The Stasis Field flickered and sputtered, its light wavering as Aria's ChronoWeapon forced it to recalibrate. She gritted her teeth and braced herself as the wave of cold dissipated, feeling the air warm just enough for her to move. A faint buzzing sound echoed through the chamber, and she knew the Tribunal's automated defenses were now aware of their presence.
"Whatever you're doing, do it faster!" she shouted over her shoulder, eyes locked on the shimmering entrance.
"I'm almost there!" Elias called back, fingers flying over the console. "They've got triple-layer encryption on these files—it's going to take a minute to break through."
"Of course they do," Aria muttered under her breath. She turned her attention to the other end of the room, where a panel on the wall slid open with a metallic hiss. A group of drones, their spherical bodies hovering ominously, emerged from hidden alcoves, scanning the room with bright red sensors.
"Watch out!" Elias shouted, glancing up from the console. But Aria was already moving.
She dove behind a nearby column as the drones opened fire, a burst of energy bolts whizzing past her. Sparks flew as the bolts struck the wall behind her, leaving scorch marks in the reinforced metal. Aria rolled to the side, her ChronoWeapon blazing. Each shot slowed a drone just enough for her to reposition, dodging their return fire.
A loud beep came from Elias's console, and he grinned. "Got it! I'm initiating the download now."
"Hurry!" Aria snapped, ducking as another volley of bolts blasted the column. One of the drones buzzed closer, and she raised her weapon, firing directly at its sensor array. The drone froze, its circuitry flashing before it crashed to the ground in a shower of sparks.
The rest of the drones whirred, recalibrating their targeting systems. Aria could see them syncing up for a concentrated attack. "We're out of time, Elias!"
The download bar on the console inched forward, barely halfway. "Just keep them busy!" he said, his voice tense. "I'm overriding the secondary lock."
Aria's jaw clenched as she scanned the room, her mind racing. She reached into her utility belt and pulled out a Temporal Siphon, its blue glow pulsing like a heartbeat. It was a dangerous tool—capable of draining time distortion energy—but desperate times called for desperate measures.
She activated the Siphon and threw it into the center of the room. It landed with a metallic clang, and a sudden burst of energy surged outward, creating a bubble of slowed time around the drones. They buzzed in confusion, their movements sluggish as if caught in thick molasses.
Aria didn't hesitate. She sprang forward, darting between the drones and firing shots to disable their sensors. The Siphon's bubble flickered, struggling to maintain its field as it absorbed the temporal distortions.
"Hurry!" she shouted, her voice strained. "The Siphon's going to burn out!"
Elias's eyes never left the console. "Almost… there…" he muttered, sweat beading on his forehead. The download bar crept closer to completion, flashing a countdown of seconds.
The Temporal Siphon's light grew unstable, pulsing erratically. The drones began to shake, their systems fighting against the time bubble's interference. One broke free, its sensors flaring red, and whirled toward Elias.
"Elias!" Aria screamed, firing a shot, but it was too late—the drone launched a concentrated energy beam aimed straight at the console.
Elias threw himself to the side, barely dodging the blast, but the console exploded in a shower of sparks. Aria's heart lurched as the download screen went black, smoke billowing from the shattered control panel.
"No!" she shouted, her chest tightening. "The data!"
Elias scrambled back to his feet, his eyes wide as he stared at the smoldering remains of the console. "I got it," he said, holding up a small, glowing Data Shard between his fingers. "I finished the download just in time."
Aria's relief was short-lived. The Siphon gave one final pulse before overloading, sending out a wave of destabilized energy that disrupted everything in its radius. The remaining drones sparked and crashed to the floor, but the explosion also triggered the archive's emergency lockdown.
"Warning. Security breach detected," a mechanical voice droned over the intercom. "Initiating purge protocol in T-minus sixty seconds."
"We have to go—now!" Elias grabbed Aria's arm, and they bolted for the side exit, the alarm blaring through the chamber. Red lights flashed as heavy steel doors began to descend, sealing off the archive one section at a time.
They raced down a narrow corridor, the floor vibrating beneath their feet as the security system roared to life. The door ahead was closing fast, and Aria pushed herself harder, her lungs burning as she reached for the gap. She dove through just as it slammed shut behind her, Elias right on her heels.
"Keep moving!" he urged, guiding her down a twisting path of maintenance tunnels. The mechanical rumble grew louder, and the walls shook as the archive's defense systems activated fully.
"What did you grab?" Aria demanded between gasps, her pulse racing. "Was it worth all of this?"
Elias shot her a grin, holding up the glowing Data Shard. "Everything we need to take the Tribunal down."
They burst out of the final exit, emerging into the night air as the ground rumbled behind them. The entire archive shuddered, and they heard a muffled explosion as the internal purge protocol detonated, destroying the remaining files inside.
Aria's breath came in ragged gasps as they sprinted across the industrial yard, weaving between the abandoned machinery. She cast a glance back at the archive, now a smoking ruin. "We barely made it."
Elias's grin widened. "But we did. And we got what we came for."
Before she could respond, a bright light washed over them—the searchlights of a Tribunal airship, hovering ominously above. "Get down!" Elias shouted, shoving Aria behind a stack of crates just as a torrent of plasma bolts rained down.
She ducked low, her mind racing. "They've been tracking us this whole time!"
Elias's face was grim. "Of course they have. They weren't going to let us steal from them without a fight." He glanced at the airship, calculating. "We need to split up."
"What?" Aria asked, alarmed.
"I'll draw their fire," he said, shoving the Data Shard into her hand. "You take the Shard and get to the rendezvous point. I'll meet you there."
"No!" Aria's eyes blazed with defiance. "I'm not leaving you behind!"
"Aria, there's no time!" Elias's voice
Elias's voice was firm, his gaze steady despite the airship closing in. "Aria, listen to me. If they catch us both, everything we've done here—everything we just risked—will be for nothing. I can handle this."
Aria gripped the Data Shard tightly, the small crystal pulsing with the knowledge they'd sacrificed so much to get. She met Elias's gaze, her jaw clenched. "And if you don't make it back? If this is just another one of your plans that only works in your head?"
He held her stare, his usual playful light gone, replaced by a determination so fierce it made her chest tighten. "I'll make it back," he said quietly. "I've got too much left to do—and too many secrets I'm not ready to let go of."
The roar of the airship's engines grew louder, and Aria knew she didn't have time to argue. Reluctantly, she nodded, shoving the Shard into her pocket. "Fine. But if you don't show up, I'm coming back for you."
Elias's lips twitched in a faint smirk. "I'd expect nothing less."
Before she could respond, he pulled her in close, pressing a small device into her hand. It was a Chrono Transmitter, the kind of tech that could create a single-use burst of time-scrambling energy—enough to get her out unseen, but only for a few minutes. She'd heard about these devices on the black market, rumored to be illegal even within Tribunal ranks.
"Use this," he said, his voice low. "It'll throw them off your trail. Just don't waste time. Head for the safehouse in District Seven, and don't stop for anything.