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canon:ace27:chapter9 [14/03/2026 16:42] – luotu kkurzexcanon:ace27:chapter9 [15/03/2026 09:38] (current) – kkurzex
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 +Chapter 9
  
 +The river district smelled of wet stone, diesel, and the faint metallic bite of the water itself.
 +
 +Mai walked the embankment path—narrow concrete strip between rusting railings and the slow-moving current. No rush. Boots quiet on the damp surface. Wind off the river carried cold fingers under her collar; she didn’t button up. Silver hair lifted once, then settled again, catching the pale midday light in faint runic glints.
 +
 +She passed a row of abandoned warehouses—windows boarded or broken, graffiti layered so thick the original brick was only a memory. A single gull circled overhead, crying once, sharp and lonely. Downriver a barge moved slow, low in the water, hull scraping against the concrete quay with a low metallic groan.
 +
 +Mai stopped at the third pier.
 +
 +Rusted sign half-hanging: “No Trespassing – Authorized Personnel Only.” The chain across the entrance had been cut months ago; links still lay curled on the ground like dead snakes.
 +
 +She stepped over it.
 +
 +The pier extended thirty meters into the river—wooden planks warped and splintered, gaps wide enough to show black water below. At the end sat a man on an upturned crate.
 +
 +Mid-forties. Dark coat. Short-cropped hair. Posture military without effort. Same man from the café. He didn’t turn when she approached. Just kept watching the water.
 +
 +Mai stopped three meters behind him.
 +
 +Silence stretched. Wind tugged at coat hems. Water slapped pilings below in slow, patient rhythm.
 +
 +The man spoke first. Voice low. Flat.
 +
 +“You’re early.”
 +
 +Mai didn’t answer immediately.
 +
 +She scanned the opposite bank—empty except for a lone fisherman casting lazy arcs. No movement in the warehouses. No glint of lenses. Clean.
 +
 +Then she stepped forward. Stopped beside him. Looked at the same stretch of river.
 +
 +“Traffic was light.”
 +
 +He snorted once—small sound, almost amusement.
 +
 +“Bullshit.”
 +
 +Mai’s mouth curved—just enough.
 +
 +“Observation.”
 +
 +He finally turned his head. Eyes gray. Tired but sharp.
 +
 +“You always were a terrible liar.”
 +
 +Mai met his gaze. Steady.
 +
 +“And you always were terrible at small talk.”
 +
 +He looked back at the water.
 +
 +“Fair.”
 +
 +Another beat of quiet. The gull cried again—farther now.
 +
 +The man reached into his coat. Pulled a small flash drive—black, unmarked. Held it between two fingers.
 +
 +“Latest from the archive.”
 +
 +Mai didn’t reach for it yet.
 +
 +“What changed?”
 +
 +He exhaled through his nose.
 +
 +“They’re moving faster than we thought.”
 +
 +Mai’s eyes narrowed fractionally.
 +
 +“How fast?”
 +
 +“Horizon Protocol acceleration. Three sites compromised in the last forty-eight hours.”
 +
 +Mai’s expression didn’t shift. Voice stayed level.
 +
 +“Names.”
 +
 +He listed them—quiet, precise. Three facility designations. Three cities. Three containment breaches that weren’t supposed to happen.
 +
 +Mai listened without interruption.
 +
 +When he finished she took the drive. Slid it into her inner pocket. Fingers brushed the leather notebook already there.
 +
 +“Anything else?”
 +
 +He studied her face for a long second.
 +
 +“You’re calm.”
 +
 +Mai tilted her head.
 +
 +“Should I not be?”
 +
 +He shook his head once.
 +
 +“Just… unusual. Even for you.”
 +
 +Mai looked back at the river. Water moved slow and dark beneath them.
 +
 +“Unusual is relative.”
 +
 +He stood. Crate creaked as weight left it.
 +
 +“Be careful.”
 +
 +Mai didn’t answer.
 +
 +He waited another moment—then turned. Walked back down the pier without looking behind him.
 +
 +Mai stayed where she was.
 +
 +Wind tugged harder now. River slapped pilings in steady rhythm. The gull was gone.
 +
 +She pulled the notebook out. Opened it to the page with the single line from the café.
 +
 +Added three more:
 +
 +Archive escalation confirmed.  
 +Horizon accel.  
 +Three breaches. 48 hrs.
 +
 +Then closed it. Slid it away.
 +
 +She stayed on the pier another minute—watching the water move, watching the opposite bank, watching nothing change and everything change at once.
 +
 +Then she turned.
 +
 +Walked back the way she came.
 +
 +Boots quiet on warped wood.
 +
 +Chain links clicked once under her heel.
 +
 +The city swallowed her again.
 +
 +—
 +
 +High above, where the wind tasted colder and the rooftops stretched like broken teeth, Mephisto watched with quiet delight.
 +
 +“There.”
 +
 +He gestured downward—sharp, satisfied.
 +
 +“She took the drive.”
 +
 +Konrad remained motionless. Hands in pockets. Gaze fixed on the small figure moving back toward the embankment path.
 +
 +Mephisto tilted his head.
 +
 +“You’re going to say she already knew.”
 +
 +Konrad answered without turning.
 +
 +“She did.”
 +
 +Mephisto laughed—soft, almost fond.
 +
 +“Of course she did.”
 +
 +He clasped his hands behind his back again.
 +
 +“Then the question becomes…”
 +
 +Konrad finished it for him. Voice flat. Certain.
 +
 +“What she does with it.”
 +
 +Mephisto’s smile widened—thin, pleased.
 +
 +“Precisely.”
 +
 +Below, Mai disappeared into the street grid—dark jacket blending with the midday crowd.
 +
 +The river kept moving.
 +
 +Slow.
 +
 +Dark.
 +
 +Unhurried.
 +
 +The afternoon waited.