Round 27

The system responds with a low chime, and the screen flickers once more before settling on a countdown timer—15 minutes remaining. The blue lights around the room pulse in sync with the tic... tic... tic... of the unseen machinery. Silra’s fingers hover over the keys for a moment longer, her teal eyes darting between the screen and Halie’s stern expression.

"Oh, don’t worry," she says, her tone dripping with sarcasm even as she leans back in her chair. "I’ll be sure to scream like a banshee if I start feeling any demonic possession or soul-sucking energies." She glances at Jeane, an unspoken communication passing between them—a shared understanding of the risks mixed with an unwillingness to back down now.

Jeane’s wings shift restlessly behind her, the dark leathery membranes rustling softly. "Just get it done," she growls, her focus crystal pulsing faster now as she prepares for whatever might come next. The air in the room feels charged, electric with anticipation and barely contained power.

Halie moves closer to Silra, her holy symbol still clutched tightly in one hand. "I’m serious," she insists, her voice low but firm. "We don’t know what this ‘Eclipse Protocol’ is capable of. It could be anything—mind control, possession, reality warping." She scans the room once more, searching for hidden cameras or listening devices.

Silra rolls her eyes dramatically but doesn’t argue further. Instead, she turns back to the keyboard and resumes typing with renewed speed. The screen flickers again as she drills deeper into the system’s defenses, layer after layer of encryption falling away beneath her skilled fingers.

Jeane watches the proceedings intently, her crimson eyes never leaving the screen or Silra’s face. She knows better than most how quickly things can spiral out of control when dealing with corporate security and dark magic—and yet, something in her refuses to back down now. Not after coming this far, not after what they’ve already been through.

The countdown ticks on, each second passing with agonizing slowness as the three women prepare for whatever comes next. The device beeps again, a low warning tone that seems to vibrate through the very walls of the room.