I navigate the maintenance tunnels with heightened awareness, my telekinetic senses extended in a tightly controlled field around me. The infrastructure becomes increasingly industrial as I descend, exposed pipes carrying unknown fluids, bundles of fiber optic cables running along walls, and occasional junction boxes humming with electrical current.

  Security is definitely tighter than during my previous tunnel excursions. Twice I have to freeze in place as automated drones pass nearby, their scanning beams sweeping methodically through the passages. My shielding technique proves its worth, the drones register nothing unusual and continue their programmed routes.

  The air grows cooler and damper as I reach the lower levels. Condensation drips from overhead pipes, creating slick patches on the metal flooring. The emergency lighting strips here are spaced further apart, leaving longer stretches of near-darkness between islands of dim blue illumination.

  Junction K-7 should be ahead according to my mental mapping. I pause at a final intersection, extending my awareness to check for any presence beyond. There, a single human energy signature waiting in the junction chamber. The pattern is familiar, Helena's telekinetic signature has a distinctive stability to it, like a perfectly balanced system operating at optimal efficiency.

  "Enter," comes Helena's voice from within.

  Looks like she sensed me too.

  I step into Junction K-7 and find a space significantly different from the meeting point Marcus used. This junction is clearly a repurposed maintenance hub, larger than standard tunnel intersections, with multiple access points and what appears to be abandoned technical equipment pushed against the walls. The space has been modified with makeshift furniture, crates arranged as seating, a flat metal panel serving as a table, and several portable lighting units creating better illumination than the emergency strips in the tunnels.

  Helena sits on one of the crates, her posture relaxed but alert. Unlike my previous encounters with her, she's not wearing standard independent attire but a higher-quality jumpsuit that resembles modified Tesseract gear, dark gray with subtle blue piping along the seams.

  "You made it," she says, studying me with appraising eyes. "Good. Security sweeps have intensified since yesterday."

  "Noticed that," I reply, remaining near the entrance. "Two drone patrols on the way down."

  She gestures to another crate. "Sit. This junction is secure, electromagnetic dampening built into the walls. Old research station repurposed as a meeting point."

  "Why is Tesseract interested in me?" I ask, still suspicious of her motives.

  "Tesseract doesn't know about this meeting," Helena responds. "My official role involves evaluating telekinetic potential in sponsored assets. My unofficial activities are my own concern."

  She stands and moves to one of the abandoned equipment panels, pressing a sequence of buttons that shouldn't be functional. To my surprise, a hidden compartment slides open in the wall, revealing a collection of technical devices I don't recognize.

  "Unmonitored development requires proper tools," she explains, removing a small spherical object from the compartment. "This is a localized practice medium, allows for telekinetic manipulation at the molecular level without generating detectable energy signatures."

  She hands me the sphere. It feels unusually dense, its surface smooth but with subtle variations in molecular structure that become apparent to my telekinetic senses.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "But this isn't just about my development," I say, studying the device. "You mentioned the disappearing telekinetics during training."

  She shakes her head. "Something bigger is happening, movement between facilities, not just internal reassignment. There is more to this situation than meets the eye. My advice, keep a low profile."

  I’m not sure I understand exactly what she’s talking about, but the implications are troubling. My status as an unaffiliated telekinetic with demonstrated molecular capabilities potentially puts me on whatever list is being compiled.

  She retrieves another device from the hidden compartment, a small rectangular object with what appear to be neural interface contacts. "This helps mask biological repair signatures by mimicking natural healing patterns. Makes any changes appear as spontaneous recovery rather than external intervention."

  The level of preparation and specialized equipment suggests this meeting isn't spontaneous. Helena has been planning this interaction, perhaps observing me longer than I realized.

  "Interesting technology," I reply. "But I don't have a use for it."

  "Take it anyways." Helena insists.

  “Why are you giving me all this stuff?" I ask directly. "What do you get from this?"

  Helena's eyes meet mine with unexpected intensity. "Because the facility's classification system is breaking down. The lines between sponsored and independent are blurring. Something is coming, something that will demand choices from all of us, regardless of status."

  What… is she talking about? Has she gone crazy?

  She places the neural masking device on the makeshift table between us. "I've survived here longer than almost anyone by understanding when to build alliances outside official channels. Your potential makes you valuable, not just as a telekinetic, but as someone developing along unpredicted pathways."

  Helena returns to the hidden compartment, retrieving a small data chip similar to the Umbra network device but with subtle differences in design. "Higher encryption, different frequency than the resistance network. More secure for our purposes."

  The offer is clear, specialized training, equipment for neural repair work, and a secure communication channel, all without faction affiliation or the constraints of sponsorship. A third path beyond Marcus's resistance group or Shatter's pragmatist faction.

  "And if I accept this arrangement?" I ask, weighing the potential benefits against the obvious risks.

  "You maintain your independence," Helena responds. "I don't require faction loyalty or ideological alignment. Just information sharing about facility developments and occasional collaboration on projects of mutual interest."

  She checks a device on her wrist, some kind of advanced watch. "Security drone sweep in ten minutes. You should return to Block D by a different route than you came." She indicates one of the tunnel entrances. "That passage connects to maintenance access near hydroponics. Fewer monitoring checkpoints."

  I pocket the practice medium and neural masking device, no point in not taking them even if I don’t take Helena up on her offer.

  "One last question," I say, moving toward the indicated tunnel entrance. "Are you still truly sponsored, or have you found some middle ground that only appears to be sponsorship?"

  Helena's expression shifts to something I can't quite interpret, amusement, perhaps, or appreciation of the directness. "Let's just say I learned long ago that the most effective position isn't always the most visible one. Sometimes the greatest freedom comes from appearing to be exactly what they expect."

  With that cryptic response, she gestures toward the tunnel. "Same time three days from now, if you're interested in continuing this arrangement. The practice medium should keep you occupied until then."

  As I slip into the maintenance passage, I consider Helena's offer and the equipment she's provided. The practice medium and neural masking device represent exactly the tools I need for Desta's neural repair work. The alternative route knowledge improves my facility navigation options.

  All valuable resources, without the factional entanglements of Marcus's resistance group or Shatter's pragmatists. But Helena's motives remain unclear, her true status somewhere in the ambiguous territory between sponsored and independent. And her motives make even less sense to me.

  For now, I'll use these tools while maintaining cautious distance, accepting the practical benefits while remaining alert for hidden agendas. The project with Desta remains my priority.

  As I navigate back toward Block D through the alternate route Helena suggested, I already begin planning how to use these new resources in tomorrow's agricultural assignment. The practice medium will allow me to refine the necessary techniques before attempting actual neural repair work.