Interference

As the Aga Jain crawls close to Aballon, the Dreamer sends us one last trinket, a thread that we may grasp, and follow into the unknown. We return to Jun Zhao’s hangar, but much has changed. Two sets of tools take up the same space, and whiteboards covered in math equations now cover what was once an empty wall. Jun Zhao is far older now, well past the prime of an average Human. His eyes are milky white with blindness, finally giving out after over nine decades of service. He rests in a well-used armchair, his head tilted to the side, listening where he once watched, as the young woman in front of him takes up his old work.
Abelina wears her grandfather’s glasses, her light brown hair tucked up into a tight bun. Although her top is fashionable, her waist is covered with gadgets and tools, which are all connected to the mic stand resting in her arms. She waves the device over the variety of machined objects laid before her - hollow metallic spheres, eight-sided polygons with fractal edges, and others that slide away from the eye. The Haze shows the lines between them. While far less complex than what her grandfather can manage - even in his current state - there is a power to them not seen with Jun Zhao. It is wilder, but this is not a detriment. Abelina’s gift did not lie in the construction of Drift Engines, but at least it paid the bills.
Jun: “The one on your left. With the diode.”
Abelina: “Yes, grandfather. I see it.”
Abelina reaches down to her belt, turning one of the knobs, and a low hum emits from a speaker on her hip, which is picked up by the microphone, resulting in a low frequency that barely touches the limits of human hearing. The lines around the objects shift, and the Drift Engine begins to purr, satisfied with the output of energy. The Haze tells us that Jun Zhao is still critical of his granddaughter's skill, but there is the pride of a teacher as well, which is slowly being replaced with the respect of a peer.
Jun: “Soon, you won’t need me anymore.”
Abelina: “Ha! I still can’t-”
An explosion disrupts the conversation. Both Alignmatists look to the Drift Engine first, and this trained reaction costs them in their initiative. A dozen soldiers in black tactical gear come swarming into the hangar, guns raised and grenades primed. Abelina barely has time to gasp before a flash bang consumes our vision, and shatters the dream.