Kai didn't sleep.
Not because of fear—but because sleep would blur the edges, and he needed them sharp.
He sat on the edge of the bed, tablet resting on his knee, eyes fixed on the layered structure Node 7 had revealed. Authority overlapped in deliberate confusion. Decisions passed through people who didn't look important on paper. That was the trick.
If you pulled the wrong thread, nothing happened.
If you pulled the right one, everything shifted.
A knock came at the door.
Not loud. Not cautious either. Familiar.
Kai stood, checked the peephole, then unlocked it.
Nyla stepped in without ceremony. Hoodie, cap pulled low, eyes already scanning the room like she expected the walls to answer back.
"You're still awake," she said.
"You're here early."
She shrugged. "Didn't feel like waiting."
Kai closed the door and leaned against it. "They contacted me."
"I know."
That earned her a look.
She met it calmly. "If they contacted you, they contacted everyone watching you."
Kai exhaled. "So this is a crowd."
"A quiet one," Nyla said. She moved to the table, glanced at the tablet. "Partial Node access already? That was fast."
"They wanted a reaction."
"And you gave them one without giving them anything," she said. "Good."
Kai folded his arms. "You knew this would happen."
"Yes."
"You didn't say how soon."
Nyla finally looked at him directly. "Because if I did, you'd plan for the wrong pressure."
He studied her for a moment, then nodded once. "Fair."
She pulled out a chair and sat. "Show me what you see."
Kai turned the tablet so she could view it.
She didn't rush. Her eyes moved methodically, tracking patterns, pauses, redundancies.
"This isn't enforcement," she said after a while. "And it's not pure crime."
"Control," Kai replied.
"Yes," Nyla agreed. "Soft power backed by hard consequences."
Kai tapped a section. "These gaps. They repeat."
Nyla leaned closer. "Those aren't gaps. Those are buffers. Human ones."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning when something breaks, the people inside those buffers disappear quietly," she said. "No records. No blame."
Kai's jaw tightened. "Then they're expendable."
"Exactly."
He straightened. "Then that's where we apply pressure."
Nyla shook her head immediately. "Not yet."
Kai turned to her. "Why?"
"Because right now, you're interesting," she said. "Not threatening. The moment you hit a buffer, you stop being a curiosity."
"And become?"
"A liability."
Kai was silent.
Nyla softened her tone slightly. "You don't want them to shut doors. You want them to open more."
"How?"
"By letting them think you're aligning," she said.
Kai frowned. "Aligning with what?"
"With efficiency," Nyla replied. "People like this don't think in morals. They think in outcomes. Show them you reduce noise."
Kai considered it. "You're saying I should solve a problem for them."
"Yes."
"And how do I do that without becoming part of it?"
Nyla stood. "By choosing a problem they already want gone."
She pulled out her phone and placed it on the table. A profile appeared.
DANTE HOLLOWAY
Internal contractor
Risk level: Rising
Status: Unstable
Kai scanned the details. "He's messy."
"He's careless," Nyla corrected. "That's worse."
"He's inside their structure."
"Barely," she said. "He talks too much. He oversteps. He draws attention."
Kai looked up. "You want me to remove him?"
Nyla met his gaze. "I want you to redirect him."
Kai understood immediately.
No confrontation. No violence. Just exposure.
"He thinks he's protected," Kai said.
"And he is," Nyla replied. "From outside threats. Not from himself."
Kai leaned back. "If I do this, they'll notice."
"They'll appreciate it," she said. "You're not attacking the system. You're cleaning it."
Kai didn't like how easy that sounded.
"When does this stop?" he asked.
Nyla hesitated. Just a fraction.
"When you stop choosing," she said. "That's the danger."
Kai nodded slowly. "Then I won't stop choosing."
She smiled faintly. "That's the right answer."
They worked in silence for the next hour.
Not plotting—mapping.
Dante Holloway wasn't important because of what he did. He was important because of who tolerated him. Messages rerouted through him. Permissions passed with minimal oversight.
Kai crafted a sequence. Anonymous tips. Minor discrepancies. Enough to trigger internal review without pointing back to him.
No lies. Just light.
When it was done, Kai sat back.
"That's it," he said.
"For now," Nyla replied.
As if on cue, the tablet vibrated.
NODE 7 STATUS — UPDATED
OBSERVATION CONTINUES
Kai stared at the screen. "They felt it."
"Yes," Nyla said. "And they didn't object."
Another message followed.
RESOURCE EFFICIENCY IMPROVED
Kai let out a slow breath.
"So this is how they reward loyalty."
"Not loyalty," Nyla corrected. "Usefulness."
Kai stood and walked to the window, staring out without really seeing anything. "And Holloway?"
"Will spiral," Nyla said. "Not because of you—but because he was already unstable."
Kai turned back. "I don't like that."
"Good," she replied. "If you ever do, you're done."
A pause settled between them.
"You're building leverage," Nyla continued. "But leverage cuts both ways. Don't forget that."
Kai nodded. "I won't."
Her phone buzzed. She checked it, then slipped it back into her pocket.
"I have to go," she said. "The next move won't be yours."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"
"Meaning they'll test your boundaries," she said. "Not with threats. With offers."
He watched her reach the door. "And if I refuse?"
She glanced back. "Then the game changes."
After she left, Kai returned to the table and closed the tablet.
He sat still, hands resting flat, breathing steady.
This wasn't a chase.
It wasn't a hunt.
It was positioning.
And somewhere inside the structure, something had shifted—just enough for people to notice.
That was the real danger.