allow us to send a secure, encrypted message to him.”

  Nova blinked, crossing her arms as she leaned closer to the orb. “Wait, hold on—you’re talking about the SNet? Like, the SNet that’s locked down tighter than anything else in the solar system? You’re telling me this Zero guy can just… get messages through an encrypted connection? That’s insane. It’d take decades to crack the encryption, and that with tech that’s way beyond anything we’ve got here.”

  Infy gave a faint pulse, almost like an amused shrug. “No, Nova. It’ll take moments. Trust me.”

  Helix raised an eyebrow, glancing sceptically at the scattered parts. “Moments? With this junk? I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  Infy’s glow brightened as they drifted toward the pile. “With your help, you will see. This equipment might look basic, but with the right assembly and a bit of guidance, it’ll do exactly what we need. SNet security won’t be an issue for us.”

  Synthia stepped closer, studying the parts with a furrowed brow. “And you’re sure it’ll work? This message is worth the risk?”

  Null nodded firmly, his expression leaving no room for doubt. Infy added, their tone softening, “He’s the only one who might have answers we don’t. If we want to understand what’s truly happening—and how to survive—we need to contact him.”

  Nova let out a dramatic sigh, crouching by the salvage. “Fine, fine. But if we get caught doing this, I’m blaming the mysterious ‘Zero guy.’” She glanced at Null, a faint grin tugging at her lips. “And you, of course.”

  Infy’s light flickered warmly. “Noted. Now, shall we get to work?”

  With a few reluctant chuckles and some muttered complaints, the group dove in, piecing together the makeshift device under Infy’s careful guidance.

  They got to work, breaking down the salvaged parts from the shattered remains of the lab’s equipment. Null moved with mechanical precision, picking out components that, to Synthia’s eye, didn’t seem like they belonged together.

  Infy hovered beside him, pulsing faintly as it provided guidance, translating Null’s gestures into brief instructions for the group.

  Synthia and Helix focused on piecing together the physical framework of the device, while Nova worked to establish a power and communication connection using what was left of the lab’s communications systems. They were quite old but with Infy's help, she was able to get an outside connection established.

  Nova looked over her handy work. “Once this connection is active, they will be able to trace us quickly so we will need to be ready to move” she said looking at Null and Infy to make sure they understood.

  “You sure this will work?” Helix asked after a while, his voice low.

  Infy responded through Synthia’s Nexus. “The device will work. It will bypass conventional security protocols and send an encoded message directly to Zero.”

  “And will Zero help us?” Synthia pressed.

  “Yes,” Infy said. “But his arrival may bring… complications.”

  “Complications?” Nova glanced up, her brow furrowed. “What kind of complications?”

  Infy stayed quiet, and Synthia decided not to press further. She focused on tightening the final connection on the makeshift device, stepping back to let Null take over. He placed his hand over its centre, his movements calm but precise. The device began to hum softly, its lights flickering as it pulsed with energy, the salvaged components somehow working together seamlessly.

  “Is it working?” Nova asked, leaning in closer, her green eyes narrowing with curiosity.

  Infy’s glow pulsed faintly, but before they could answer, the hum grew louder, sharp and insistent. A sudden high-pitched tone followed, making everyone wince. The sound cut off just as abruptly, leaving a tense silence in its wake.

  “It’s done,” Infy said simply, their tone calm but resolute. “The message has been sent. The device bypassed all security protocols—it’ll reach its destination.”