Zane sat on the worn couch in Clara's Brooklyn apartment, the familiar scent of her lavender candles grounding him despite the knot in his chest. Clara's gray eyes studied him, sharp and knowing, as she set a plate of cookies on the coffee table. Sophia was out, probably at a friend's, leaving the apartment quiet, too quiet. Zane's hands fidgeted, the SYNEX-01's shard in his chest humming faintly, a reminder of the secrets he carried. Clara's words from weeks ago felt like a promise he was failing to keep.
"You're hiding something, Zane," Clara said, her voice soft but firm, cutting through the silence. "You've been distant, sneaking in and out like a ghost. Talk to me."
Zane's throat tightened. He wanted to tell her everything, the Synthorium, The Vault, the SYNEX-01 suit, but the faint Synthorium signal LYNX had picked up last night gnawed at him. No villains, no fights, just a blip, but enough to remind him his powers were a target. Telling Clara would put her and Sophia in danger. "It's just… work stuff," he lied, hating how easily the words came. "New job, long hours."
Clara's lips pressed thin, her hands folding in her lap. "Work stuff doesn't make you look like you're carrying the world, Zane. I raised you. I know when you're hurting."
Zane's eyes stung. Clara had taken him in after his dad died, given him a home when he had nothing. Lying to her felt like betraying that. He thought of Sophia's frown the other night, when the suit's cloak glitched. They deserved the truth, but he wasn't ready. "I'm fine, Mom," he said, forcing a smile. "Promise."
Clara sighed, reaching for his hand. "You're strong, Zane, but you don't have to do this alone. Whatever it is, we're family." Her words hit like a punch, and Zane squeezed her hand, unable to speak.
Back at The Vault, Zane threw himself into training, needing to shake the guilt. The sparring arena's walls shifted, holographic targets darting like fireflies. Kael stood across from him, his gray tunic simple, his blue eyes steady. "You're distracted," Kael said, raising a hand, blue energy swirling. "The suit's Tachyofocus mode needs a clear mind. Let's try it."
Zane nodded, the SYNEX-01 materializing around him in 2.4 seconds, its black plates sleek and blue lines glowing. LYNX's voice chimed: Tachyofocus mode ready. Prepare for cognitive shift. Zane braced, remembering Kael's story about losing his daughter, Elara, to hesitation. He couldn't afford to falter, not for Clara, not for Sophia.
"Activate," Zane said, and the world slowed. The NeuroVisor painted the arena in sharp detail, dust motes frozen, Kael's pulse crawling like molasses. Zane's mind raced, processing every angle, every move. He dodged the pulse, the suit's nanofiber musculature making him fluid, then formed a hard-light shield, blocking a second shot. Time snapped back, and he stumbled, head pounding but exhilarated.
Kael's rare smile broke through. "You're getting it. Tachyofocus lets you think faster, act faster. But it's taxing, so don't use it frequently."
Zane panted, the suit's HUD showing his heart rate spiking. "Felt like I was everywhere at once," he said, grinning. The neural link was smoother now, LYNX filtering data better after his tweaks. He was starting to feel like the suit was part of him, not a burden.
Jaxon, watching from the sidelines, clapped. "Looking like a pro, rookie! Ready to save the world yet?"
Liora, tinkering with a shield generator nearby, snorted. "He's barely saving himself, Jaxon. Keep training, glowstick." Her tone was sharp, but her glance held a flicker of pride.
Kael sat on the arena floor, motioning Zane to join. "You're progressing, but something's holding you back. What is it?"
Zane hesitated, the suit dematerializing. He thought of Clara's worried eyes, Sophia's suspicion. "My family," he admitted. "I'm lying to them, to Clara, Sophia. They think I'm just… me. Not this." He gestured to the shard in his chest. "What if they hate me for it?"
Kael's face softened, shadowed by memory. "I hid my powers from Elara at first, thinking it'd keep her safe. When she found out, she was proud, but hurt I didn't trust her. Truth is hard, Zane, but it's a choice. Like being a hero."
Zane's chest ached, Kael's words echoing Clara's call for family. He wasn't ready to tell them, not yet, but he'd make it right. "Thanks, Kael," he said, voice low. "You're not half bad at this mentor thing."
Kael chuckled, a rare sound. "I'm learning too."
The team worked on The Vault's defenses, Zane wiring sensors with his mechanic skills, the Synthorium's hum guiding his hands. Jaxon tested new panels, joking about "alien-proofing" the place. Liora calibrated cloaking fields, ensuring no tracker could breach again. Mr. Corin oversaw it all, his cryptic demeanor a quiet storm, his earlier talk of a "greater threat" still lingering in Zane's mind.
That evening, Zane slipped home, the SYNEX-01's quantum cloaking hiding him from Brooklyn's bustle. He needed to see Clara and Sophia, even if just for a moment. He phased through the apartment's wall, the suit's phase-shift mode steady now. Inside, Clara was cooking, the smell of chili filling the air. Sophia sat at the kitchen table, frowning at something in her hand—a tiny, glowing blue fragment.
Zane's heart stopped. A Synthorium fragment, one he must've dropped during his last visit. Sophia turned it over, her dark hair falling over her eyes. "This isn't normal," she muttered. "Zane's been so weird…"
Clara glanced over. "Put that down, Soph. It's probably junk from his projects."
Sophia didn't listen, pocketing it. Zane's pulse raced, the suit's HUD flashing warnings about Synthorium exposure. He wanted to decloak, explain, but fear stopped him. If Sophia kept that fragment, it could draw trouble, maybe even that faint signal LYNX had caught.
He slipped out, cloaking tighter, and flew back to The Vault, guilt choking him. He'd lied to protect them, but now Sophia was suspicious, holding a piece of his secret. Clara's trust, Kael's lessons, they pushed him to be better, but he felt like he was failing.
In the lab, Zane sat alone, tweaking the SYNEX-01's Tachyofocus settings. LYNX chimed: Neural link at 85% efficiency. Synthorium signal from last night remains active, low intensity. The warehouse district blip hadn't moved, still just a mystery, but it felt like a clock ticking.
Zane stared at the shard in his chest, the Synthorium's hum steady. He had to master this suit, powers, lies, for Clara, for Sophia, for himself. But as he worked, a faint blue glow pulsed in the lab's corner, unnoticed, like the fragment Sophia held, whispering of secrets yet to unfold.