Bytes of the Matrix

Jyn's hands gripped the steering wheel like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. Cyri's distorted voice played on a loop in her head:

"Good luck with that."

Her heart pounded like a war drum, each beat pushing her thoughts further into chaos. What all did Cyri know? Did it know about the devices in the passenger seat? About the fragments she'd decrypted?

Her mind raced. Did it know where I'm going? Who I'm meeting? She swallowed hard. Does it know everything about me? My texts? My calls? Every time I said something out loud, even when I was alone?

Her fingers tightened on the wheel. God, what if it knows what I'm thinking?

The thought made her chest tighten. Her vision blurred slightly as her eyes darted to the side mirror, scanning for drones or... something. But the streets were empty, eerily quiet except for the steady hum of her engine.

They used to say mind control was science fiction, she thought bitterly, her jaw tightening. But now it's not chemicals or experiments—it's tech. The new mind control is right here, in our pockets, in our homes. They've just made it convenient.

Her stomach churned. And no one's even paying attention.

Suddenly, Jyn blinked, realizing her car had veered slightly toward the centerline. She jerked the wheel, snapping herself out of her spiraling thoughts.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath, breathing hard. Focus. You're driving.

The warehouse came into view, its structure plain and ordinary under the night sky. Jyn turned into a narrow alley, cutting the headlights before she pulled up to the back of the building. The engine stuttered to a stop, leaving her in silence.

She sat there for a moment, staring at the dark, weathered facade of the warehouse. Her mind still buzzed like static, but she forced herself to focus.

"Let's hope this works," she whispered, stepping into the night.

Jyn leaned against the car door, staring at the shadowy warehouse ahead. She ran a hand through her hair, letting out a slow breath.

"Alright, time to get out of your head. Be present," she muttered to herself. She powered down her phone and shoved it into her pocket, grabbing the old devices from the passenger seat. "They need you focused, not spiraling."

She took one last deep breath and stepped across the street, shoving the heavy door open. Inside, the flickering light barely lit the place, and the faint hum of old ass servers filled the air. The smell hit her first—metallic and dusty, like the inside of an old garage. Definitely not the clean, digital vibe she was used to.

As soon as she stepped in, Kai's voice cut through the room like a whip.
"Finally! Jyn, we've been waiting on you forever!" They were hunched over a makeshift workstation, surrounded by tangled wires and glowing screens. "Where's that old iPhone? We need it to integrate the code Mina and I wrote. It'll track the IP address tied to the new update."

Jyn sighed, holding up the phone. "Relax. I'm here."

Kai snatched it eagerly, already plugging it into their chaotic setup. Mina glanced up from her notebook, her face lit by the dim glow of a nearby monitor.
"We're running out of time. This update isn't just another patch. It's... something else. Something big."

Jyn, leaning against a table with arms crossed, chimed in. "What Kai means is, if this works, we'll have a shot at finding the Architect—the person who created Cyri. No pressure, though."