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The safe house was spartan but functional. Reinforced windows, multiple exit points, and what looked like a state-of-the-art security system hid behind an unassuming panel near the door. It wasn't exactly homey, but right now, it felt like the safest place in the galaxy.

"Here," Goernx said, pressing a glass of water into my hands. "Drink. You need to stay hydrated."

I took a sip, the cool liquid soothing my parched throat. As the immediate physical discomfort eased, the full weight of what had happened settled on my shoulders.

"Zara," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I still can't believe... How could she do this? How could I have been so blind?"

Goernx sat beside me, his mismatched eyes filled with a mixture of concern and understanding. "You couldn't have known, Clover. None of us saw this coming."

I shook my head, anger and self-recrimination warring within me. "But I should have! I'm a diplomat, for crying out loud. Reading people is what I do. And Zara, she was more than just my assistant. She was my friend. Or so I thought."

The betrayal stung, a raw wound that felt like it might never heal. I'd trusted Zara with everything, with my thoughts, my fears, my hopes for the future of human-cyborg relations. And all along, she'd been working against me, against everything we'd fought for.

"What about you?" I asked, turning to face Goernx fully. "Those files Zara stole, implicated you in Geneva. Is it true? Were you really involved?"

I held my breath, waiting for his answer. Part of me didn't want to hear it, didn't want to face the possibility that Goernx, too, might have been playing me all along. But I needed to know. After everything that had happened, I couldn't afford to take anything at face value anymore.

Goernx was quiet for a long moment, his cybernetic eye whirring softly as he seemed to gather his thoughts. When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy with regret.

"I don't know," he said, and the raw honesty in his tone made my heart clench. "Those files showed things I have no memoryof. Missions, operations, decisions made that I can't recall being a part of. But the evidence..."

He trailed off, his human hand clenching into a fist. I reached out, covering his hand with my own before I could think better of it.

"Tell me everything," I said softly. "From the beginning."

And so he did. Goernx told me about his encounter with the saboteur, the shocking revelation that it might have been Syntax-7 himself behind the attacks. He spoke about the data crystal he had received, revealing the horrifying truths it contained about the true nature of the neural integration protocols and the plans for domination by the Cyborg High Command.

As he talked, I felt my world tilting on its axis once again. Everything I thought I knew, everything I'd been working towards, was built on a foundation of lies and manipulation.

"So what do we do now?" I asked when Goernx had finished his tale. "Who can we trust?"

"I don't know," Goernx admitted, running a hand through his silver hair. "But I do know this, we can't face this alone. We need allies, people we can trust implicitly."

I nodded, my mind already racing through possibilities. "I have a few contacts, people I've worked with over the years who I'm certain aren't part of this conspiracy. And you? Any old friends from your pre-cyborg days we can call on?"

A shadow passed over Goernx's face. "Not many. Most of my old life is a blur. But there might be one or two."

We spent the next hour compiling a list of potential allies, vetting each name carefully. By the time we were done, we had a small but solid group of individuals we believed we could trust as a mix of humans and cyborgs from various walks of life.

"Okay," I said, feeling a spark of hope for the first time since this nightmare began. "Let's start making some calls."

The next few hours were a flurry of encrypted communications and carefully worded messages. We couldn't risk saying too much over any channel, no matter how secure we thought it might be. But slowly, our team took shape.

Dr. Lorna Chen, a brilliant xenobiologist I'd worked with on several off-world missions, was the first to arrive. She swept into the safe house like a whirlwind, her dark eyes sharp behind her glasses.

"Clover," she said, pulling me into a tight hug. "When I got your message, I couldn't believe it. Are you okay?"

I returned the embrace, feeling some of the tension leave my body. "I'm alright, Lorna. Thank you for coming."

She pulled back as her gaze moved to Goernx. "And you must be the famous cyborg diplomat I've heard so much about. I have to say, your work on the neural integration protocols is fascinating. I'd love to pick your brain sometime. Er, metaphorically speaking, of course."

Goernx's lips twitched in what might have been the beginning of a smile. "I look forward to it, Dr. Chen."

Next to arrive was Kaidan Alenko, a former Alliance marine turned private security consultant. His cybernetic enhancements were subtle, but I could see Goernx's eye whirring as he assessed the newcomer.

"Damn, Belk," Kaidan said, giving me a quick once-over. "You look like you've been through hell."

I managed a wry smile. "You should see the other guys."