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Chapter 6 - Chapter 6 - Fractures in the Pattern

Chapter 6 - Fractures in the Pattern

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Riley stirred awake, faint light filtering through the vents lining the edges of his room. The digital clock on the wall blinked 05:42AM—eighteen minutes before the scheduled wake-up call. He hadn't needed the alarm. His body clock had already adjusted to early rises from years of training.

But this wasn't like waking up to a morning run or a routine spar.

He sat up slowly, scanning the small room. The walls were sterile. Plain. The faint hum of ventilation systems filled the silence. His uniform hung neatly from the hook where he'd left it the night before, exactly as he'd left it.

Yet the feeling gnawed at him.

He replayed the whispers he'd overheard with Jade. "They aren't prepared... you know what happened with the last batch."

Had someone been watching? Did they want them to hear that?

Riley shook the thought from his mind, throwing on his uniform. He couldn't let anxiety get to him, not yet. Not when the real trials were still ahead.

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By 06:30AM, the recruits were gathered in Training Hall Gamma again. This time, the room felt different. The marble floor gleamed under bright fluorescent lights, but the air seemed... heavier. More eyes darted around than the night before. Conversations were shorter. People were already sizing each other up.

Jade leaned against a wall nearby, arms crossed. When Riley approached, he barely acknowledged him—just a small nod.

"Sleep well?" Riley asked.

"Not really." Jade's voice was quieter than usual. "Couldn't shake the feeling that somebody's been in my room."

Riley's chest tightened. He thought he'd imagined it—but if Jade felt the same...

Before he could respond, the PA crackled to life.

"Vectors. Line up along the markings on the floor. Trials will begin shortly."

A soft murmur spread through the room. This time, the voice sounded more... automated. Detached. Riley glanced at Jade, but he was already moving to his spot.

As they fell into line, Riley's sharp eyes scanned the others. He clocked Leilani Kim a few spaces down, a tall, lean girl with jet-black hair tied tight in a ponytail. She had barley said a word to him since arriving, but her gaze flitted across the room, calculating. Noticing everything.

Further down was Luna Reyes, leaning lazily against the wall, eyes half-lidded but still glinting with amusement, like she was already ahead of everyone else. Next to her, Kai Turner stood straight, his body tense beneath his uniform.

None of them had spoken yet, but Riley felt their presence, the ones who might actually make it through.

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A large digital countdown flickered onto the projector screen overhead.

06:45:00.

It ticked down second by second.

Then the voice returned.

"Today's trials will test resilience and situational awareness."

A pause. Almost too long.

"However... all results will not be disclosed."

More murmurs broke out.

Riley's brows furrowed. That was new.

"What the hell does that mean?" Jade muttered under his breath.

No one answered.

The screen flicked, revealing a simple layout. Five doors. Five chambers. Five trials.

"Vectors will enter individually. Observation will be conducted remotely."

The lights dimmed slightly, casting faint shadows across the marble floor.

Riley's heart began to pick up. He glanced at Jade—his expression stayed locked in place, but there was a flicker of doubt behind his eyes.

They were splitting them up.

This was the first mind game.

Everything felt the same.

Too much the same.

That's what made it worse.

Like a pattern trying too hard to hold itself together.

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When Riley's name was called, he moved toward the second chamber. The door slid open soundlessly, revealing a small room, barely larger than his dorm. A plain white table stood in the center with a single chair. Mounted cameras blinked red from each corner.

The door sealed shut behind him.

No instructions.

No time limit.

Just him and the cameras.

He sat down slowly, eyeing the walls. Minutes ticked by. The only sound was the faint mechanical whir of ventilation.

Nothing happened.

His fingers drummed lightly against the table, pulse steady—at first.

Then... a subtle flicker in the lights.

Barely noticeable.

Riley's eyes narrowed.

He glanced at the camera in the top right corner. It blinked once. Twice.

Was that random... or intentional?

More time passed. His own breathing began to fill the silence. The longer he sat, the heavier the room seemed to grow, as if the walls were inching closer without him noticing.

The cameras weren't just observing.

They were waiting.

Testing.

How long could he sit in a room where nothing happens before he starts to break?

Riley exhaled slowly through his nose. He could feel his heartbeat in his fingertips. His mind screamed at him to move, to break the silence somehow. But that was the point.

They wanted him to act first.

He wouldn't give them that satisfaction.

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Twenty-seven minutes passed before the door finally slid open again.

Test Complete.

He never found out what they were measuring.

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When he returned to the main hall, half the recruits were already back. Most wore the same blank expressions—but a few looked rattled. Eyes darting. Breathing uneven.

Leilani sat perfectly still in her spot like she hadn't moved since they'd left.

Jade came out moments later, his face paler than before.

"What happened?" Riley asked under his breath.

Jade shook his head. "Nothing. That's the problem."

A faint smile tugged at Riley's lips.

They were playing with them.

He glanced back toward the observation cameras lining the walls.

The real Screening had finally started.

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That night, as the lights dimmed across the dorm halls, Riley couldn't sleep.

He lay still, staring at the ceiling, replaying every moment in that room.

The flicker in the lights.

The camera blinking twice.

Was it random… or intentional?

He still didn't know what Project Echelon truly was.

But one thing was certain—

It didn't need to break him.

He just needed to believe it could.

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