01-25-2026, 08:40 PM
== Impulse Deck ==
Riley stood there a second too long, staring at the scorched seam of the hatch like it might blink first. The forcefield hummed in that steady, indifferent way—like it had never done anything but keep people out—and it made the space feel smaller than it should’ve been.
She caught herself holding her breath and forced it out, slow. In again. Out again. The kind of breathing you did when you needed to be fine because everyone around you was already moving on to the next problem.
But there wasn’t a next problem here. Not one she could solve.
No trail beyond the hatch. No sign of Tomer. Just the ugly, simple truth baked into the warped metal.
Riley took a step back because she knew better. Because Jadaris had said radiation, and she wasn’t about to do something stupid just to prove she still had control of the situation.
And then she turned and punched the forcefield anyway.
It wasn’t some big swing. It was quick, tight—pure frustration with nowhere to go. The field answered with a dull thrum and a brief ripple of light that ran out from her knuckles, and the sting that snapped back into her hand was immediate. For a half second, her fist stayed there like she expected it to matter.
It didn’t.
She lowered her hand slowly and flexed her fingers once, then again, like she was checking if she’d actually done damage or if it was just the shock of it. Her jaw worked, like there were words queued up behind her teeth that she didn’t trust herself to let out.
Her eyes flicked toward Jadaris and Crescent, but she didn’t hold either of their gazes. Not long enough to see whatever they were thinking. Not long enough to let it become real.
Her thumb brushed her combadge and she spoke before her voice could crack or slip into something she couldn’t take back.
“Wright to Bridge. Impulse Deck access: the Trill DNA trail terminates at the impulse exhaust hatch. Evidence suggests Tomer was likely still inside when the duct sealed and cycled.”
The comm went quiet the second she stopped talking. The forcefield kept humming like it hadn’t just slammed a door in their face. Riley stayed there for another beat anyway, shoulders squared out of habit—like posture could replace answers.
I was too late.
She didn’t say anything else. No explanation. No orders. No attempt to make it sound cleaner than it was.
She just turned and walked out at a steady pace, spine straight, hand still stinging—like she didn’t trust herself to open her mouth again and have anything come out that wasn’t defeat.
>> Elsewhere >>
Riley stood there a second too long, staring at the scorched seam of the hatch like it might blink first. The forcefield hummed in that steady, indifferent way—like it had never done anything but keep people out—and it made the space feel smaller than it should’ve been.
She caught herself holding her breath and forced it out, slow. In again. Out again. The kind of breathing you did when you needed to be fine because everyone around you was already moving on to the next problem.
But there wasn’t a next problem here. Not one she could solve.
No trail beyond the hatch. No sign of Tomer. Just the ugly, simple truth baked into the warped metal.
Riley took a step back because she knew better. Because Jadaris had said radiation, and she wasn’t about to do something stupid just to prove she still had control of the situation.
And then she turned and punched the forcefield anyway.
It wasn’t some big swing. It was quick, tight—pure frustration with nowhere to go. The field answered with a dull thrum and a brief ripple of light that ran out from her knuckles, and the sting that snapped back into her hand was immediate. For a half second, her fist stayed there like she expected it to matter.
It didn’t.
She lowered her hand slowly and flexed her fingers once, then again, like she was checking if she’d actually done damage or if it was just the shock of it. Her jaw worked, like there were words queued up behind her teeth that she didn’t trust herself to let out.
Her eyes flicked toward Jadaris and Crescent, but she didn’t hold either of their gazes. Not long enough to see whatever they were thinking. Not long enough to let it become real.
Her thumb brushed her combadge and she spoke before her voice could crack or slip into something she couldn’t take back.
“Wright to Bridge. Impulse Deck access: the Trill DNA trail terminates at the impulse exhaust hatch. Evidence suggests Tomer was likely still inside when the duct sealed and cycled.”
The comm went quiet the second she stopped talking. The forcefield kept humming like it hadn’t just slammed a door in their face. Riley stayed there for another beat anyway, shoulders squared out of habit—like posture could replace answers.
I was too late.
She didn’t say anything else. No explanation. No orders. No attempt to make it sound cleaner than it was.
She just turned and walked out at a steady pace, spine straight, hand still stinging—like she didn’t trust herself to open her mouth again and have anything come out that wasn’t defeat.
>> Elsewhere >>