Chapter 5: A Friend and an Ally
Ethan Cross sat in the corner of the academy's tech lab, staring at a blank screen. The hum of computers and the clatter of keyboards filled the air as cadets around him worked on their assignments. Unlike most of his classmates, Ethan wasn't there to code or study. He was hiding—though he'd never admit it.
Ever since his victory in the mock combat tournament, eyes had been on him. Logan Steele's suspicions were one thing, but now even instructors seemed to be paying closer attention. Ethan felt like he was walking a tightrope, and one misstep could send him plummeting.
He tapped a pen nervously against the desk, his mind flickering to the system. The interface had been quiet since his last upgrade, but the memory of its cryptic quest—Investigate Project Ironclad—loomed large.
"Staring at a screen won't make it work," came a voice beside him.
Ethan flinched, looking up to see a girl leaning against the desk. She was short, with wild brown hair tied into a messy bun and large glasses that seemed to magnify her bright green eyes. She wore the academy uniform like it was an afterthought, her sleeves rolled up and a smirk tugging at her lips.
"Lila Carter," she said, extending a hand. "Resident tech genius and breaker of rules."
"Uh... Ethan," he said, hesitating before shaking her hand.
"I know who you are," Lila said, sliding into the seat next to him. "You're the cadet who went from nobody to Logan Steele's worst nightmare in, what, a week? That's gotta be a record."
Ethan tensed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure you don't," Lila said, her smirk widening. "And I'm just here to study binary code for fun." She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Look, I'm not here to blow your cover. But let's not pretend you're normal, okay? I saw the way you moved in that tournament. Nobody dodges hits like that without some kind of help."
Ethan's stomach churned. "What do you want?"
Lila shrugged. "Honestly? I'm curious. And maybe a little bored. I hacked into the academy's systems last night, and guess what? There's a weird encrypted program running in the background. Can't trace it, can't crack it, but it's definitely connected to you."
Ethan's heart skipped a beat. "What did you find?"
"Not much," Lila admitted. "But enough to know you're in deep. And judging by how jumpy you look, I'd bet you don't even know the full story yourself."
Ethan stared at her, unsure whether to feel threatened or relieved. Lila's tone was casual, almost playful, but there was a sharpness in her eyes that made it clear she wasn't just messing around.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said finally.
Lila sighed, pulling out a small data drive. "Look, I'm not your enemy, Cross. But if you want to keep whatever secret you're hiding, you're gonna need help. The academy isn't as squeaky clean as they pretend to be. There's stuff going on here that makes your little mystery look like a bedtime story."
Ethan hesitated, his mind racing. Could he trust her? She clearly knew more than she was letting on, but she didn't seem hostile. If anything, she seemed... intrigued.
"What do you want in return?" he asked.
Lila grinned. "I like that you assume I want something. Smart. Okay, here's the deal: You keep me in the loop, and I'll help you keep your secret. Whatever's going on with you, it's big. I want to figure it out, and I want to stay ahead of the academy while we do it. Deal?"
Ethan studied her for a long moment. She wasn't exactly subtle, but she was clever, and something about her confidence was strangely reassuring.
"Deal," he said finally.
"Great," Lila said, popping the data drive into a nearby computer. "Let's get to work."
---
Over the next few days, Ethan and Lila began piecing together the fragments of information she had uncovered. Most of it was heavily encrypted—files labeled with terms like Project Ironclad and Subject 13. But every now and then, they'd find a crack in the armor: vague references to "enhancements," "system integration," and "combat readiness trials."
"It's like they're building something—or someone," Lila said, scrolling through lines of code. "And they're doing it right under our noses."
Ethan nodded, his mind flashing back to the strange pods he'd seen in Sublevel 2. The cadets suspended in liquid, the data streams monitoring their vitals—it all made sense now.
"They're experimenting on us," he said quietly.
Lila looked up, her expression serious for the first time. "Yeah. And whatever they're doing, it's connected to you. That encrypted program? It's tied to the same system they're using for these experiments. You're not just some random cadet, Cross. You're part of this."
Ethan's chest tightened. He'd suspected as much, but hearing it out loud made it real.
"What do we do?" he asked.
"We keep digging," Lila said. "And we stay off their radar. If the academy finds out what we're doing, we're toast. But if we play this right, we might just figure out what they're hiding—and why you're at the center of it."
---
Their partnership was uneasy at first. Lila's brash personality clashed with Ethan's cautious nature, and her tendency to poke fun at his paranoia didn't help.
"Relax, Cross," she said one afternoon as they pored over data in the back corner of the library. "If anyone asks, we're just working on a group project."
"Yeah, because hacking into classified files is exactly what cadets do for fun," Ethan muttered.
"Hey, I don't see you coming up with a better plan," Lila shot back.
Despite their differences, they made progress. Lila's skills as a coder were unmatched, and Ethan's system occasionally provided clues—flickers of information that seemed to surface when they hit a dead end.
---
One night, while combing through a particularly dense file, Lila paused.
"Wait a second," she said, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "This file mentions something called the Catalyst Event. Ever heard of it?"
Ethan shook his head. "No. What is it?"
"No idea," Lila said. "But it's big. And it's happening soon."
Ethan leaned closer, his pulse quickening. "How soon?"
Lila frowned, tapping a few more keys. "A week, maybe two. Whatever it is, the academy's putting a lot of resources into it. If we're going to find answers, we need to figure out what the Catalyst Event is—and fast."
Ethan nodded, determination hardening his features.
"We'll find it," he said. "And when we do, we'll make sure they don't see us coming."
Lila smirked. "That's the spirit. Now let's get to work, partner."
For the first time since the system had awakened, Ethan didn't feel completely alone. Lila might have been brash and unpredictable, but she was also brilliant—and with her on his side, he felt like they might just stand a chance against the academy's secrets.