The synchronization results did not stabilize.
They climbed.
That was the problem.
The SS7 hangar remained quiet except for the low mechanical hum vibrating beneath the floor and the endless stream of holographic projections flooding the air around Valkrieg-0 and Umbra Rex.
White and silver light pulsed softly across Valkrieg's armor plating.
Black and crimson illumination rolled beneath Umbra Rex like restrained thunder.
And above everything—
the synchronization graphs continued rising.
Krysta stared at the floating data in complete silence.
Which unsettled everyone significantly more than her usual chaos.
Because Krysta Benton only stopped talking when something became genuinely important.
Victor Kane folded his arms tighter while watching the numbers climb.
"…that should not still be increasing."
Sebastien Mercier looked equally disturbed.
"The systems aren't even fully calibrated yet."
Krysta zoomed another graph larger into the air.
Synchronization convergence rates unfolded across the projection in glowing streams.
98%.
99%.
99.4%.
Then—
the numbers stabilized.
The entire room stopped breathing for half a second.
Vincent Torres quietly adjusted his glasses.
"…that's impossible."
"No," Krysta answered softly.
Her eyes remained fixed on the projections.
"It's worse."
That sentence immediately concerned everybody.
Kael pointed dramatically toward her.
"You see?"
"She says terrifying things casually."
"That's because terrifying things keep happening casually," Leona muttered.
Leon stepped closer toward the synchronization data overhead.
His expression had changed completely now.
Focused.
Sharp.
No longer amused.
"…what exactly are we looking at."
Krysta slowly expanded another set of projections.
Wrong Sky combat recordings unfolded through the air.
Helius duels.
Movement patterns.
Battlefield adaptation routes.
Then the systems overlaid Valkrieg and Umbra Rex directly over Kael and Ryven's combat data.
The room quieted again immediately.
Because the synchronization lines matched almost perfectly.
Not pilot to machine.
Machine to machine.
Victor stared upward slowly.
"…they're anticipating each other's movement paths."
Sebastien's voice lowered slightly.
"Before movement occurs."
Krysta nodded once.
"The mechs are adapting through convergence prediction."
Vincent blinked repeatedly.
"That sentence sounds illegal technologically."
"It probably is."
Marcus folded his arms tighter while watching Kael and Ryven standing beneath the machines built for them.
White and black.
Chaos and certainty.
Even visually—
they matched too perfectly.
George Benton finally spoke quietly from near the rear engineering platform.
"Fritz used to say some structures naturally find balance."
Everyone looked toward him.
George's gaze drifted upward toward the two mechs.
"John disagreed."
A faint smile touched his mouth briefly.
"He believed balance wasn't found."
His eyes shifted toward Kael and Ryven.
"It was built."
Silence settled softly across the SS7 hangar afterward.
Not empty.
Heavy.
Kael immediately ruined it.
"So."
Everyone looked toward him cautiously.
"Can I legally fight God with this thing."
Serena closed her eyes briefly.
"No."
"That felt emotionally restrictive."
"You almost died."
"That happened in the past."
"THREE DAYS AGO."
"History."
Ryven quietly lowered his head briefly into one hand.
Leon actually laughed softly under his breath.
Rare enough already.
Vincent looked exhausted.
"…I understand now."
Marcus glanced toward him.
"Understand what."
"Why Adrian screams all the time."
"That's fair," Victor admitted quietly.
Krysta suddenly pointed toward another synchronization graph.
"Wait."
The room stilled again immediately.
Because her voice had changed.
Not excited.
Focused.
The projections shifted rapidly overhead.
Then everyone saw it.
The synchronization rates between Valkrieg and Umbra Rex had stabilized completely.
Not fluctuating.
Stable.
Perfectly stable.
Without pilot connection.
Sebastien stared upward slowly.
"…that should require live neural synchronization."
Krysta nodded once.
"It should."
Victor narrowed his eyes.
"Then why is it stable already."
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Ryven quietly spoke.
"Because they already recognize us."
The room fell silent.
Again.
Not because the answer sounded dramatic.
Because everyone knew he was right.
Kael slowly looked upward toward Valkrieg-0.
Silver light reflected softly across his face while the mech hummed faintly overhead.
Then he grinned.
Bright.
Warm.
Completely insane.
"We are NEVER surviving the paperwork."
Marcus looked physically tired hearing that.
"That is somehow still your biggest concern."
"It's an important concern."
"You named the mech already in your head, didn't you," Leon said suddenly.
Kael froze.
Everyone noticed immediately.
Ryven slowly turned toward him.
"…you did."
Kael looked deeply betrayed by the accusation.
"I emotionally connected with it."
"That is not a denial."
"It felt spiritually defensive."
Krysta pointed immediately.
"He absolutely already named it."
"You named yours too."
"That's unrelated."
Victor looked between both siblings carefully.
"…how are you all real people."
"Excellent question," Cassian muttered.
Then Kael suddenly turned toward Leon.
That grin appeared again.
The dangerous one.
Ryven immediately sighed.
"There it is."
Leon narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…why are you looking at me like that."
Kael pointed dramatically.
"You should see the Replica."
Vincent immediately looked toward Leon.
"That word sounded threatening."
"It usually is," Cassian admitted.
Sebastien glanced between everyone carefully.
"…what exactly is the Replica."
Krysta answered immediately.
"An adaptive synchronization recovery environment."
Victor nodded slowly.
"That sounds reasonable."
Kael smiled wider.
"It's haunted."
Silence.
Sebastien blinked once.
"…those are not compatible sentences."
"They are here."
"That concerns me."
"It should."
George laughed softly under his breath while Serena pinched the bridge of her nose.
Leon folded his arms slowly.
"This is the haunted sector from dinner."
Kael looked delighted.
"Technically."
"That answer made it worse."
"It should."
Ryven already looked tired again.
"…why do I feel like this is a mistake."
Kael immediately slung one arm over his shoulders.
"Because we're bonding."
"That word should not apply here."
Krysta suddenly pointed upward toward the control platforms.
"I can reactivate the environmental fear systems remotely."
Serena answered instantly.
"No."
Kael answered at exactly the same time.
"YES."
Victor slowly looked between both Benton siblings.
"…the fact you answered together concerns me more than the haunted mountain."
"That's healthy survival instinct," Cassian muttered.
Fifteen minutes later—
they stood before another sealed door deeper beneath the mountain.
Unlike SS7—
this section felt older.
Not weaker.
Older.
The reinforced alloy walls surrounding the corridor carried visible age beneath newer upgrades layered carefully into the original structure. Old cedar support beams merged seamlessly into hidden steel reinforcements while narrow water channels flowed quietly beneath sections of the stone floor.
The air smelled different here.
Cool rainwater.
Dust.
Cedarwood.
Old paper.
Machine oil.
And beneath all of it—
memory.
The word stretched across the sealed doors in faded metallic lettering.
REPLICA
Leon studied the entrance carefully.
"This place predates SS7."
Jules nodded once.
"By a lot."
Vincent adjusted his glasses slowly.
"…why does the hallway feel like it's watching me."
Kael brightened immediately.
"Oh good."
"That response emotionally damaged me."
Krysta stepped toward the access panel while floating holographic interfaces unfolded around her in glowing blue layers.
"Replica systems responding."
The mountain hummed quietly beneath their feet.
Then—
a soft female voice echoed through the corridor.
"WELCOME HOME."
Sebastien physically jumped.
Kael immediately pointed.
"I SAW THAT."
"That did not happen."
"It absolutely happened."
The mountain vibrated softly.
Then the doors began opening.
Cold air rolled outward carrying drifting fog and the scent of old cedarwood from somewhere deep inside the Replica.
And beyond the entrance—
the mountain waited.