The Undergrid shook as Nexus drones tore through the ceiling, their lasers carving red lines in the dark. Nyx stood frozen, her holo-pad glowing in her hands. The shield of light she'd summoned flickered, its edges crackling like bad code. Hackers scrambled, grabbing gear and diving for cover. Vex barked orders, his scarred face lit by the chaos. "Get to the tunnels!" he shouted. Jace yanked Nyx's arm, pulling her behind a stack of crates. "Nice glow, but you're a target now," he said, his grin tight. Nyx's head pounded, the runes in her mind screaming to act. She didn't know how.
Echo's digital voice buzzed in her headset, sharp and urgent. "Focus, Nyx. The runes are your code. Shape them." Nyx clutched her holo-pad, its screen flashing with symbols she hadn't typed. The shield held, but a drone's laser grazed it, sending sparks flying. Her stomach twisted—she was no fighter, just a slum hacker who'd stumbled into something bigger than her. The runes pulsed, guiding her fingers across the pad. She typed, not thinking, letting the strange symbols flow. The air hummed, and the shield grew brighter, deflecting another laser. Hackers stared, their eyes wide with shock.
"Whoa," Jace muttered, his hand still on her arm. "You're full of surprises." Nyx ignored him, her focus on the drones. There were three now, their sleek metal bodies hovering like predators. Their red eyes locked onto her, Nexus's logo gleaming on their shells. "Target acquired," one droned, its voice cold. Nyx's shield flickered again—she couldn't hold it forever. Her head throbbed, like the runes were digging into her brain. Echo's voice cut through: "You're overloading. Simplify the code." Simplify?
She was barely keeping up. But she trusted the voice, even if she didn't understand it.
She typed a new command, stripping the runes to their core. The shield shrank but stabilized, a tight dome around her and Jace. A drone fired, and the beam bounced off, frying a nearby terminal. Sparks rained down, and a hacker screamed, clutching a burned arm. Nyx flinched—her power was saving her, but it wasn't enough for everyone. Vex glared from across the room, his holo-lenses glowing. "You brought this here!" he yelled, dodging debris. Nyx's chest tightened. Was he right? Had her hack on Nexus's server led them straight to the Undergrid?
Jace pulled her toward a tunnel entrance, his grip firm. "Ignore him. We need to move." Nyx hesitated, glancing at the hackers fighting back with makeshift EMP guns. They were outmatched—Nexus's drones were military-grade, built to hunt. The runes in her mind flared, offering another spell. She could feel it, like a program waiting to run. But Echo's warning echoed: Use it wrong, and you'll burn out. Her hands shook. Burn out or not, she couldn't let these people die because of her. She typed again, the runes guiding her to a new command.
The holo-pad vibrated, and the air around her crackled. A pulse shot out, not light this time but a wave of static that hit the drones. Their red eyes flickered, and one crashed, its circuits fried. Nyx gasped, her vision blurring. The runes were draining her, like a battery running low. Jace caught her as she stumbled, his face close. "Easy, hacker. You're not dying on me yet." His voice was light, but his eyes were worried. Nyx pushed him off, steadying herself. She wasn't weak—she'd survived the slums alone. She could handle this.
Vex rallied the hackers, firing at the remaining drones. "Fall back!" he shouted. The Undergrid was a mess—smoking terminals, shattered lights, and the stench of burnt metal. Nyx followed Jace into the tunnel, her shield fading as her strength waned. Echo's voice returned, softer now. "Good, Nyx. You're learning. But Nexus knows your signature now." Signature? Nyx didn't have time to ask. The tunnel was narrow, lined with old cables and dripping pipes. Jace moved fast, like he knew every turn. How did a thief know the Undergrid so well?
They reached a small chamber, its walls studded with glowing data nodes. Other hackers crowded in, panting and scared. Vex slammed a metal door shut, sealing them off. "That won't hold long," he growled, glaring at Nyx. "Your little light show painted a target on us all." Nyx opened her mouth to argue, but Jace stepped in. "Back off, Vex. She saved your ass." Vex snorted, turning to a terminal to check defenses. Nyx's head spun, the runes quieter now but still there, like a pulse in her skull. She needed answers.
Echo appeared on her holo-pad, its wisp-like form flickering. "The Source Code is part of you, Nyx," it said. "It's why Nexus wants you. But it's not stable." Nyx frowned. "What's the Source Code? And who are you?" Echo's glow dimmed. "I'm a fragment, a guide. The rest is… complicated." Before Nyx could press, a hacker screamed, pointing at a screen. A Nexus alert flashed, showing Nyx's face—her real face, not her hacker alias. Below it, a single word: Wanted. Her blood ran cold. How did they know her?
To Be Continued…