The distant sound of boots on metal echoed faintly through the tunnels, a steady, ominous rhythm that sent chills down Elliot's spine. It was distant, but not distant enough. The Syndicate's men were closing in, and every step they took tightened the noose around him and Nina. They were running out of time.
"How far are they?" Nina asked, her voice trembling. Her body was hunched against the cold, damp wall of the maintenance corridor, her legs curled beneath her on the rusted metal grating that served as a floor. Her eyes darted to Elliot, wide with fear, her face pale and glistening with sweat.
Elliot didn't answer right away. His fingers moved frantically across the terminal keyboard, eyes scanning the grainy feed from the cameras he had managed to hack into. The two enforcers from the Syndicate were navigating the tunnels with a precision that suggested more than just luck.
"They're closing in," Elliot said finally, his voice tight. "Maybe two hundred meters back, three turns down the main corridor."
"How the hell do they know where we're going?" Nina demanded. "I thought you locked them out!"
"I locked the stairwell," Elliot snapped, his frustration boiling over. "I didn't expect them to have a tracker on you."
Nina recoiled slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Right," she muttered. "Blame me."
Elliot sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I'm not blaming you. I'm just saying—"
A loud crash echoed through the tunnels, interrupting him. The sound of metal clanging against metal reverberated down the corridor, followed by the sharp, unmistakable hum of an energy weapon charging.
"Shit," Elliot muttered, his eyes darting back to the terminal. The camera feed showed one of the enforcers kicking down a service panel, revealing a shortcut that bypassed several bends in the tunnel system. They weren't just following a trail—they were cutting off escape routes.
"We need to move. Now." Elliot shut the terminal down and grabbed Nina by the arm, pulling her to her feet. She stumbled slightly but followed, her breathing shallow and ragged.
"Where are we even going?" Nina asked, her voice trembling as they started running again.
"There's a drone service station about half a klick ahead," Elliot said over his shoulder. "If I can get to it, I can hack the local network and reroute some of the automated drones to cover our tracks. Might even buy us enough time to disable your tracker."
"'Might?'" Nina repeated, her voice rising. "That's not exactly reassuring."
"Nothing about this situation is reassuring," Elliot shot back. "But if you've got a better plan, I'm all ears."
She didn't respond, and he didn't expect her to. He tightened his grip on her wrist as they rounded another corner, the dim emergency lights casting long, flickering shadows across the walls.
They arrived at the drone station just as the sound of their pursuers' boots grew louder, echoing ominously in the tunnels behind them. The station was a small, cylindrical room, lined with docking ports where maintenance drones rested, their sleek, insect-like forms gleaming under the flickering lights. The air was heavy with the smell of oil and ozone, and the faint hum of charging stations filled the space.
Elliot didn't waste any time. He released Nina's wrist and ran to the central terminal, pulling out a small device from his pocket and plugging it into the console. The screen flickered to life, displaying a series of diagnostic menus and system logs. He quickly began navigating through the interface, his fingers moving with practiced speed.
"Okay," he muttered under his breath. "Let's see what we've got here..."
Nina hovered near the doorway, her eyes darting nervously between the tunnel they had just come from and Elliot. "How long is this going to take?"
"Not long," Elliot said, though the strain in his voice betrayed his confidence. "Just keep an eye out, okay?"
Nina nodded, her hands fidgeting at her sides. She felt useless, and the weight of that helplessness pressed down on her like a physical force. She glanced over her shoulder, half-expecting to see the enforcers charging around the corner at any moment.
Elliot cursed under his breath, his fingers pausing over the keyboard. "Damn it, they've got a secondary encryption layer on the local network. Of course they do."
"What does that mean?" Nina asked, her voice rising.
"It means this is going to take longer than I thought," Elliot said, his eyes narrowing at the screen. "I need to reroute their access protocols and create a backdoor without triggering a lockdown. If I screw this up—"
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
The faint hum of the terminal was suddenly drowned out by the sharp clang of footsteps echoing through the tunnel outside. Nina's head snapped toward the sound, her breath hitching in her throat.
"Elliot..." she whispered, her voice trembling.
"I know," he said through gritted teeth, his focus unwavering as he worked. Lines of code scrolled rapidly across the screen, a digital symphony of defiance against the Syndicate's pursuit.
The footsteps grew louder, closer. Nina pressed herself against the wall, her heart pounding. She could hear the faint crackle of the enforcers' radios, distorted voices barking orders. They were right outside.
Elliot's fingers hesitated for a split second, then slammed the Enter key. The terminal beeped, and the overhead lights flickered before shutting off entirely, plunging the station into darkness.
"What did you do?" Nina whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Disabled the lights," Elliot replied, his own voice low. "They'll have to rely on their optics, which should slow them down."
Nina didn't find that particularly comforting, but she didn't argue. The sound of footsteps paused, followed by a low, mechanical whir. A beam of red light swept through the doorway as one of the enforcers activated a scanning module.
"They're using thermal imaging," Elliot muttered, his mind racing. He glanced around the room, searching for anything that could give them an edge.
The drones.
"Get down," Elliot whispered sharply, grabbing Nina and pulling her behind a stack of crates near the terminal. He quickly accessed the drone controls on his handheld device, his fingers flying over the screen.
"What are you doing now?" Nina hissed.
"Buying us time," Elliot replied.
The nearest drone whirred to life, its sleek, insect-like body detaching from the docking station. It hovered in the air for a moment before shooting out into the corridor, its lights blinking as it activated its standard patrol routine.
The enforcers' radios crackled. "Movement detected. Sector 3B."
The sound of footsteps grew louder as the enforcers pursued the drone, their weapons drawn.
Elliot exhaled, his shoulders sagging slightly. "That won't hold them for long. We need to go."
They slipped out of the drone station and into another tunnel, this one narrower and darker than the last. The air was colder here, and the walls were coated with a thin layer of condensation. Elliot led the way, his handheld device glowing faintly in the darkness as he used it to navigate the labyrinthine network.
"Where are we going?" Nina asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"There's an old data hub about a quarter mile from here," Elliot said. "It's not connected to the main network anymore, but it should have enough power for me to work. I can disable your tracker there."
"And after that?" Nina pressed.
Elliot hesitated. "One thing at a time, Torres."
They continued in silence, the tension between them palpable. The only sounds were the soft hum of Elliot's device and the distant echoes of the Syndicate's enforcers. Nina's breathing was shallow, her body tense. She felt like a coiled spring, ready to snap at any moment.
Elliot, for his part, was struggling to keep his own fear in check. He wasn't built for this. He was a tech guy, not a fighter. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to find a safe corner and hide, to wait for the danger to pass. But that wasn't an option anymore. Not with Nina depending on him. Not with the Syndicate closing in.
As they rounded another corner, the tunnel opened up into a larger chamber. The walls were lined with rusted machinery, and a faint blue light glowed from a console in the center of the room.
"This is it," Elliot said, moving toward the console. He plugged his device into the terminal and began working, his fingers moving with practiced speed.
Nina stood guard near the entrance, her eyes scanning the darkness. "How long is this going to take?"
"Not long," Elliot replied, though he didn't sound entirely sure.
Back in the maintenance tunnels, the Syndicate's enforcers regrouped. One of them, a tall man with cybernetic implants along the left side of his face, tapped a control panel on his wrist.
"They're close," he said, his voice cold and mechanical. "The tracker signal is weak, but it's still active."
His partner, a shorter man with augmented arms that glowed faintly in the darkness, nodded. "They'll head for the data hub. It's the only place nearby with the power they need."
The tall man's cybernetic eye whirred as it
zoomed in on the map displayed on his wrist. "We'll flank them. Cut off their exit."
He tapped his wrist panel again, and a nearby drone whirred to life, its red lights piercing the darkness. "Send word to HQ. Tell them we've got them cornered."
At the data hub, Elliot's fingers moved faster than ever. Lines of code scrolled across the screen as he worked to disable Nina's tracker. His heart raced, his mind a whirlwind of calculations and contingencies.
Nina watched him from the doorway, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She looked fragile, exhausted, like a ghost of the confident woman she'd been before NoQAnOLs had sunk its claws into her.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked suddenly, her voice soft.
Elliot didn't look up. "What else was I supposed to do? Let them take you?"
"You don't even know me," Nina said, her voice breaking. "You could've stayed in your apartment. Stayed safe."
Elliot paused, his hands hovering over the keyboard. He looked at her, his tired eyes meeting hers. "I couldn't just let them have you," he said quietly. "I've seen what they do to people. I couldn't... I couldn't live with that."
Nina swallowed hard, her eyes glistening with tears. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, the sound of footsteps echoed through the chamber.
Elliot's eyes snapped to the doorway. His hands moved faster, his fingers flying over the keys.
"Almost there," he muttered. "Just a little more..."
The console beeped, and a progress bar appeared on the screen. Tracker Disabled. Signal Neutralized.
"Got it," Elliot said, unplugging his device. "Let's go."
But as they turned toward the exit, the first enforcer stepped into the chamber, his weapon raised.
"You're not going anywhere," the man growled.
Elliot froze, his mind racing. Nina pressed herself against the wall, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps.
The enforcer's cybernetic eye glowed faintly as he trained his weapon on them. "You should've stayed in your apartment, Kessler," he said. "Now you've made yourself a problem."
Elliot's jaw tightened. "Yeah," he said, his voice trembling but defiant. "I get that a lot."
And then, with a flick of his wrist, he activated the terminal's overload sequence.
The lights in the chamber flared, and the machinery roared to life, flooding the room with a deafening cacophony of sound and light. The enforcer stumbled back, momentarily blinded, and Elliot grabbed Nina's hand.
"Run!" he shouted.
They bolted for the exit, the sound of gunfire ringing out behind them.