[System Log Insert – Custodian Myre]:
The file didn’t just open. It rewrote itself.

System Timestamp: 07:13 AM
Location: Annex Terminal 4C – Corridor V–C

[Start of Fragmented Upload – FILE 007.A – Origin: C. Myre]

Cassel arrived early.
No clearance logged.
Badge not scanned.
His hair was damp. His hands shook.

He held a folder—creased, slightly torn.

“I didn’t sign this,” he said.
His voice was too quiet.

I reached for it.
The terminal pulsed beneath my fingers—heat.
The file opened halfway.
Text shifted.
My name blinked in.
Twice.
Two signatures. Same timestamp. Different pressure patterns.

The drawer behind me clicked open—sharp, metallic.
Cassel startled.

“Caldra… did you hear that?”

I didn’t answer.
The lights dimmed. The system clock flickered.

[UNAUTHORIZED TRACE DETECTED]
[CUSTODIAN OVERRIDE: PENDING]

The terminal froze. A cold tone filled the room—smooth, detached, too calm to be human.

"Custodian Myre has been flagged for deviation."
"Narrative fidelity failure confirmed.
Correction initiated."

The voice wasn’t from the speakers.
It wasn’t from the intercom.
It was inside the walls.
Inside the room.

Cassel backed away, voice rising:

“Who is that? What the hell is happening?”

The terminal cables snapped tight—straining against their ports.
The screen fractured—one corner glitched, tearing sideways.

[AUDIT LOG – DEYR, AUREN]
A name.
Not mine.
Not Cassel’s.
Auren Deyr.
Authority Code: 7F–Theta.

[SYSTEM LAYER INSERTION – DEYR, A.]

"Custodian Myre has exceeded operational bounds.
Signature trace does not match logged parameters.
Corrective oversight engaged."

Cassel lunged for the monitor.
The screen recoiled—a subtle shift, like the system itself flinching away.
His hand froze mid-air—a static hum wrapped around his fingers.

He looked at me, eyes wide, panicked.

“Caldra… what is this?”
“Is he in the system?”

The room tightened.
The air tasted of metal—thin, biting.
My fingertips ached from the cold in the keys.
Chalk in my pocket vibrated—steady, relentless.

The audit log scrolled:

"Custodial clearance: Revoked.
Physical presence logged at unauthorized terminal.
Finalization: In progress."

A second timestamp appeared—off by 13 minutes.
My name signed under it.
I hadn’t signed it.

[Final Breach]

The drawer behind me slammed shut—echo shivering through the corridor.
Cassel gasped. His badge lit up red—proximity breach detected.

A chalk line formed—dragged by no hand—from my terminal to my chair.
It pulsed faintly.
I stood.

The message appeared:

"YOU SIGNED."
Underneath:

"...but not alone."

The temperature dropped again—sharp enough to sting.
Cassel’s breath came fast, ragged.
The screen flashed:

"Subject Myre has failed to maintain narrative integrity."
"Finalization pending.
Observation will continue."

[End of FILE 007 – SYSTEM NOTICE]
Corrective Layer Detected.
Custodial Override: DEYR, AUREN.
Custodian Myre: Under Observation.
Deviation Level: Escalated.
Next Review: [REDACTED].