====== CHAPTER 4 — Access Collapse ====== No one reached for the keycard immediately. ---- That mattered. ---- Because the moment someone did— ---- the system would choose. ---- ---- Ace didn’t move. ---- Not yet. ---- ---- She watched the figure. ---- ---- Still. ---- ---- Certain. ---- ---- “You don’t belong here,” she said. ---- ---- The figure didn’t react. ---- ---- “I do.” ---- ---- No hesitation. ---- ---- No doubt. ---- ---- That was the problem. ---- ---- Mai stepped slightly to the side. ---- ---- Not closer to the card— ---- out of alignment. ---- ---- The space— ---- flickered. ---- ---- Just a fraction. ---- ---- “There are multiple ownership states,” she said. ---- ---- Ace didn’t look away from the figure. ---- ---- “Fix it.” ---- ---- Mai didn’t answer. ---- ---- Because “fix” wasn’t an option. ---- ---- Shammy exhaled slowly. ---- ---- The air— ---- tight— ---- then spreading. ---- ---- “It’s not choosing,” she said. ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “It’s keeping all of them.” ---- ---- That locked it. ---- ---- V stayed near the entrance. ---- ---- Watching— ---- not stepping further in. ---- ---- “…Yeah,” they muttered. ---- “…that’s worse than a breach.” ---- ---- Mai moved. ---- ---- Not toward the figure— ---- toward the keycard. ---- ---- The moment she crossed a certain line— ---- the system reacted. ---- ---- The lights didn’t flicker. ---- ---- The space didn’t distort. ---- ---- But the relationships— ---- shifted. ---- ---- The distance between her— ---- and the card— ---- shortened. ---- ---- Not physically. ---- ---- Structurally. ---- ---- Ace noticed immediately. ---- ---- “It wants you there,” she said. ---- ---- Mai didn’t deny it. ---- ---- “Yes.” ---- ---- A pause. ---- ---- “It is assigning access.” ---- ---- Shammy stepped closer. ---- ---- The air— ---- resisted. ---- ---- Light. ---- ---- But real. ---- ---- “It’s narrowing,” she said. ---- ---- Mai shook her head. ---- ---- “No.” ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “It’s concentrating.” ---- ---- That was worse. ---- ---- The figure moved again. ---- ---- Closer now. ---- ---- Still calm. ---- ---- Still certain. ---- ---- “You’re in my space,” they said. ---- ---- Ace didn’t react. ---- ---- “Wrong.” ---- ---- The figure tilted their head slightly. ---- ---- “You’re confused.” ---- ---- No aggression. ---- ---- Just— ---- validation. ---- ---- Mai reached the keycard. ---- ---- Didn’t pick it up. ---- ---- Not yet. ---- ---- Her hand hovered above it. ---- ---- The system— ---- paused. ---- ---- For the first time. ---- ---- Shammy felt it. ---- ---- The air— ---- held. ---- ---- Not moving. ---- ---- “It’s waiting,” she said. ---- ---- Mai nodded once. ---- ---- “Yes.” ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “For confirmation.” ---- ---- That was the trap. ---- ---- Ace stepped forward. ---- ---- Not toward the card— ---- toward the figure. ---- ---- The space— ---- accepted both. ---- ---- No conflict. ---- ---- Two owners. ---- ---- Same validity. ---- ---- That couldn’t hold. ---- ---- “Now,” Ace said. ---- ---- Mai moved. ---- ---- She took the keycard. ---- ---- The reaction— ---- instant. ---- ---- The system— ---- collapsed inward. ---- ---- Not physically— ---- logically. ---- ---- Ownership states— ---- multiplied. ---- ---- Three. ---- ---- Four. ---- ---- More. ---- ---- The figure— ---- didn’t disappear. ---- ---- It duplicated. ---- ---- Not visually— ---- structurally. ---- ---- Shammy inhaled sharply. ---- ---- The air— ---- fractured. ---- ---- “It’s escalating!” she said. ---- ---- Mai held the card— ---- but didn’t define it. ---- ---- Didn’t assign it. ---- ---- Just— ---- kept it unstable. ---- ---- “That’s the limit,” she said. ---- ---- Ace didn’t slow. ---- ---- “Then push it.” ---- ---- Mai didn’t argue. ---- ---- She stepped— ---- not forward— ---- not back— ---- sideways. ---- ---- Out of alignment. ---- ---- The card— ---- reacted. ---- ---- Not choosing— ---- rejecting. ---- ---- That was new. ---- ---- The system— ---- stuttered. ---- ---- Ownership states— ---- conflicted. ---- ---- None dominant. ---- ---- None stable. ---- ---- Shammy pushed— ---- not against it— ---- through it. ---- ---- The air— ---- refused structure. ---- ---- Pressure— ---- uneven. ---- ---- Alive. ---- ---- The figure— ---- all versions— ---- hesitated. ---- ---- For the first time. ---- ---- Ace stepped between them. ---- ---- Not attacking. ---- ---- Interrupting. ---- ---- The system— ---- failed to resolve. ---- ---- Not collapse. ---- ---- Fail. ---- ---- That was enough. ---- ---- The duplicates— ---- merged. ---- ---- Not clean. ---- ---- Not perfect. ---- ---- Uncertain. ---- ---- The space— ---- lost clarity. ---- ---- Ownership— ---- undefined. ---- ---- Mai lowered the card slightly. ---- ---- It resisted. ---- ---- Good. ---- ---- Shammy exhaled. ---- ---- The air— ---- uneven. ---- ---- Breathing again. ---- ---- V let out a breath. ---- ---- “…Okay.” ---- A beat. ---- “…that’s officially worse than anything I’ve seen this week.” ---- ---- Ace didn’t respond. ---- ---- She looked at Mai. ---- ---- “Status.” ---- ---- Mai didn’t hesitate. ---- ---- “It cannot decide.” ---- ---- A pause. ---- ---- “Which means it cannot complete.” ---- ---- That was the goal. ---- ---- But not the end. ---- ---- Because now— ---- the penthouse didn’t belong— ---- to anyone. ---- ---- And in Night City— ---- that wasn’t safety. ---- ---- That was an invitation for something worse to try and take it.