Liam and Lana both rushed to the computer at the same time.
The sound had barely finished echoing in the room before they were already leaning over the screen. The progress bar sat at one hundred percent just as expected. The number was bold and clear, glowing quietly at the bottom of the display.
But nothing else was there.
No alerts.
No highlighted matches.
No flashing warnings.
Just the clean, simple 100.
Lana's eyes scanned the screen once, then twice. Her shoulders slowly dropped. She had expected something. Even a small trace. A blurry image. A coded mention. Anything.
Instead there was silence.
She let out a slow breath and pulled her chair back slightly before sitting down. The disappointment on her face was obvious. Not dramatic. Just quiet and heavy.
"All that for nothing," she muttered under her breath.
