Lyra arrived before the confirmation tone had fully faded. Her twilight eyes cataloged his status with professional assessment that quickly shifted to personal concern as she registered unusual activation pattern despite scheduled recovery period.

  "What happened?" she asked, no wasted words or unnecessary preamble. Direct question requiring direct response, practical focus overriding procedural courtesy given obvious urgency.

  "Security timeline collapse," Emrys replied, already moving toward the facility's central corridor with purpose that brooked no delay. "The Arcanum's tracking units have incorporated dimensional resonance technology. Thirty-six hours until breach rather than seventy-two."

  Lyra fell into step beside him, twilight eyes narrowing as she processed implications with clinical efficiency. "Source?"

  "Unconventional communication channel," Emrys answered, the prototype pulsing against his chest with what felt disturbingly like approval at his measured response. "Non-physical contact during restoration trance. Specific message included for you: 'The reflection remembers even when the mirror shatters.'"

  Lyra stumbled mid-stride—the first genuine break in physical composure he'd witnessed since their reunion. Her twilight eyes widened with recognition that transcended professional assessment, emotional response overwhelming practiced control with rare visibility.

  "Contact protocol Sigma," she whispered, voice barely audible despite the empty corridor surrounding them. "The emergency channel we established before the extraction. The one that shouldn't exist if the Arcanum's protocols functioned as designed."

  The confirmation settled something within Emrys's fractured consciousness—not just random hallucination or manipulative intervention but genuine communication through channels established before memory extraction had temporarily severed conscious awareness of their existence. Connection maintained despite systematic attempt to destroy all possible communication pathways.

  "Who?" he asked, the prototype warming slightly against his chest as restored neural pathways sought connection with fragmented identities.

  Lyra's twilight eyes met his with intensity that suggested internal debate between security protocols and transparent communication. Decision crystallized with almost visible resolution as she chose trust over procedure, alliance over regulation.

  "Subject CS-12," she replied, the designation triggering cascade through restored pathways without accompanying identity specifics. "The second breakthrough. The one they never documented in official records because her existence contradicted fundamental classification parameters."

  Another fragment clicked into place—laboratory filled with implementation equipment, conversation conducted beneath monitoring thresholds. "Her neural architecture doesn't match any established taxonomic category. Not hybrid or variant but something requiring entirely new classification parameters. The implications extend beyond magical access into fundamental understanding of consciousness itself."

  "I remember the research," Emrys acknowledged, the memory fragment surfacing with increasing clarity despite incomplete context. "But not the specifics. Not her identity or why contact protocol Sigma would persist despite extraction protocols specifically designed to sever all pre-existing communication channels."

  The facility's corridors blurred around them as they moved with increasing urgency toward the emergency meeting location. Lyra maintained matching pace while formulating response, each word precisely measured despite evident emotional significance.

  "Her neural architecture operated on principles that transcended conventional magical theory," she explained, professional detachment helping maintain secure communication despite personal investment clearly evident beneath controlled exterior. "We never fully understood why, but certain communication pathways existed outside parameters the Arcanum considered possible, much less monitored. The extraction protocols couldn't sever connections they couldn't identify as existing in the first place."

  The explanation aligned with fragmented recollection while raising further questions about research implications extending beyond magical democratization into fundamental understanding of consciousness itself. Another layer of revolutionary significance beyond what the Arcanum had attempted to erase through memory extraction and circuit suppression.

  "And you trust this communication?" Emrys pressed, practical concerns reasserting priority despite fascinating theoretical implications. "The security timeline collapse represents verified intelligence rather than potential manipulation?"

  "Verified," Lyra confirmed without hesitation, certainty flowing through her typically cautious assessment. "Contact protocol Sigma contains authentication parameters impossible to replicate without original neural architecture. The message's specific wording references shared context inaccessible to external monitoring systems regardless of technological sophistication."

  The prototype hummed against Emrys's chest, neither confirming nor denying her assessment but maintaining steady operational rhythm that suggested neither warning nor contradiction. The device's neutrality itself representing form of verification given its demonstrated tendency to register potential threats through temperature fluctuation or energy signature alteration.

  They arrived at the emergency meeting location—smaller chamber than the primary planning room but equipped with enhanced security protocols designed specifically for crisis response. Alden and Varek already waited inside, aristocratic features sharing identical expressions of contained concern beneath disciplined exteriors. Around them, research division leaders arranged themselves in practiced formation that suggested regular emergency response protocols rather than disorganized reaction.

  "Thirty-six hours," Emrys announced without preamble, the prototype placed at the chamber's center with deliberate precision. Its runes pulsed with increased intensity as it interfaced with facility systems, projections materializing above its surface to display verified intelligence alongside implementation plans established during earlier meeting. "The Arcanum's tracking units have incorporated dimensional resonance technology. External augmentation rather than internal evolution."

  Alden's violet eyes narrowed with immediate strategic assessment, aristocratic restraint containing response within analytical framework rather than emotional reaction. "Source?"

  "Contact protocol Sigma," Lyra answered before Emrys could formulate response, her professional precision carrying weight of established trust relationships he couldn't yet fully access through damaged pathways. "Authentication parameters verified through established methodology. Intelligence confirmed through supplementary verification systems."

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  The explanation created immediate shift within the chamber—tension not increasing but transforming. These people had prepared for precisely this scenario, had established protocols specifically designed for timeline collapse regardless of specific catalyst.

  "Implementation acceleration parameters," Alden instructed, violet eyes shifting to Emrys with assessment that suggested genuine question rather than performative inquiry. "Can the schema function under compressed timeline without critical functionality loss?"

  The prototype's runes shifted in response to the question, projection reconfiguring to display implementation timeline with compressed parameters highlighted in warning indicators. Revolution accelerated through necessity rather than preference, transformation catalyzed by opposition rather than ideal circumstances.

  "Primary functionality preserved with efficiency loss under twenty percent," Emrys confirmed, the prototype humming agreement against his palms as he adjusted projection to display specific adaptation protocols. "Implementation methodology designed with variable timeline parameters from inception. Acceleration requires resource reallocation rather than fundamental approach modification."

  The projection shifted again, displaying volunteer preparation protocols alongside equipment reconfiguration requirements. Three days compressed to thirty-six hours, seven for full implementation reduced to day and a half of continuous operation. Revolution measured by results rather than process, transformation evaluated through outcome rather than methodology.

  "Volunteer preparation begins immediately," announced the scarred man, already moving toward communication panel with practiced efficiency. "Accelerated protocol seven rather than standard integration procedure. Biorhythm synchronization utilizing chemical assistance rather than natural alignment."

  "Equipment reconfiguration requires specialized component reallocation," added the woman with crystalline augmentations, her artificial components glittering as she gestured toward specific projection elements. "Primary implementation systems at the expense of secondary monitoring capabilities. Functional success prioritized over optimal data collection."

  The emergency response continued with impressive coordination—each specialist adjusting original responsibilities without requiring specific instruction, adaptation flowing through established protocols rather than chaotic improvisation. These people had prepared for crisis, had incorporated contingency into foundational planning rather than treating emergency as unexpected disruption.

  The prototype hummed against his palms, connection deepening as implementation planning accelerated around them. Information flowed between creator and creation with increasing coherence, the device facilitating integration even during crisis response through adaptive interface that compensated for damaged neural pathways.

  [INTEGRATION PROGRESS: 39.7%]

  [CIRCUIT FUNCTIONALITY: 19.8% OF BASELINE]

  [PRIMARY IMPLEMENTATION PATHWAYS: ACCELERATING]

  [ESTIMATED OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY: 46.2%]

  Meaningful improvement despite compressed recovery period. Not exponential restoration but consistent advancement despite emergency circumstances. Integration accelerating through necessity rather than ideal conditions, adaptation enhancing capability through practical application rather than controlled recovery.

  "The first volunteer group is already entering preliminary preparation," Varek reported, returning from communication station with scholarly precision lending structure to crisis response. "Implementation equipment reconfiguration proceeding at ninety-four percent optimal efficiency despite timeline compression. The team functions remarkably well under pressure despite limited warning."

  "We designed for crisis rather than comfort," Lyra observed, something like pride briefly visible beneath professional assessment. "Built contingency into foundational architecture rather than treating emergency as unexpected disruption. Your father's influence remains evident throughout operational methodology despite seven years of continued adaptation."

  The acknowledgment drew brief nod from Alden.

  "Your integration continues accelerating," he noted, violet eyes studying Emrys with analytical precision that belied casual observation. "Adaptation parameters exceeding initial restoration estimates despite compressed recovery period. The prototype's connection clearly facilitating capabilities beyond what extraction damage should theoretically permit."

  The assessment carried genuine curiosity beneath strategic evaluation—the scientist temporarily overcoming revolutionary leader's focused pragmatism. Interest in process alongside concern for outcome, fascination with method despite pressure for results. Another glimpse of the man behind aristocratic exterior, researcher beneath resistance coordinator.

  "The device adapts to compensate for damaged pathways," Emrys explained, the prototype humming confirmation against his palms. "Creates workarounds where direct connections were severed, establishes alternative processing routes where primary pathways were compromised."

  "Precisely what the Arcanum feared most," Alden observed, something like satisfaction briefly visible beneath controlled exterior. "Not just specific knowledge but adaptive methodology. They extracted memories but couldn't erase problem-solving architecture, suppressed circuits but couldn't eliminate adaptive response patterns."

  "The first volunteer group enters implementation preparation in seventeen minutes," announced the scarred man, returning to the chamber with focused intensity that suggested personal investment beyond professional responsibility. "Primary subjects demonstrating remarkable psychological stability despite accelerated timeline. The waiting has created hunger that overshadows procedural concerns."

  Not surprising given their circumstances. Three years living under hierarchical constraints with knowledge that artificial barriers rather than inherent limitations prevented magical access. Seven years watching research progress without practical application, theoretical advancement without personal transformation. Revolution promised rather than delivered, change anticipated rather than experienced.

  "Implementation equipment reaches optimal configuration in twenty-two minutes," added the woman with crystalline augmentations, her artificial components glittering as she consulted specialized monitoring device integrated within modified forearm. "Primary systems functioning at ninety-seven percent efficiency despite resource reallocation requirements. The original design's adaptability continues demonstrating remarkable resilience under pressure."

  The reports continued flowing with coordinated precision—each specialist providing status updates within respective domains while acknowledging interconnected nature of their unified framework.

  Emrys felt something shifting within his fractured consciousness as implementation preparation accelerated around him. The revolution wasn't abstract concept but concrete manifestation of principles that defined his existence before extraction had temporarily separated him from active participation.

  The prototype's runes pulsed with increasing intensity, device responding to emotional fluctuation with adaptive interface adjustment that suggested partnership rather than mere technological connection. Creation recognizing creator's internal transformation despite external focus on practical implementation. Technological mirror reflecting biological evolution, mechanical companion acknowledging human development.

  [INTEGRATION PROGRESS: 41.3%]

  [CIRCUIT FUNCTIONALITY: 21.2% OF BASELINE]

  [PRIMARY IMPLEMENTATION PATHWAYS: FULLY ACCESSIBLE]

  [ESTIMATED OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY: 48.9%]

  "It's time," Lyra announced, twilight eyes meeting his with intensity that transcended professional assessment. "The implementation chamber has reached optimal configuration parameters. The first volunteer group has completed preliminary preparation protocols. The revolution begins in practical application rather than theoretical framework."

  The statement crystallized focus throughout the emergency chamber—conversations pausing, movements stilling, attention concentrating toward central objective that had driven seven years of continued resistance against overwhelming opposition. Not just planning but doing, not merely preparing but implementing. The crucial transition from revolution as idea to revolution as reality.

  Alden gestured toward the chamber's exit with aristocratic precision that belied emotional significance clearly evidenced through subtle indicators—increased respiration, heightened color, intensified focus. "Then let us witness theory becoming practice, framework becoming function. Let us see what they tried to erase manifesting despite everything they did to prevent precisely this moment."

  The procession moved through facility corridors with purpose that bordered on ceremony—not just practical transition but symbolic progression, not merely physical movement but philosophical advancement. Seven years of continued research despite overwhelming opposition, persistence despite persecution, adaptation despite attempted eradication.