Beyond the Celestial Boundaries

The air inside the AeroGallacianSpace headquarters was thick with tension. Cynthia sat in the dimly lit control center, her fingers drumming against the desk as she watched the security feeds cycle through. The trap had been set, and now all they could do was wait.

Prometheus stood beside her, arms crossed. "Whoever they are, they'll make a move soon. They won't be able to resist."

Cynthia nodded, but her mind was racing. She wasn't just thinking about the mole—she was thinking about the implications of Marla's discovery. How long had they been compromised? And how many of their advancements had been manipulated?

A notification popped up on Lena's terminal. She inhaled sharply. "We've got movement. Someone just accessed the restricted development logs."

Cynthia leaned forward. "Where's it coming from?"

Lena's fingers danced over the keyboard. "Engineering lab."

Prometheus was already moving before Cynthia could speak, Marla following close behind. Cynthia exchanged a quick glance with Lena before they both hurried after them.

When they reached the lab, the glow of a single monitor illuminated the darkened space. A figure sat hunched over the keyboard, their back to the door.

Cynthia's heart clenched as the person turned around, eyes wide with shock.

It was Marcus.

Silence filled the room, thick and suffocating.

"Marcus," Cynthia said carefully, her voice even. "What are you doing?"

Marcus swallowed hard, his hands still hovering over the keyboard. "It's not what it looks like."

Marla took a step closer. "Then explain. Now."

His gaze flicked between them, and for a brief moment, Cynthia saw something she hadn't expected—fear.

"I wasn't stealing anything," Marcus said finally. "I was looking for something. Proof."

"Proof of what?" Prometheus demanded.

Marcus hesitated, then exhaled sharply. "That we've been set up. That someone has been manipulating all of us—including me."

Cynthia's pulse quickened. "Go on."

Marcus turned the screen toward them. Lines of encrypted messages filled the display. "I started noticing inconsistencies in the system logs weeks ago. I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure what I was seeing. But then, after last night, I checked deeper. And I found this."

Marla leaned in, her eyes narrowing. "These are external transmissions… being sent from our servers."

"And not by me," Marcus added quickly. "Someone's been using my credentials to cover their tracks."

Lena gasped. "That means… the real mole is still out there."

A heavy silence settled over the group.

Cynthia exhaled slowly, her mind working through the implications. "Then we've been looking at this all wrong. The mole isn't just leaking information—they're manipulating us, leading us toward the wrong target."

Marla straightened, her expression unreadable. "Which means they knew we'd be watching."

Cynthia turned to Marcus. "Can you trace where these transmissions are going?"

Marcus hesitated. "Not easily. But if we work together, we might be able to backtrack the signal."

Cynthia nodded. "Then let's get to work. If they want to play mind games, we'll show them we're not so easily fooled."

As they moved quickly to analyze the data, Cynthia couldn't shake the feeling that they were running out of time. The enemy was still in the shadows, watching, waiting.

And she knew one thing for certain—whoever they were, they weren't finished yet.