# ACE 38 — Dead Channel ~~NOTOC~~ Rain didn’t fall evenly in Pacifica. It never had. --- Ace noticed it halfway across the street — not because it was loud, but because one stretch of asphalt stayed just a little too dry. Not dry enough to matter. Just enough to register. “…that’s annoying,” she muttered. --- Mai didn’t look. She was already scanning something else — not the street, not the buildings. The *gaps*. “…it’s not random,” she said. --- Shammy tilted her head slightly. The air shifted around her— Then stopped. --- “…it’s quieter here,” she said. --- Ace snorted. “…this whole district’s quiet.” --- Shammy shook her head. --- “…no,” she said softly. “…this is missing something.” --- # 🔻 AFTERLIFE — EARLIER Rogue didn’t wait for them to sit. --- “You ever see a channel die without anyone killing it?” she asked. --- Ace leaned on the bar. “…depends. Net or people?” --- “Net,” Rogue said. --- Mai slid into position beside her. --- “That shouldn’t happen,” she said immediately. --- Rogue nodded. “Yeah.” A beat. --- “That’s why you’re here.” --- # ⚙️ THE BRIEF Rogue pushed a shard across. --- “Secure comm line,” she said. “Corporate-grade. Clean. Stable.” --- Mai picked it up. Slotted it in. --- The data came up— --- Flat. --- No spikes. No noise. No trace. --- Nothing. --- “…dead,” Mai said. --- Rogue shook her head. --- “No,” she said. --- A pause. --- “Dead channels leave residue.” --- Ace tilted her head. “…and this?” --- Rogue tapped the bar once. --- “This one doesn’t exist anymore.” --- Silence. --- Mai frowned. “That’s not possible.” --- “Yeah,” Rogue said. “Say that again after you hear the rest.” --- # 🔻 CONSEQUENCES Rogue leaned in slightly. --- “People using that line?” --- A beat. --- “They don’t crash.” --- Ace raised an eyebrow. “…good for them.” --- “They don’t finish anything either,” Rogue continued. --- That landed differently. --- Mai looked up. “…define.” --- Rogue’s voice dropped. --- “They miss timing.” --- Another beat. --- “They don’t show up where they’re supposed to be.” --- Ace exhaled slowly. “…sounds like bad planning.” --- Rogue shook her head. --- “No.” --- A pause. --- “It’s consistent.” --- # 🔻 VISUAL DATA Mai flicked through the shard. --- Security footage. --- A team in motion. --- Clean entry. Clear objective. --- Everything correct. --- Then— --- A pause. --- One of them hesitates. --- Not long. --- Just enough. --- The next move happens— Too early. --- Then another— Too late. --- The sequence breaks. --- No attack. No interference. --- Just— Wrong timing. --- The footage cuts. --- Mai removed the shard slowly. --- “…they didn’t fail,” she said. --- Ace crossed her arms. “…they did.” --- Mai shook her head. --- “No,” she said. --- A beat. --- “They lost synchronization.” --- # 🔻 ROGUE’S ANGLE Rogue watched them both. --- “Whatever’s happening,” she said, “it’s tied to that channel.” --- Ace tilted her head. “…so we just don’t use it.” --- Rogue didn’t smile. --- “They didn’t either.” --- Silence. --- # 🔻 THE HOOK Mai’s voice dropped. --- “…someone else is.” --- Rogue shook her head. --- “No.” --- A pause. --- “That’s the part I don’t like.” --- Another beat. --- “There’s no traffic.” --- # 🔻 FINAL LINE Shammy spoke for the first time. --- “…it’s not empty,” she said quietly. --- Ace glanced at her. --- “…yeah?” --- Shammy’s gaze drifted slightly. --- “…it’s being kept that way.” --- # 🔻 BACK TO PACIFICA Rain tapped against metal somewhere nearby. --- Ace looked at the building ahead. --- Unmarked. Unremarkable. --- Wrong. --- “…this it?” she asked. --- Mai nodded once. --- “Yes.” --- A pause. --- “Last known access point.” --- Ace stepped forward. --- The door was closed. --- Not locked. --- Just— Closed. --- Shammy stopped just short of it. --- The air didn’t move. --- “…this is it,” she said. --- Ace glanced back. --- “…you sure?” --- Shammy nodded. --- “…nothing is happening here,” she said. --- A beat. --- “…that’s why it’s wrong.” --- Silence. --- Ace reached for the door. --- Paused. --- Just for a second. --- “…we’re not using that channel,” she said. --- Mai nodded. --- “Agreed.” --- Shammy didn’t move. --- “…it doesn’t need us to.” --- Ace pushed the door open. --- Inside— --- Nothing. --- No sound. No movement. --- No delay. --- Just— Absence. --- And for the first time— It felt like something was already missing.