The side door to the engineering building was unlocked.

  Drex pushed it open with his shoulder and stepped inside. Juno followed, glancing behind them. No alarms. No one around. The place was quiet.

  Most of the university had been shut down months ago. A few research wings still had power. This one did—barely.

  “Keep it quick,” Juno said. “The longer we’re here, the more likely we get flagged.”

  “They’ve got full diagnostic bays in here,” Drex replied. “Better than doing it blind at the yard.”

  They moved down the hallway past dark classrooms and vending machines blinking errors. Drex knew where to go—he’d checked the floor plans online years ago. Engineering labs were down the left corridor.

  The door was open.

  Inside, the room still looked alive. Tools on the benches. A small 3D printer humming in the corner. Monitor screens glowed dim blue.

  Then someone stood up from behind a workbench.

  Woman. Mid-20s. Hair tied back. Hoodie under a worn lab coat. Tool pouch clipped to her belt.

  She looked at them for half a second before speaking.

  “You’re not students.”

  “Nope,” Drex said. “Just need to use a scanner.”

  Juno stood by the door, arms crossed.

  The woman didn’t panic. Didn’t yell. Just narrowed her eyes. “You with the military?”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “No,” Drex said. “Opposite of that.”

  She glanced at the case Drex was holding. “That’s a power core.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Where’d you get it?”

  “Scrap run out near the old rail depot.”

  She watched them another second, then sighed. “You’ve got five minutes. If you break anything, I’m calling security.”

  Drex moved fast. He opened the case and set the core on the diagnostic bay. The screen lit up.

  [ Thermal Core – Overloaded | Surface Cracking | Cooling Module Offline ]

  Status: Risky. Output 72%. Functional. Short-Term Use Recommended.

  “It’ll work,” he said.

  Juno leaned in. “That’s a maybe.”

  “It’s the best we’ve got.”

  The woman stayed at her bench, half-watching them while she worked on something else. Her tools were clean. Movements sharp. No wasted motion.

  Drex glanced over. “You still a student?”

  “Technically. Lab’s still funded. They haven’t shut me out yet.”

  “What’s your project?”

  “Mobility platforms. Terrain response systems.”

  “Tower-focused?”

  She hesitated. “More or less.”

  Drex nodded. “You keeping up with the reports?”

  “Yeah. Like everyone else.”

  Juno looked over. “You think civilians have any chance in there?”

  She didn’t answer immediately. Then: “No.”

  Drex didn’t respond. He finished the scan, packed up the core, and stood.

  “Thanks.”

  She gave a small shrug. “Not like I stopped you.”

  Drex looked at her badge. Just said R. Vega.

  “You ever build a frame?”

  “Tested one. Never ran it.”

  He gave her a nod, then left without another word. Juno followed.

  Once they were outside, Juno said, “You believe her?”

  “No,” Drex said. “But I think she knows what she’s doing.”

  “You think she’d help?”

  Drex looked down at the case in his hands. “Maybe later.”