The footsteps stopped just beyond the first row of shelves. Ryker held his position at the entrance of the restricted section. His body blocked the narrow passage, and his attention remained fixed on the shadows shifting in the outer archive.
Mira stood a step behind him, and her focus sharpened. The figures outside did not rush forward, they did not announce themselves, and they waited.
That silence felt deliberate.
Ryker spoke first. “If you take another step, you will answer to me.”
His voice carried clearly through the archive. For a moment, nothing changed. Then one of the figures moved, and a man stepped into the dim light between the shelves.
He wore no visible markings of rank. His expression remained calm. “We are not here for a fight,” he said.
Ryker did not lower his guard
