Gone
The thing was – time in Alec's mindscape went by a lot slower than it was outside, so Alec and Ye Sha were still figuring things out until the last moment.
It had been a rather long time since Alec felt Dominique's phantom touch, but that didn't deter the two Systems.
While Alec slogged away at the data, Ye Sha felt himself growing increasingly anxious and restless, almost uncharacteristically so.
It was almost as if the solution was there on the tip of his tongue – or that he should be able to change this situation in some way, but he couldn't.
They weren't getting anywhere, and it wasn't from the lack of trying either.
Then, a brief thought flashed in his mind as he felt the helplessness of their situation.
While data was good, if they weren't able to affect it internally, then it wasn't going to help any.
With both Alec and Ye Sha stuck inside Alec's mindscape, they had their hands figuratively tied.