The tunnel trembled as Nyx and Jace stumbled away from the Core Node chamber, the mech's roar echoing behind them. Its rune-eyes blazed through the cracked door, and its voice—mimicking Lena Voss's soft tone—haunted Nyx's mind: Come back to me. Her holo-pad buzzed in her hands, the feed of Lena—bloodied, in a cell—still fresh: Elara, find the chip.
The runes in her head pulsed, syncing with the Undergrid's data cables, pulling her into another memory. Her child self, strapped to a lab table, watched Lena slip a small device into her pocket, whispering, "This will break their hold." Nyx's chest tightened—was that chip her key to freedom?
Jace dragged her along, his stun-knife glinting in the tunnel's dim blue light. "Keep moving, Nyx!" he shouted, his voice rough with urgency. His hand gripped her arm, steadying her as her leg burned from the plasma graze. The mech's claws tore at the door, metal screeching, and drones buzzed overhead, their red eyes scanning. Nyx's head throbbed, blood dripping from her nose, but the memory pushed her forward. She had to find that chip—Lena had risked everything for it. But where was it? Her pocket had been empty when she escaped the lab.
Echo's pixelated form flickered on her holo-pad, its glow weak. "Nyx, the chip's a fragment of the Source Code," it said. "Lena hid it in you—your mind, maybe your magic." Nyx's stomach flipped. In her mind? The runes flared, guiding her fingers to type, but her last spell had nearly burned her out. She wiped the blood from her face, her vision blurring. "How do I find it?" she asked, her voice hoarse. Echo's form pulsed. "Sync with the runes. The memory will show you." Sync again? Her body screamed in protest, but she had no choice.
Another memory hit: the lab, chaos as guards dragged Lena away, her coat torn, her eyes locked on Nyx. "Elara, the chip's in your code!" she shouted, then vanished into the white corridors. Pain followed—runes searing into Nyx's mind, a scientist saying, "She's embedding it." Nyx gasped, stumbling, the tunnel snapping back. Jace caught her, his face pale. "Nyx, you're scaring me," he said, his hand lingering on her shoulder. His worry was real, but his eyes flickered with that same guilt she'd noticed before. She pushed it down—she needed him, secrets or not.
The mech burst through the door, its rune-lit frame towering, its claws sparking against the cables. "Subject 17, surrender the Code," it boomed, Lena's voice twisted into a cold command. Nyx's heart pounded. The chip was in her—part of the Source Code, locked in her magic. She typed, her fingers trembling, blending the runes with a desperate spell. The air crackled, and a shield flared around them, deflecting a plasma bolt.Her nose bled harder, her vision swimming, but the memory guided her: Lena's voice, Your code will unlock it.
Jace pulled her into a side passage, the shield flickering. "We can't outrun that thing!" he said, his knife slashing at a drone that got too close. Nyx nodded, her mind racing. The chip was her key, but how to access it? The runes pulsed, showing her a pattern—code she'd never written, buried deep. She typed it, her spell shifting, reaching into her own mind. The holo-pad vibrated, and a faint glow pulsed from her fingers—data, raw and wild, like the chip awakening. Her head screamed, but the shield stabilized, pushing the mech back.
The memory surged again: the lab, Lena fighting guards, shoving Nyx into a vent. "Run, Elara! The chip will guide you!" Then silence, and Nyx crawling free, alone in Neon Crucible's slums. Tears stung her eyes—Lena had saved her, but at what cost? The mech roared, its claws tearing at the shield. "The chip is mine," it said, Lena's voice breaking into static. Nyx's heart ached—Prometheus was using Lena's voice to break her. She typed faster, the runes syncing with the chip's data, projecting a hologram: Lena's face, clear and alive, saying, "Elara, rewrite the Code."
The hologram faded, but the chip's power surged through Nyx, her magic amplifying. The shield expanded, knocking the mech back, its rune-eyes flickering. Jace grinned, though it was tight. "You're a beast, hacker," he said, pulling her deeper into the tunnel. Nyx's body shook, the chip's energy draining her, but she felt it—Lena's plan, hidden in her code. The tunnel opened into a cavern, its walls lined with data nodes, the Core Node's pulse stronger here. Echo's voice was faint. "The chip can override Prometheus, Nyx, but it'll cost you."
Cost her? Before she could ask, the cavern shook, and the mech crashed through the tunnel behind them, its frame glitching, runes fading. "You cannot escape, Subject 17," it said, but its voice wavered, Lena's tone breaking through. "Elara, help me." Nyx froze, her heart tearing. Was Lena alive, trapped in Prometheus? The chip glowed brighter, urging her to act, but her strength was fading. Jace grabbed her holo-pad, typing with her. "Together," he said, his eyes fierce. Their spell surged, and the cavern lit up, but a new sound echoed—a massive hatch opening above, and a shadow fell over them, too big to be drones.
To Be Continued…