The chamber's metal door groaned under the enforcers' blows, each thud echoing like a death knell. Nyx's heart pounded, her holo-pad trembling in her hands. The invisibility spell she'd woven held, cloaking her and Jace in a shimmering veil that bent the chamber's shadows around them. The air crackled with static, and her head throbbed, the runes in her mind pulsing too fast, like code spiraling out of control. The word Experiment still burned in her vision, a ghost from her screen. Was that what she was to Nexus—a lab rat? Her stomach churned, but she couldn't lose focus now.
Jace crouched beside her, his stun-knife glinting in the dim light. His usual grin was gone, replaced by a tense frown. "Keep that spell up, hacker," he whispered, his voice low but steady. "They're too close." Nyx nodded, her fingers typing to stabilize the veil. The runes guided her, but each command felt like a needle in her brain. Echo's warning rang in her ears: Use it wrong, and you'll burn out. She was pushing too hard, and her body knew it—sweat beaded on her forehead, her vision flickering with black spots.
Outside, the enforcers' scanners hummed, their beams sweeping the chamber. "No readings," one grunted, his voice muffled through the door. "She's here somewhere. Check every corner." Nyx's breath hitched. Her spell was hiding her from their tech, but if they breached the door, they'd see through it. Jace's hand grazed hers, warm and grounding. "You got this," he said, his eyes locking on hers. For a moment, the chaos faded, and she felt a spark—not magic, but something else. She shook it off. Trusting him was a risk she couldn't afford.
Echo's pixelated form flickered on her holo-pad, its voice urgent. "Nyx, the Source Code is reacting to you. You can do more than hide—push the spell outward." Push it? Nyx's head screamed in protest, but she trusted Echo's guidance, even if she didn't understand it. She typed, weaving the runes into a new command. The veil expanded, cloaking the entire chamber in a glitch-like haze. The servers and cables faded, blending into a digital mirage. Nyx gasped, her knees buckling. Jace caught her, his arm strong around her waist. "Easy," he murmured. "You're killing it."
The door burst open, and three enforcers stormed in, their black armor gleaming under the chamber's flickering LEDs. Their rifles glowed with plasma tips, and holo-visors scanned the room. Nyx held her breath, her spell trembling like a frayed wire. The lead enforcer, a woman with a shaved head and a Nexus badge, barked, "Spread out. She's not invisible." Nyx's heart skipped—her spell was working, but her strength was fading fast. Her vision blurred, and the runes felt like fire in her skull. She couldn't hold the spell much longer.
Jace whispered, "We need a way out." Nyx scanned the chamber, her eyes landing on a rusted vent in the wall. It was small, but they could squeeze through. She nodded toward it, and Jace moved, silent as a shadow, prying the vent open with his knife. The enforcers were close, their boots crunching debris just meters away. Nyx's spell flickered, and a server flickered back into view for a split second. The lead enforcer spun, her visor locking on the glitch. "There!" she shouted, raising her rifle. Nyx's heart stopped.
She typed frantically, the runes screaming for release. The spell surged, and the chamber warped, walls bending like a corrupted holo-feed. The enforcers stumbled, their visors sparking as her magic scrambled their tech. Nyx's nose bled, the pain in her head blinding. Jace grabbed her, pulling her toward the vent. "Move, Nyx!" he hissed. She crawled after him, her holo-pad clutched tight, the spell collapsing behind them. The enforcers fired, plasma bolts sizzling past, one grazing her leg. She bit back a scream, the pain sharp but not crippling.
The vent was tight, its metal cold against her skin. Jace led the way, his knife scraping the walls. Nyx's breath came in gasps, her leg burning and her head pounding. The runes were quiet now, but the word Experiment echoed in her mind. Nexus knew her face, her name—Elara Voss, a name she'd buried in the slums. How? She'd been nobody, a ghost in the city. The vent opened into a wider tunnel, its walls pulsing with data cables. Jace helped her out, his hands gentle but urgent. "You're bleeding," he said, eyeing her leg.
"It's fine," Nyx lied, wincing as she stood. The tunnel stretched into darkness, the city's hum louder here, like a heartbeat. Echo appeared on her holo-pad, its glow faint. "You're pushing too hard, Nyx," it warned. "The Source Code isn't just power—it's part of you. Nexus made you to harness it." Nyx froze, her blood running cold. "Made me?" she whispered. Echo's form flickered. "You were their prototype. They want you back." Before she could ask more, Jace tensed, his knife raised. Footsteps echoed behind them—more enforcers.
Nyx's holo-pad buzzed, its screen flashing with a new Nexus alert. It wasn't just her face this time—a grainy image showed her as a child, strapped to a lab table, wires in her arms. The caption read: Subject 17: Retrieve Alive. Her knees buckled, memories flooding back—needles, white rooms, a voice calling her Elara. Jace caught her, his face pale. "What the hell is that?" he asked, staring at the screen. Nyx couldn't answer. The footsteps grew louder, and a new sound joined them—a low, mechanical growl, like no drone she'd ever heard.
To Be Continued…