"That's—that's insane!" His glow flared bright with distress. "Heena, if I log out, I can't protect you! I can't warn you of dangers, can't provide strategic analysis, can't—"
"Can't be detected by Seraphina's system," Heena finished quietly.
System 427 went still. "You think..."
"I think her system is hunting for you. Scanning for foreign signatures, looking for proof that another system is active in this world." Heena leaned back in her chair, wincing at the pain in her spine. "Today proved she's suspicious. Her system probably has detection protocols running constantly, trying to find the anomaly."
"But I've been careful! My stealth protocols—"
"Are good, but not perfect." Heena's voice was gentle but firm. "You said yourself you couldn't fully scan her system because it's so well hidden. What if hers is better at detection than yours is at stealth? What if every second you stay connected, you're leaving traces she's collecting?"
