The city lights were a blurry mess as I ran. My lungs were on fire, and my body ached, but I didn't stop. The silver box was a hot coal in my hand. Aura was a quiet voice in my head, giving me the fastest route, the darkest shadows, the empty streets. I was a ghost again, but this time, I wasn't scared. I was angry. They had tried to kill me. They had come for the same thing that killed Elen.
I ran until my legs were numb. I found an old, broken-down building, a place Aura said was off the grid. The air inside was cold and dusty. I found a corner, slumped against the wall, and took a deep breath. My body was still, but my mind was a storm.
"They're not company," Aura said, its voice calm. "They are a private security force. They are professionals."
I didn't care who they were. They were after me, and they were after the package. I put the box on the ground. It was locked with a code. I felt a hum from my watch, the one Alex gave me. The hum linked to the box, and Aura's voice came alive again. "User Balen. The data package is encrypted with a new cipher. It is a corporate-level lock. It will take time to bypass."
I didn't have time. I remembered Elen's data chip, the one I had found at the school. It was still in my pocket. Maybe it had a key. I took it out. Aura scanned it. "Data chip recognized. It is a personal data key. It is linked to the encryption."
I held the chip and the silver box together. A flash of light. The box opened. Inside was a small data drive, not much bigger than my thumb. I put it in my phone. Aura went silent for a long minute.
Then, the data started to play. It was a video file, but it was not from Elen. It was from an old recording of a business meeting. I saw a group of men sitting at a table. They were talking about a project. They were talking about "The Phantom Project." I didn't know what that was. I just kept watching.
Then I saw him. Elen. He was not a traitor. He was not a runaway. He was at that table. He was one of them. He was a scientist, not a warrior. He was part of Cerberus Robotics. He was the key. He was the one who had made the plan to stop them.
Then, the video changed. It showed a map. It showed a list of names. And it showed a name that made my heart stop. A name from Alex's company. A name from Pariaha Industries. Elen was not just trying to stop the criminals at the school. He was trying to stop a leak. He was trying to stop a traitor. The criminals at the school and the corporate war were all part of the same thing.
My mind was a puzzle, and all the pieces were finally clicking into place. Elen's death wasn't an accident. It wasn't a punishment. He was killed because he was a double agent. He was killed because he was getting too close to the truth. And the truth was a virus inside Alex's company.
Aura gave me a new message. "The data package has located the source of the ambush. It is a private security team. The leader's name is in the database. He is a security expert at Cerberus Robotics... and he is a former employee of Pariaha Industries."
I looked at the name on the screen. The man who had tried to kill me, the man who had worked for Alex's father, was the one who had ambushed me. He was the one who had tried to kill Elen.
I had to get back to Alex. I had to tell him everything. I was no longer a kid with a job. I was a target in a war that had started before I was even born. And I was holding the key.