"Got your things," Alfred said, placing the backpack and suitcase on the floor next to Alex. "You're gonna need them."
Alex stood up slowly, rubbing his temples. "Thanks, Alfred. I assume you're not just here to drop off my stuff."
Diane set the papers on the table, glancing at Alex with a mixture of concern and urgency. "We need your help."
Alfred gave a quick nod. "It's not just your gear we're after. We've got a bigger problem, and we need an escape plan, fast. And I mean *fast*."
Alex raised an eyebrow, glancing between them. "What's going on? The city's gone to hell, and you're asking for an escape plan? Won't it be better to stay indoors and wait for rescue?"
"It's not just the city," Diane replied, her voice low, controlled. "The whole Pacific Prosperity Sphere is collapsing. According to some of our friends, the infection is spreading faster than anyone anticipated, and the government's containment efforts are... less than effective." She paused, flicking a glance at Alfred before looking back at Alex. "We need food, transport, and a way out of New Zenith. Somewhere safe."
Alfred stepped forward, placing the suitcase on the table. "And we need you to help us get out of here with your drone. We're leaving the Sphere—heading toward the other power blocs. We don't know what's happening outside of here, but we need to find a place that's still stable. Somewhere... unaffected."
Alex processed the information in silence, his mind racing.
"How do you know the other blocs are unaffected? Why can't these friends of yours help you get out of here instead?"
"They're trapped in the city center... and we lost connection with them." Alfred stared at him. "Listen, we know we're asking for help out of nowhere, but we just want to get out, then we'll call it quits."
Escape was one thing—getting out of New Zenith was going to be hard—but finding somewhere "unaffected" by the virus? What if the people behind the attacks target the other blocs too?
"You're asking me to get you out of the city," Alex said slowly, his mind already going through potential routes. "And you want transportation to get to another power bloc? You know those borders are heavily restricted even in peace times, right? With the virus spreading, there's no way anyone's getting out without some serious paperwork—and connections."
Diane spoke up. "We will take care of that." She dropped the stack of papers onto the table, revealing detailed maps of the city. "We need transport to get across the border. Something faster than a standard four-wheels, a maglev car. The closest one is at the middle of Undercity, the Skyport Gamma.
Alex leaned against the table, his gaze flicking between the suitcase, the papers, and the two of them.
---
"Skyport Gamma," Diane said again, her voice calm but firm. "It's the only place we can get to. The other ports are either in the Outer City or parked in secured places tighter than a corporate vault."
Alex's brow furrowed. "And you think Gamma's safe? It's smack in the middle of the Undercity. That place is a nightmare. Even before... all this." He gestured vaguely toward the window, where the faint flicker of warning lights could be seen in the distant skyline.
"It's not safe," Alfred said bluntly, stopping mid-pace to glare at Alex. "But it's the best shot we've got. The maglevs are down, the streets are chaos, and unless you've got a private VTOL stashed somewhere, this is our only way out."
"VTOL?" Alex asked, confused.
Alfred snapped to face Alex, but Diane answered first. "Vertical Take-Off and Landing. He means helicopters or those fancy supercars and planes."
Alex nodded, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Alright, I'll help you. But I'm only acting as a scout. I'm not babysitting anyone, and I'm not fighting off whatever's lurking down there."
"That's all we're asking," Diane said, relief flickering across her face.
"But there's a catch," Alex added, holding up a finger. "Wren's rotors are slightly damaged, and his power unit needs recharging. If I'm going to scout properly, I need to upgrade him. There's a drone boutique a few blocks from here. We'll stop there on the way, and I'll grab what I need to fix her."
Diane nodded. "Fair, and we need supplies too. We can drop by some store and loot up. Anything else?"
"Yeah," Alex said, standing and heading toward his backpack. He rummaged through it for a moment before pulling out a small tablet—the screen was broken and it won't even turn on. "I guess I need a new tablet too."
Alex secretly memorized the maps on the table using his neural implant NAI-7 when his brain suddenly started aching up.
ARSE sent him a warning. "Memory storage reaching critical levels. Recommendations: Delete old/unused memory; or Add/Upgrade the memory storage drives for Neural Augmentation Interface."
Alex looked at the options but didn't answer.
"Are you okay?" Diane asked, worried.
"I'm fine," Alex replied. "I've got a route in mind that hits both the boutique and a supply depot. It's risky, but it's better than wandering aimlessly."
Alfred crossed his arms, his expression skeptical. "You sure about this route? The Undercity's crawling with scavengers and worse. One wrong turn, and we're done."
"I may not know the Undercity better than you, but I have Wren." Alex shot back, glaring at him. "This route keeps us in buffer zones and side alleys as much as possible. It's not perfect, but it's better than the alternatives. Besides, if we run into trouble, I'll spot it before it spots us. That's the whole point of a scout."
Diane stepped between them, her voice calm but firm. "Enough. We don't have time for this. Alex, if you're sure about the route, then we'll follow your lead. Just get Wren fixed up quickly."
Alex nodded, already mentally planning the upgrades. "Wren's going to need some repairs especially on his wings, crashing through a window wasn't the best idea I had. I'll also swap out his basic optics for thermal and motion tracking—should help with spotting trouble before it's too late. I might add a small storage mod, too, for carrying essentials..."
"Okay, alright, that's fine," Diane said, interrupting Alex's thought process. "Just be quick about it. The longer we wait, the more dangerous this gets."
Alex slung his backpack over his shoulder and glanced at the group. "Gather your things. We leave in ten minutes. I'll scout the area ahead and lure crazies out of our way. The boutique isn't far, but we'll need to move fast and stay out of sight."
As Alfred and Diane moved to gather their items, Alex went next to the window and looked outside.
It was still generally dark but some lights were slowly appearing in the horizon. He opened the suitcase and wore the HoloLens Glasses.
Alex knelt next to Wren, who came to life, powering up at his side. The drone's rotors whined softly, the wear and tear evident in its uneven hum.
"Hang in there, buddy," Alex muttered, patting the drone's smooth chassis. "We'll get you fixed up soon. Just a little longer."
Alex searched the backpack and found his Nexus device and wore it. The device turned on immediately unlike before when it had to reboot.
"Welcome back, Alex. How may I assist you today?" Sparc greeted in a cheerful robotic voice.
"Welcome back, friend," Alex whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'm sending some files to you. Scan the maps and mark the route I made, highlight potential choke points. We can't afford to run into any surprises."
"Route marked," Sparc replied, its voice low and efficient.
A faint overlay appeared in Alex's vision, tracing their planned path through the Undercity. Points of interest glowed softly, along with potential danger zones.
Alex exhaled.
The Undercity was dangerous on the best of days.
Now, with the world in chaos, it was a powder keg waiting to explode.
But this was the only way forward.
And if he was going to survive, he'd need to be sharper, faster, and smarter than ever before.
"Alright," Alex said, straightening up. "Let's move."