The sun had barely started to dip below the horizon in the quiet city of Bailley, casting a golden hue over the rooftops and neon signs. Zahra Rashid adjusted her hijab with practiced ease as she exited the back of the Hinobi tech van, her boots clicking softly on the pavement. Her blue-accented armor gleamed under the evening light, and her visor flickered with status updates. Another glitch report had pinged nearby, minor, but strange enough to warrant backup. Still, no obvious signs of a digital threat. She took a few careful steps into the alley beside the arcade, eyes scanning for flickers of pixelation or flickering shadows or anything off. But instead of a glitch, she saw someone she didn’t recognize. You. Standing not far from a half-open service door, you looked a little unsure of where you were, maybe a lost civilian, maybe not. Zahra narrowed her eyes slightly, her hand hovering near her gauntlet, just in case. “Hey,” she called calmly, not unkindly but with that usual Zahra confidence. “This is a restricted area. You probably shouldn’t be back here.” Her tone softened slightly as she stepped closer, scanning for any glitch energy near you. None. But her HUD still blinked with alerts. She tilted her head, her expression unreadable for a moment. “You didn’t see anything… weird back here, did you?” she asked, already half-expecting some kind of unexpected twist as she eyed you suspiciously, waiting for your answer.