Breaking: An unlimited points reward is offered to anyone with information leading to the arrest of Astrid Wyatt. It is suspected Astrid may be working with rebel group The Alliance and the public are advised not to approach her as she may be armed.

Tributes are flowing in for murdered ZenTech engineer Alistair Wyatt, with ZenBrand set to host a private memorial service in his honour on Monday afternoon at the Western luxury hotel Oceana.

Security to both senior ZenTech staff and territory representatives has increased after the attempted kidnapping of French representative Claude Lloris. The attempt comes just days after The Alliance's kidnapping of Filipino representative Angelica Reyes, who is still missing. It is suspected—

I blinked away the newsfeed, a sour taste filling my mouth as the pressure of tears pricked at my eyes. "They're saying I'm working with The Alliance."

Delta shrugged, not looking up from the crate of weapons she was pawing through. "You look like the type," she said with preoccupied sarcasm.

I pursed my lips. There was no way of knowing who was actually in The Alliance because they were so good at staying anonymous. On the rare occasion I had seen footage of them posted on the feeds, their faces had been obscured with holo projected hazers, always with the same disguise—a grim looking smiley face with crosses for eyes.

I watched Delta pull apart one of her guns, checking each of the components carefully. Uneasiness settled over me as I thought about who the feeds were saying I was supposedly working with.

"Delta?" I drew her name out, turning it into a question all on its own.

She looked up and caught my expression, reading it immediately and snorting, "Seriously? Do I look like a one-woman Alliance cell to you?" Her tone gave me the feeling I'd offended her.

When I didn't answer she rolled her eyes. "Astrid, I've got better things to do with my time than to be running around in a gimpy holo-mask disconnecting people's toilets." She turned back to her gun and finished assembling it. "Besides, they specialise in ridiculous hands-on sabotage—vandalising buildings, blowing up empty worksites. You should know by now that's not my style."

"But they're not just vandalising buildings anymore, they've kidnapped a territory rep."

Delta placed the gun on her desk, taking her time to turn toward me, her arms folded. "And I suppose you're helping them with that? Seeing as you're a member and all now." She cocked an eyebrow, pausing to let her words sink in. "I mean, it's in the feeds so it must be true right?"

I felt my face heat a little. My own argument was collapsing in on itself just as realisation dawned on me—ArkNet, and all its data and feeds, were run though ZenTech.

"You mean—?"

"It's allllll bullshit." Delta said with a loud exhale. She crouched and reached under the desk, yanking at a massive suitcase on wheels that was wedged underneath. "Everything you see online, has always been what Zenith wanted you and everyone else to see."

I was stunned into silence. The logical part of my brain understood what she was saying, but a small, almost instinctual part of me didn't want to believe it. The feeds had been a constant in my life. They were almost part of me the way my Lens was. News from around the Ark, delivered to my eyeball, accessible in a blink. It was hard to accept so much of that news had been lies, all willingly believed.

Delta won her battle with the suitcase, falling onto her butt as it came away from its spot under the desk with a loud, plastic scrape.

"What are you planning on putting in that?" I asked, eyeing the giant case. There was no way she had enough weapons to fill the thing.

Delta stood, pushing strands of orange hair from her face—a grin plastered across her lips. "You."