After my rest period, I check the time, 2215 hours. Perfect timing to make my way to Junction L-19 for Marcus's meeting. I retrieve the small electromagnetic disruption device he gave me during our previous encounter, checking that it's charged and operational. The device might prove crucial if security sweeps have intensified as Volt warned.

  I access the maintenance passage through my shower unit, carefully replacing the panel behind me. The tunnels feel different tonight, tenser, as if the infrastructure itself is aware of the increased security presence throughout the facility. The emergency lighting strips cast minimal blue illumination at irregular intervals, leaving long stretches of near-darkness between.

  Following Volt's advice, I take the eastern route rather than the more direct western passages. This path is less efficient but reportedly experiences fewer security sweeps. My telekinetic awareness extends outward in a tightly controlled field, detecting potential threats before encountering them physically.

  The first section passes without incident, just the constant mechanical hum of the facility's systems and the occasional drip of condensation from overhead pipes. As I descend deeper into the infrastructure, the air grows cooler and carries the metallic tang of industrial lubricants.

  I pause at a junction point, extending my awareness further. There, a security drone patrol moving through an adjacent passage. I press myself into a recessed maintenance alcove, minimizing my energy signature as the mechanical sentinel passes nearby. Its scanning beam sweeps methodically through the junction before continuing along its programmed route.

  Once the drone clears the area, I resume my journey toward L-19. The tunnels grow narrower as I navigate deeper, forcing me to crouch in several sections. Unlike the polished surfaces of the main facility, these passages show the marks of hasty construction, rough welds, exposed conduits, and occasional structural reinforcements added as afterthoughts.

  After twenty minutes of careful navigation, I approach Junction L-19. Unlike the meeting point Helena used, this appears to be a standard infrastructure convergence rather than a repurposed space. Six tunnel entrances meet at a central point dominated by a massive valve array controlling some aspect of the facility's environmental systems.

  I detect energy signatures ahead, several enhanced humans gathered in the junction. Marcus's electrical pattern is unmistakable, but the others remain indistinct until I move closer. Following protocol, I knock against the metal frame of the entrance, three taps, pause, two taps.

  "Enter," comes Marcus's voice from within.

  I step into Junction L-19 to find four people awaiting my arrival, Marcus, Volt, and two others I haven't met before. One is a gaunt man with sunken eyes that emit a faint purple glow in the dim light. The other is a heavyset woman whose skin ripples with subtle patterns like oil on water.

  "Right on time," Marcus acknowledges with a nod. "These are Void and Alloy, former Integration candidates who managed to escape processing before completion."

  The implications are significant, assets with direct experience of whatever the Integration Program entails. Their presence suggests this meeting involves more than just faction recruitment.

  "Your combat performance this morning accelerated their timeline," Marcus continues, electrical energy crackling between his fingers. "Director Karis requesting your presence for 'assessment' confirms our suspicions. They've flagged you for Integration."

  The gaunt man, Void, speaks in a raspy voice that seems to echo slightly despite the confined space. "The program isn't what they present it as. Not voluntary enhancement integration. More like... harvesting compatible neural architectures to create composite systems."

  Alloy, the woman with oil-slick skin, nods in agreement. "They don't combine abilities, they extract and repurpose neural templates from multiple assets to create something new. The original assets are disposable once mapping is complete."

  Fuck. Is this why telekinetics have been disappearing throughout the facility? Not reassignment or special training, but neural extraction?

  "How certain are you about this?" I ask, needing to verify before accepting such a grim assessment.

  "I was partially processed," Void says, tapping his temple where a surgical scar is visible beneath his close-cropped hair. "Neural mapping completed before I escaped during transfer to final extraction. The extraction process is designed to be terminal for the original asset."

  Marcus creates a small electrical sphere between his palms, illuminating a crude diagram scratched onto the junction wall. "The Integration Program operates in three phases. First, ability assessment and neural mapping. Second, compatibility confirmation with existing templates. Third, complete neural extraction and integration into composite systems."

  "The assessment meeting tomorrow is phase one," Volt adds, electrical energy dancing along her arms. "They present it as standard evaluation for advanced training opportunities. By the time assets realize the true purpose, they're already deep in the process."

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  This information changes everything. Tomorrow's meeting with Director Karis isn't just about potential reassignment, it represents the first step in a process designed to ultimately destroy me as an individual while harvesting my neural architecture for some larger composite system.

  "Options?" I ask, processing the implications of this new intelligence.

  Marcus exchanges glances with the others before responding. "Three possibilities. First, attempt to fail assessment by demonstrating incompatible neural patterns. Risky and requires specific knowledge of their selection criteria."

  "Second," Void continues, "accept initial assessment but disappear before phase two begins. Go off-grid within the facility infrastructure. Difficult but possible with proper preparation."

  "Third," Alloy concludes, "direct resistance during assessment. Create sufficient complications that your file is marked for later collection rather than immediate processing. Buys time but guarantees you'll be a priority target later."

  None of these options seems particularly appealing. The neural repair work with Desta becomes even more critical now, a restored technokinetic ally could provide crucial access to facility systems and potential escape routes.

  "The resistance option provides breathing room," Marcus says. "But it requires faction protection immediately afterward. Unaffiliated assets who resist assessment are typically collected within 48 hours through security override protocols."

  And there it is, the real purpose behind this information sharing. The resistance group is offering protection in exchange for allegiance. The timing is impeccable, presenting crucial information about a life-threatening situation, then offering the only viable path to safety.

  "What exactly does faction protection entail?" I ask, maintaining neutral expression despite the pressure of the situation.

  Marcus dismisses the electrical sphere, returning the junction to dim emergency lighting. "Shared quarters in secured sections, modified tracking implant to confuse monitoring systems, and coordinated alibis during high-risk collection periods."

  "In exchange for?" I press, needing to understand exactly what this protection would cost.

  "Information sharing about facility systems gained through your telekinetic perception. Participation in resistance operations when your specific abilities provide tactical advantage. And eventually, assistance with our larger objective of facility escape."

  The terms are reasonable given the apparent threat level. Unlike sponsorship, which demands complete subordination, faction association preserves some autonomy while providing critical protection against immediate collection.

  "And my existing projects?" I ask, thinking specifically of Desta and the neural repair work.

  Marcus shrugs. "Your associations remain your business unless they compromise group security. The technokinetic could actually prove valuable if her abilities are even partially restored."

  What? Do they know everything? Or are they just speculating? I keep silent, not letting anything show on my face.

  "Tomorrow's assessment gives you one significant advantage," Void interjects, his echoing voice cutting through the silence. "They'll expect combat-focused telekinetic display based on this morning's performance. They won't be looking for molecular-level manipulation or neural optimization capabilities."

  That's valuable tactical information, a potential blind spot in their assessment protocols that might allow me to conceal my most advanced abilities while still demonstrating enough capability to avoid immediate suspicion.

  "Decision time," Marcus says, checking some kind of makeshift chronometer. "Security sweep patterns suggest we have about ten minutes before this junction needs to clear. Are you accepting faction protection after tomorrow's assessment, or taking your chances alone?"

  "The information about the Integration Program is valuable, but I need time to verify before committing." I reply flatly.

  Marcus studies me with reassessing eyes, clearly not accustomed to direct challenge. "The assessment with Karis is tomorrow. Verification time is limited."

  "Then I'll make decisions with the information available when necessary," I respond, maintaining steady eye contact. "For now, I'm still evaluating all options."

  Void steps forward, his purple-glowing eyes focused on me with unnerving intensity. "Integration isn't something you want to experience firsthand to verify. I still feel phantom pain from the neural mapping probes months later."

  "I appreciate the warning," I acknowledge. "But rushing into faction allegiance without proper consideration creates different vulnerabilities. I'll handle tomorrow's assessment and make my next move based on results."

  The group clearly expected immediate commitment after sharing information about the Integration Program's true nature. My resistance to their timeline has created palpable tension in the confined space of the junction.

  "Your choice," Marcus says finally, electrical energy subsiding slightly. "Offer remains open. Volt will be in Maintenance Sector 6 after your assessment if you reconsider."

  We disperse through separate tunnel exits, the meeting concluding with less certainty than Marcus clearly intended. As I navigate back toward Block D, I consider the implications of this interaction.

  The resistance faction operates on the same principles as the facility administration, presenting limited options and expecting compliance based on fear. Their information about the Integration Program may be accurate, but their assumption of control over my response mirrors the very system they claim to resist.

  Tomorrow's assessment with Director Karis represents a genuine challenge, but one I'll face on my own terms rather than surrendering autonomy to another controlling structure, even one that frames itself as protection.

  As I return to my quarters through the maintenance tunnels, I mentally prepare for tomorrow's assessment with Director Karis. Since I already rejected Marcus' offer, I'll need to come up with a plan to deal with it on my own.

  The path forward remains uncertain, but it will be my path, not one dictated by faction leaders or facility administrators. Whatever comes next, I face it on my own terms.