Silence consumed the room as the name on Dr. Adrian's tablet burned into Cynthia's mind. The realization twisted in her chest, unraveling everything she thought she understood.
Lena was the first to find her voice, though it was barely above a whisper. "How could it be… them?"
Prometheus ran a hand down his face. "This doesn't make sense. They were with us the whole time."
Marla's eyes darkened. "That's exactly why it makes sense."
Cynthia forced herself to breathe. "If this is true, we've been compromised from the start."
Dr. Adrian's voice remained steady, but there was something unsettling in his gaze. "Not just compromised. Controlled." He tapped the screen, shifting the data to show a series of transactions, covert communications, and classified security breaches spanning years. "This person—this ghost in the system—didn't just watch from the sidelines. They shaped your choices. Every obstacle you faced, every so-called breakthrough you achieved… it was all orchestrated."
Lena took a step back. "You're saying we never had a choice?"
"No," Dr. Adrian murmured. "You had a choice. But the options were always set for you."
Cynthia clenched her fists. "Then that ends now. We find them. We expose them. And we take back control."
Marla smirked slightly. "Spoken like someone they underestimated."
But even as Cynthia said the words, a deep unease settled over her. Because if their enemy had been manipulating them from the very beginning, then every step they took from now on was playing into their hands.
And the worst part?
Their enemy already knew they had figured it out.