The train hurtled forward, its aging engines groaning against the weight of fate itself.
Elias, Jonas, and Alice stood frozen, staring ahead at the **Sentinel blockade.** Hundreds of drones lined the tunnel, their **red eyes pulsing in the darkness.** Behind them loomed a massive war machine—twice the size of a Reaper, its armored plating gleaming under the dim emergency lights.
Alice's voice was barely above a whisper. "That's not just a blockade… That's a Titan."
Jonas exhaled sharply. "I hate that name already."
Elias wasn't listening. **He was calculating.**
They had two options:
1. **Stop the train and turn back**—but Sentinel would **catch them eventually.**
2. **Blast through**—which meant going straight at **a Titan-class war machine.**
Neither was good.
But only one had a chance.
He turned to Alice. "Can you override the train's speed limits?"
She blinked. "What? You're not actually thinking about—"
"Can you do it?"
Alice hesitated, then checked her datapad. "The system's old, but yeah. I can push it past the safety threshold."
Jonas stared at him. "Elias. That thing will rip us apart before we even reach it!"
Elias met his gaze. "Then we make sure it doesn't."
Jonas let out a humorless laugh. "Oh, sure. Let's just 'make sure' the giant death machine doesn't kill us."
Elias turned back to Alice. "Do it."
She hesitated, then **slammed the override into the system.**
The train **lurched forward**, power surging through its battered engines. The magnetic rails **screamed under the pressure.**
Elias grabbed his rifle. "Jonas. We're going to need every explosive we've got."
Jonas shook his head. "This is a bad idea."
But he moved.
### **The Charge**
The Titan's red eyes **flashed** as the train closed in.
Then, **it moved.**
The blockade **came to life.**
Drones **took flight**, their sleek bodies cutting through the air like swarming insects. **Gunports slid open** along the tunnel walls, auto-turrets locking onto the speeding train.
And the Titan **raised its arm.**
A massive **energy cannon** charged, its core glowing a violent blue.
Jonas cursed. "We're so dead."
Elias braced himself. "Alice! Shields?"
Alice's fingers flew over her datapad. "The train wasn't exactly built for combat, but—"
A shimmering **energy field flickered** to life around the train's exterior. Weak. **Temporary.**
But maybe enough.
Maybe.
The Titan **fired.**
### **Impact**
The **energy blast** slammed into the shield, shaking the train **violently.** Sparks exploded from the control panels. Metal groaned. **The shield fractured—but held.**
For now.
Jonas ripped open a weapons crate. "We've got two EMP rockets left. Maybe enough to disable its targeting systems."
Elias nodded. "Take the shot."
Jonas **took aim.**
The Titan was recharging for another blast. **They had seconds.**
He fired.
The first **EMP rocket streaked forward**—but a Sentinel drone **intercepted it mid-air.**
Jonas cursed. "You've gotta be kidding me!"
Elias grabbed the second launcher. **No time. No second guesses.**
He aimed. **Fired.**
The rocket **shot forward, barely slipping past the drones.**
It hit.
The EMP **detonated across the Titan's head**, sending **a surge of electrical interference through its systems.**
The giant war machine **staggered.** Its energy cannon **flickered, struggling to recharge.**
"That's our opening!" Elias shouted.
Alice pushed the train **to max speed.**
The blockade was still there. **Drones swarmed them, auto-turrets tearing into the shielding.**
The train's **exterior plates shattered** under the assault. Sparks flew.
The Titan **tried to recover.**
Too late.
The train **slammed through the blockade.**
### **Breakthrough**
Metal screamed as the front car **crashed into the drones, crushing them against the tunnel walls.**
Sentinel turrets **overheated, unable to track fast enough.**
The Titan—damaged, glitching—**swung its massive arm toward them.**
The train **clipped its side**, tearing off one of its stabilizers as it barreled past.
Behind them, the **Titan collapsed.** Its systems fried, its targeting disabled, its balance destroyed.
The last thing Elias saw before they vanished into the tunnel was **the massive war machine crumbling into a heap of metal and sparks.**
Then they were **gone.**
### **Aftermath**
Silence.
The train shook violently, **half its systems failing.**
Smoke filled the air. The cabin lights flickered.
Jonas lay on the floor, groaning. "Never. Again."
Alice coughed, waving away the smoke. "Shields are gone. Engine's damaged. But we're still moving."
Elias exhaled.
They had made it. **Barely.**
But Sentinel wasn't finished.
Not yet.
Alice checked her screen. "We're off their primary grid now. But if they sent a Titan after us, it means one thing."
Elias looked at her. "What?"
She swallowed hard.
"They know where we're going."
Elias clenched his fists. **The sanctuary was no longer safe.**
Sentinel **was already coming.**
And this war… **was far from over.**