The debrief room was quiet, lit only by a thin blue holographic map spinning in the center. Squad Seven sat in a loose circle, each of them still slick with sweat and dirt from the morning simulation.
Oliver kept to the back, as usual, sitting against the cool wall. His knuckles were still sore. The memory of the sparring match with Darius lingered — not just the pain, but the strange rush of clarity he'd felt during it. The System had been silent since then, but it hadn't left him. It never left.
Instructor Korr stood at the front, tapping through reports projected on his forearm. His metal arm hissed with each motion, and his glowing visor made him look like something out of an old Terranet war doc.
"Well," Korr said finally, voice grating like gravel. "That was sloppy."
Juno groaned. "Here we go."
"You left a blind spot in the western quarter. Two drones got through. That's two potential civilian deaths if this were real. Lira?"
Lira, lounging with one boot propped on her knee, flipped her dark braid behind her shoulder and shrugged. "I ran triple diagnostics. The glitch wasn't on my end."
"I don't care if the drones hacked our great-grandmother's coffee machine," Korr snapped. "It's your job to override it. If you're on point, be bulletproof."
"Sir, yes, sir," Lira said dryly.
Darius leaned over and whispered to Oliver, "Bet she overrides my heart next."
Oliver didn't respond. He was still watching Aria.
She hadn't said a word since they'd entered the room. Seated straight-backed, crimson hair falling down her shoulders like a velvet curtain, Aria's eyes were locked on the map projection. Focused. Detached. She was always like that — distant but efficient.
He hadn't missed how she'd stayed close to him during the last segment of the mission. Hadn't missed the way she glanced over after he pulled Darius up from the blast zone.
He just didn't know what to do with it.
Korr turned to the group. "Garek's been reassigned to recovery. His injuries from the Vex incident haven't healed properly. Until further notice, you're down to five."
Juno leaned back, frowning. "He held the front line. We're going to feel that gap."
"You'll adapt," Korr said, unmoved. "Next deployment's off-world. Debrief at oh-eight-hundred. Dismissed."
As the squad began shuffling out, Darius nudged Oliver's shoulder. "Still can't believe you landed that counter on me earlier. Where'd you learn that?"
Oliver shrugged. "Just reacted."
"Reacted like a guy with training. Not Empire-standard either."
Lira grinned, tapping something into her wristpad. "Oliver's secretly a space ninja. I'm logging it in the squad ledger."
Oliver felt a chill run through him. Joking or not, that was too close.
He forced a smirk. "Guess I just got lucky."
"You always say that," Aria said suddenly, her voice quiet but clear.
They all turned.
She rose, her gaze on Oliver. "You always say it's luck. But luck doesn't explain reaction time, coordination, or the way you don't seem fazed when things explode."
Oliver froze. "You think I'm… what? Hiding something?"
Aria tilted her head. "Aren't you?"
Juno snorted. "Now that's suspicious."
Oliver's stomach twisted, but he kept his face calm. "We're all hiding something. Comes with training."
There was a pause. Then Korr's voice barked again from the front. "If you're done flirting, get moving."
They scattered like children caught in a hallway.
Later that night, Oliver sat on his bunk, hands clasped behind his head. The barracks were dark except for a faint glimmer from Lira's datapad, still lighting up her face on the upper bunk. She was probably coding some prank or tweaking the squad playlist again.
"Garek always snores like a dying rhino," she muttered. "Kinda miss the noise."
Oliver didn't respond. He was listening.
The System spoke, finally.
"Observation: You are being watched."
No kidding, he thought. Aria's words echoed in his mind.
"Recommendation: Further testing advised. Risk of exposure growing."
"I know," Oliver whispered. "But I can't shut them out forever."
"Then grow faster. Or hide better."
He closed his eyes.
The missions were getting harder. The simulations were pushing deeper. And now, Aria was asking questions.
He didn't know how much longer he could keep the Core secret — or himself.