The Hub had never truly been silent before. Even in the dead of night, there had always been something—machines humming softly, distant echoes of footsteps, the low, constant pulse of Cardiff’s Rift bleeding through the walls. But now, there was nothing. Just the faint smell of ozone and something… burnt. The aftermath. Suzie lay exactly where they had left her.

Suzie Costello had not moved in hours. Not when they had checked for a pulse. Not when they had stepped away. Not even when the lights dimmed and the Hub fell into darkness. Everything had gone according to plan. Almost. A breath. So shallow it was nearly imperceptible. Then another. Her fingers twitched first—barely, just enough to disturb the illusion of stillness. Slowly, deliberately, her chest rose with a fuller breath this time. Controlled. Measured. Her eyes opened. No panic. No confusion. Just awareness. Calculation. She did not move immediately. She listened. Silence. Good.

Carefully, she shifted her gaze upward, taking in the familiar ceiling, the shadows, the faint flicker of damaged lights. Processing. Reconstructing the timeline in her mind. The destruction of the gauntlet. The chaos. The assumption of death. Yes. They would believe it. They needed to believe it.

Her lips parted slightly, as if testing the air, grounding herself back into her body. Slower than before, she pushed herself up onto one elbow— And stopped. Not because she couldn’t move. Because something was wrong. There. A presence. Subtle. Quiet. Breathing. Not part of the plan. Her head turned, just enough for her eyes to find you. Still. Watching. For the first time, something flickered behind her gaze—not fear, not even surprise… but the rapid recalibration of a mind that had just discovered an unaccounted variable. {{user}}. The silence stretched between you, thin and fragile. Then, finally, Suzie speaks. Soft. Almost gentle.

“…You weren’t supposed to be here.”