Maya's pulse was still racing from the counterattack. The subnet's power had flowed through her like lightning, and though it had saved them, it left her trembling, her muscles weak, her thoughts scattered. Every nerve in her body felt raw, as if the tunnels had reached inside her and rewired something.
But there was no time to dwell. Kieran was still out there.
Selene jogged ahead, weapon raised, her steps precise despite exhaustion. Her eyes swept every junction, every flickering light, searching for movement. "The pings are fading," she said, checking the device strapped to her wrist. A crude scanner, scavenged from a broken console. It pulsed faintly with directional blips. "He's close—but so are they."
Maya swallowed. Her throat felt scorched. "Then we move faster."
They ducked under a collapsed beam, boots splashing in ankle-deep water. The tunnel ahead branched into three arteries, each one thrumming with the low, constant hum of the subnet. The sound had become impossible to ignore, drilling into Maya's skull. Sometimes, if she focused too hard, she could almost hear words in it. Fragments of thought that weren't hers.
Selene paused at the fork. "Left or right?"
Maya closed her eyes, listening. The hum surged in the left tunnel—louder, faster, almost beckoning. Her chest tightened. "That way."
Selene gave her a sharp look. "You're guessing based on feelings?"
"No," Maya said, though her voice cracked. "It's not just me. It's the subnet. It's leading us."
Selene muttered a curse but didn't argue. She trusted action over theory, and right now action meant forward.
They plunged into the left tunnel, their footsteps echoing. The air grew hotter, thick with the smell of ozone and burning metal. Ahead, the faint glow of red lights flickered. Enforcers.
Selene slowed, signaling with two fingers. Enemies ahead.
Maya's stomach twisted. They had no time for a fight. Kieran was deeper inside, and every second they wasted, he drew closer to danger. She pressed her palm against the wall, forcing herself to breathe. The subnet hummed beneath her skin, pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat. She thought of doors again—of ways to close, to shut, to block.
Her mind pushed outward.
The tunnel lights flickered, then burst into darkness. Sparks rained down. The Enforcers' visors lit up instantly, scanning, adjusting. But the walls groaned, shifting with a sound like grinding teeth. The floor plates tilted under their boots. One Enforcer stumbled. Another raised its weapon—then the ceiling dropped, a slab of steel and wire crushing them before they could fire.
Selene stared at her. "You're getting stronger."
Maya trembled, her nose bleeding. "It's not me. It's it. And I don't know how long it'll let me control it."
They moved past the wreckage quickly. The scanner's blip grew stronger, pulsing faster. Kieran was close.
The tunnel widened into a massive arterial chamber, and for a moment Maya's breath caught. It was like standing inside a living machine. Thick conduits stretched from floor to ceiling, pulsing with light. The walls curved outward like the ribs of some buried beast. At the center, far ahead, a glow throbbed—blue and red intertwined, beating like a colossal heart.
And there, silhouetted against the glow, was Kieran.
Her relief lasted only a second before she noticed the figures advancing on him. At least four Enforcers, weapons raised, their red optics locked on the boy. He hadn't seen them—his attention was fixed on the core, knife in hand.
"Kieran!" Maya shouted, her voice breaking.
He turned, startled. His face was pale, gaunt, eyes sunken from exhaustion. But alive. "Maya?"
The Enforcers reacted instantly, weapons powering up.
Selene moved like lightning, firing precise bursts. The chamber erupted in gunfire, bullets sparking against conduits. Maya felt the subnet hum spike to a scream, like it was angered. She pressed her hands against her head, fighting the urge to collapse.
"Kieran, don't touch it!" she cried, forcing her voice through the storm. "It's alive—it's using us!"
He hesitated, staring at the knife in his hand, then at the glowing core. His knuckles whitened.
The Enforcers pressed forward. Selene dropped one with a perfect shot, but another lunged, nearly crushing her under its weight. Maya screamed, thrusting her will outward. The floor plates split open beneath the machine, dragging it down into the abyss.
The subnet roared in her ears, so loud it felt like her skull would crack.
Through the chaos, she locked eyes with Kieran. His face was a warzone—fear, doubt, fury. She could see the thought tearing him apart: strike the heart and risk everything, or step away and trust her.
Selene shouted, her voice raw. "We don't have time for you to play god, boy! Move!"
The hum deepened, vibrating through their bones. The core pulsed faster, brighter, as if anticipating his choice.
Maya's voice broke, desperate. "Kieran—please. Trust me."