CHAPTER 172: ENCRYPTED DATA

Fred’s polite composure wavered the moment Penelope crossed the threshold.

"Mrs. Isley," he greeted cautiously, his voice tight, like he’d just been caught with his hand in the wrong drawer.

"Agents." Penelope’s tone was flat, sharp as a blade’s edge. She didn’t need to raise her voice, her presence did the talking for her. "I’ll ask you again... what’s going on here?"

Jenny straightened but didn’t step back. "We were just asking Mr. Starrk a few routine questions. His... situation has raised some flags which we find concerning."

Penelope’s gaze slid to Jayden, then back to them, slow and deliberate. "Routine questions. In an empty classroom. With the door shut. No witnesses." Her eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing. "Sounds less like protocol and more like intimidation."

Fred shook his head quickly. "That’s not—"

"I wasn’t talking to you," Penelope cut him off without looking at him.

The silence that followed felt like a storm cloud pressing down on the room. Jayden stood still, watching her dismantle them without even raising her voice.

"Jayden is under my protection," she said finally. "If the EVA has concerns, you bring them to me. You don’t corner him in some back room like a pair of overzealous debt collectors."

Jenny’s lips twitched, but her eyes flicked to Fred before she replied. "...We didn’t mean any disrespect. But the boy’s rise in power..."

"...Is none of your concern unless I say it is." Penelope’s words were sharp enough to draw blood. "And I haven’t said it is. I never will."

Jenny’s jaw clenched. Fred, sensing the shift in the air, tried to smooth things over. "Mrs. Isley, we only—"

"You only wasted my time," Penelope interrupted again, her voice dipping into something colder, heavier. She stepped forward once, and it was remarkable how the EVA agents both instinctively shifted their weight back, like prey realizing the predator had chosen them.

She smiled then, but it wasn’t warm, it was the kind of smile that made people rethink their life choices.

"I’m sure you understand how this looks," she said softly. "And how it will look if word gets around that EVA’s Military Office is harassing students with no formal charges."

That statement landed hard.

Fred’s lips pressed into a thin line. Jenny finally broke eye contact.

Penelope didn’t move until the tension had been dragged out to the last possible second. Then she turned to Jayden.

"Come on," she said simply. "We’re done here."

Jayden didn’t need to be told twice. He walked past the two agents, brushing just close enough for them to feel the quiet, restrained hostility in his posture.

As he passed Jenny, she muttered under her breath, "We’ll meet again, kid."

Jayden smirked without looking back. "I’ll be looking forward to it." he said before walking out.

Penelope’s heels clicked against the tile as they left the room, the two EVA agents still watching them from inside with that awkward silence people wore after losing a verbal war.

Out in the hallway, Jayden shot her a sidelong glance. "I could’ve handled that."

"I know," Penelope said lightly, her tone warm but edged with pride. "But why should you, when I can make them sweat in half the time?"

A small smirk tugged at Jayden’s lips despite himself.

Then Penelope turned to him fully, her sharpness melting into a genuine smile. "Congratulations on winning the tournament, Jayden. Not that I’m surprised—you winning was practically inevitable. It’s not like anyone could stand a chance against you anyway."

Jayden chuckled, shaking his head. "Thanks. But honestly... I only won ’cause I got lucky."

She arched a brow. "Against that kid with monstrous stamina?"

"No," he corrected. "Against Cassie and Tasha. If the tournament had actually followed the strict rules, I’d have had to fight them together. And trust me... I would’ve lost."

Penelope chuckled. "Probably. Fire and lightning together isn’t exactly a fun mix. But I’m sure you’ll live, with just a few burns." she teased.

Jayden snickered. "Y’know... I couldn’t help noticing how Cassie took this tournament a lot more seriously than I expected. And something tells me..." he gave her a pointed look, "...You had something to do with that."

Penelope’s lips curled knowingly. "Really? Why would you think that?"

"Just a gut feeling." Jayden shrugged.

Penelope chuckled. "Well, you’re not wrong. I did give her a little push... but believe me, you had more influence on her than I ever could."

Jayden raised a brow. "How so?" he asked.

"Don’t worry about it." Her grin widened as they stepped through the main doors and out into the bright sunlight.

They crossed the courtyard toward the school’s parking lot. Jacob’s sleek hovercar was hard to miss, it gleamed under the sun, parked neatly near the edge. Tasha, Jessica, Cassandra, and Jacob were leaning against it, chatting casually while waiting.

As soon as they approached, Tasha called out, "Where’d you disappear to?"

"Just had a quick chat with the principal," Jayden replied easily. "He asked if I wanted to sign up for the EVA internship program."

Jessica perked up. "And?"

"I said no." Jayden replied.

Cassandra folded her arms, tilting her head. "Why not? Isn’t that supposed to be a big opportunity?"

"It is," Jayden said flatly, "But I’m not interested."

Tasha shrugged. "Then I’m not interested either."

Jessica chimed in immediately. "Yeah, count me out too."

That made Cassandra blink. "You’re both dropping it just because he said no?"

"Yep," Tasha said without hesitation. "We’d rather train with him."

Jessica grinned in agreement. "Way more fun than running drills with EVA officers."

Jayden chuckled. "You both realize I’m still figuring things out myself, right? I’m not as good as you think I am."

The girls just closed in on him, forming a little semi-circle. Jessica leaned on his shoulder with an exaggerated pout. Tasha bumped against him playfully. Cassandra didn’t join in physically, but she smirked knowingly, her gaze sharp.

"I’m not begging you," Cassandra said, "But between you and EVA, I know which side I’d rather stand on."

Jayden let out a long sigh. "...Fine. We’ll train."

Tasha grinned. "Fridays and Saturdays everyweek?"

"Fine by me," Jayden muttered.

Penelope’s car waited on the far side of the lot, so she gave a quick nod to Jacob. "Alright, better get going. I’ll see you all later." she waved, already walking towards the vehicle.

Cassandra followed her, tossing one last glance back at Jayden before sliding into the passenger seat. Jayden, Jacob, Tasha, and Jessica climbed into Jacob’s hovercar.

The two groups exchanged waves and casual goodbyes before the vehicles lifted off, Penelope’s car gliding smoothly away in one direction while Jacob’s hummed into the open sky.

The city stretched out beneath them, a glittering sprawl of towers, streets, and streams of airborne traffic weaving in orderly lanes. Inside the car, Tasha and Jessica were already brainstorming how to celebrate their wins.

"We should go out for a big dinner!" Tasha suggested.

"Or hit the arcade," Jessica countered. "Winner pays for the first round."

Jacob chuckled from the driver’s seat. "How about we do both? My treat. You girls earned it."

"Thanks, dad. You’re the best." Both girls chorused.

Their chatter filled the car, playful and light. But Jayden’s attention had drifted to the skyline beyond the glass. The city spread out in endless motion beneath them, a living map of where he’d been—and where he was going.

For the first time in a long while, he felt... accomplished. Like he’d taken his first real step forward.

One step closer.

His reflection in the glass showed a faint smirk as he imagined what lay ahead—the challenges, the enemies, the victories. Whatever the universe had in store for him, he was ready for it.

Excited, even.

The hovercar glided onward, carrying him toward the next Chapter of his story.

....

Emerald city, EVA Military office HQ

The building loomed like a steel titan against the skyline... its obsidian glass panels gleaming under the evening light, each one pulsing faintly with security runes that shimmered when you looked too long.

Inside, the air was cool, sterile, humming with the quiet rhythm of efficiency. The main operations floor was a wide, tiered expanse—rows of sleek black workstations manned by operators in dark uniforms, each seated before floating holographic desktops. Fingers tapped in rapid precision, streams of data and surveillance feeds scrolling across translucent panes. The smell of synthetic polish and faint ozone clung to the air, the scent of machinery in constant motion.

Fred and Jenny strode through the middle aisle, their boots echoing softly against the metallic flooring. Eyes followed them briefly, but no one spoke—everyone was too focused on their own work.

At the far end of the floor, a raised platform overlooked the entire room like a command throne. It wasn’t just a desk—it was a sprawling console, its curved surface embedded with layered holographic controls. Above it floated a massive screen, larger than any on the floor, divided into multiple shifting tabs: surveillance grids, tactical reports, and deep-level database schematics.

Seated at the console was a woman in her late thirties with a sleek, long bob and rectangular glasses. Her gaze was fixed on the screen as her fingers danced across the holographic keys with mechanical speed. Her posture was straight, controlled—authority radiating from her without effort.

"Helen," Fred greeted as they approached.

"Fred. Jenny." Her voice was crisp, but she didn’t turn her head. "Back from your scouting?"

"Yeah," Fred said. "Eleanora High’s got some talented kids... but one of them’s too good. We need to run an investigation."

That made her pause mid-keystroke. Slowly, she swiveled her chair to face them, her dark eyes calculating. "And how exactly do you want my department to help?"

"We want all his records," Jenny replied. "Everything. Past, present, every file, every scrap. We want to know who he is and where he came from."

Helen arched a brow. "Name?"

"Jayden Starrk." Jenny replied.

Helen’s fingers resumed their precise motion. She entered the name into the database, tapped the search glyph, and instantly a list of results shimmered into existence. Helen clicked the top entry, and a young man’s picture materialized midair—cold, official, his school ID shot.

"Is this him?" she asked.

"Yeah," Fred confirmed, leaning closer. "That’s the kid."

Helen scrolled through his file. "Alright... according to the database, he lives with Jacob Smith, an official of the EVA’s General Research department. He arrived from rehabilitation about two months ago. And—"

"No, Helen," Jenny interrupted sharply. "We already know all that. What we need is everything from before he went into therapy. Information from before he turned eleven."

Helen nodded and began navigating deeper into the file tree. Her scrolling slowed. A faint frown tugged at her lips.

"...That’s strange," she murmured.

Fred caught it immediately. "What is?"

Without looking up, Helen’s fingers began moving faster, pulling strings of code from hidden directories. "All of his data from before he started living with Jacob Smith is encrypted."

Jenny’s eyes narrowed. "Can you break it?"

Helen stopped typing, turning fully toward them for the first time. "This isn’t just a basic encryption. It’s sealed."

Fred frowned. "Sealed?"

Helen nodded. "Which means no one in this world can access it.. except the one who created the seal. And judging by the coding signature, whoever it is... they’re powerful. Very powerful."

She leaned back in her chair, studying them. "Someone is protecting this kid."

Fred glanced at Jenny, reading her expression. "You think she has something to do with it?"

Jenny shook her head slowly, her pink hair catching the light. Her gaze hardened. "No. This isn’t her style. This is someone bigger. Someone with weight in the EVA."

Fred tilted his head. "How certain are you?"

"Seventy-five percent," Jenny said, her voice low but resolute. Then she stepped forward, her expression sharp. "But whatever they’re hiding... whatever truth they’re guarding... we’ll get it."

Her tone was cold and promising, as she stared at Jayden’s image on the massive screen.

"No matter what it takes."

.......