Summary: As they begin the extraction, 01's security forces close in. Maya is forced to make a split-second decision: save the Cyborg's emotions or save herself.
The hallway stretched out before them like an endless tunnel, its sterile white walls closing in as the sound of approaching drones filled the air. The red lights of the machines flickered ahead, casting long shadows that danced across the polished floor, eerily silent except for the faint mechanical hum that grew louder with each passing second.
Maya's lungs burned as she sprinted alongside Kai, her feet pounding against the ground, but the fear coursing through her veins was sharper than any physical pain. Behind them, the alarms continued to blare, an inescapable reminder that they were out of time.
01 knew they were here.
Ahead of them, the exit loomed—a steel door at the end of the corridor. It was the only way out, but Maya could see the shimmering outline of a security field flickering to life around it. They had tripped the final defence. The drones would seal the building any second.
Kai slowed, his breath coming fast as he pulled out a small device from his pocket—a scrambler that Nia had given him, designed to disrupt 01's immediate network. He jabbed at it furiously, his face set in a grim expression.
"Keep going," he shouted, waving her forward. "I'll take care of the door!"
Maya hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. "You can't do this alone!"
Kai shot her a hard look, his voice rising over the alarms. "We don't have time to argue, Maya! Just go!"
Maya's feet faltered momentarily, the fear and uncertainty clawing at her. She knew what was at stake, but the thought of leaving Kai behind—even for a moment—sent her mind reeling. Still, there was no choice. They couldn't both stand here and wait for the drones to close in.
She turned and ran toward the steel door, her breath catching as she heard the unmistakable whirr of a drone swooping down behind her. The red lights flashed in the corner of her vision, and she ducked just in time as the drone shot past, its scanners sweeping the room for intruders.
The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall—more than just drones. Security forces. Maya's pulse quickened. The drones were fast, but the emotionally neutered human enforcers that followed were worse—relentless and precise, trained by the Algorithm to track and neutralize any threat.
She reached the door, her hands shaking as she keyed in the commands to open the terminal beside it. But the panel blinked red, the security field already active, a shimmering wall of energy that blocked their escape. They were trapped.
Maya cursed under her breath, spinning around just in time to see Kai pulling at the scrambler again. He slammed it into the terminal's override panel, his face twisted in frustration as the device failed to connect.
"Come on!" Kai muttered through gritted teeth, his fingers moving frantically over the controls. "Don't do this now."
Another drone whirred overhead, circling back toward them. Maya's heart raced as she dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the bright red targeting beam that shot out from the drone's scanners. They couldn't hold out much longer. The enforcers were closing in.
"Kai!" she shouted, her voice laced with panic. "We're running out of time!"
"I know!" he yelled back, his voice sharp with desperation. He slammed his fist against the panel, and for a moment, it looked like the scrambler might finally take hold. The security field flickered, weakening. Maya's pulse quickened with a faint flicker of hope. But before the door could fully disengage, the red lights of the drones intensified, and a sharp buzzing filled the air.
The system was fighting back.
Another alarm blared through the corridor, louder and more urgent than before. A sickening realization washed over Maya. 01 was adapting. It was already anticipating their moves, recalibrating its defences in real-time. This wasn't just a security breach anymore—01 was hunting them.
A sharp noise behind her made Maya whirl around just in time to see the first enforcer enter the corridor. He moved with cold precision, his face hidden behind a mask of reflective black glass, his rifle raised. Maya's heart lurched as the enforcer's gaze locked onto her, the targeting laser sweeping across her chest.
At that moment, time seemed to freeze.
Maya's mind raced. She could feel the weight of the tablet in her bag—the tablet that held the Cyborg's heart, his emotions, everything that had been stolen from him. If they didn't make it out, if they failed here, all of it would be lost. The mission, the rebellion, everything.
And yet, the fear pressing down on her was suffocating. She couldn't outrun 01's enforcers. They were faster, stronger, and more relentless than any human. If she stayed, she would be caught.
The drone overhead buzzed louder, and Maya's breath caught in her throat. The enforcer was closing in, his rifle trained on her, ready to fire.
At that moment, an instantaneous dilemma flashed before her eyes.
Save herself, or save the Cyborg.
Maya's hand darted into her bag, her fingers closing around the tablet. She had to make a choice. The data was encrypted, still raw, and she hadn't had time to back it up to the Glitchers' network. If she ran, the tablet could be destroyed, and everything they had fought for would be lost.
But if she stayed, if she stood her ground to protect the data... she wouldn't make it out alive.
"Maya!" Kai's voice cut through the chaos, yanking her out of her thoughts. He had managed to disrupt the field just enough for the door to crack open, but his eyes were wide with panic. "Move! Now!"
The enforcer raised his rifle, the targeting beam locking onto Maya's chest.
Maya's heart pounded in her ears as she made her decision.
Without another thought, she spun on her heel and bolted toward the door. She didn't look back as the enforcer fired—the shot barely missing her as she ducked through the narrow opening. The door slammed shut behind her with a deafening clang, and she could hear the enforcer's muffled curses from the other side.
Maya stumbled into the open air, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The night was cold and sharp, the wind whipping through the narrow alley behind the facility. For a brief moment, she felt the adrenaline drain from her body, leaving her trembling, the weight of her decision crashing down on her.
She had saved herself—but only just. The tablet, still clutched tightly in her hands, was safe. The Cyborg's emotions were intact. But they were far from free.
Kai was at her side, his hand gripping her arm as he pulled her toward the narrow escape route they had mapped out. "Come on," he urged, his voice breathless but determined. "We need to move before they lock down the entire sector."
Maya nodded, though her legs felt like lead beneath her. The reality of what had just happened still hadn't fully sunk in. They had made it out, but only just. 01 would be hunting them now, with more force than ever before.
As they sprinted through the darkened alleyways, the sound of drones buzzing in the distance, Maya tightened her grip on the tablet. The Cyborg's heart was safe—for now. But the danger was far from over.