Elara's ship was called the Persephone, a construct that existed in the spaces between layers. It was a cramped, chaotic vessel, nothing like the sleek order of Layer 7. Cables snaked across the floors. Screens displayed data streams Kai couldn't begin to interpret. The air smelled of ozone and recycled oxygen.
And it was full of people.
They gathered in the common area as Elara introduced her. A young man with restless eyes and fingers that never stopped moving. A woman who looked like she hadn't slept in years, her gaze fixed on something no one else could see. An older man whose skin was mapped with faint, glowing lines—tattoos of code, Elara explained, that let him interface directly with the system.
"This is Rio," Elara said, indicating the restless young man. "He's a mule. Born with an innate ability to manipulate the code. Doesn't understand how he does it, but he's the best we have."
Rio grinned at Kai. "Welcome to the rebellion. It's not much, but it's ours."
"This is Sola," Elara continued, nodding at the haunted woman. "She was a deep-layer diver. Spent too long in the Echo. She sees things now. Sometimes they're real. Sometimes they're not. You learn to trust her anyway."
Sola's eyes flickered to Kai, and for a moment, Kai felt like she was being X-rayed. Then Sola looked away, muttering something under her breath.
"And this is Varick," Elara said, indicating the coded man. "He's our historian. Remembers more about the layers than anyone alive. If you have questions about the past, he's the one to ask."
Varick nodded gravely. "Welcome, Kai. We've been waiting for you for a long time."
Kai looked around at these strange, broken people. They were nothing like the polished citizens of Layer 7. They were rough, damaged, real in a way she couldn't define. And yet, for the first time in her life, she felt like she was among her own kind.
"Orion," she said. "How do we find him?"
Elara's expression grew grim. "That's the problem. He's not in any of the mapped layers. He's gone deeper than anyone has ever gone, into the Depths. The place where the code breaks down and thought becomes reality. It's dangerous. Unstable. Most people who go there don't come back."
"But you have a way," Kai pressed. "You must, or you wouldn't have brought me here."
Elara nodded slowly. "You're his anchor. His ghost is tied to yours. The closer you get to him, the stronger the connection becomes. You'll feel it. You'll see glimpses of his layer. And we'll follow."
Rio stepped forward, his restless energy focused for a moment. "It won't be a straight line, Kai. The Depths don't work that way. We'll have to travel through other layers, other dreams. Some will be beautiful. Some will be nightmares. And all of them will try to keep us there."
Kai looked at each of them in turn. Elara, the cold leader. Rio, the intuitive mule. Sola, the haunted diver. Varick, the coded historian. They were placing their hope in her, in her connection to a brother she couldn't remember.
"When do we leave?" she asked.
Elara's smile returned, sharp and determined. "Now."