The night tore itself open with thunder.
Rain lashed against steel and asphalt as Jaden and Lydia sprinted across the abandoned yard, their shadows swallowed by darkness. The hum of approaching engines echoed like a heartbeat through the storm.
"Keep moving!" Jaden shouted over the downpour.
Lydia's lungs burned. Her soaked hair clung to her face, the USB still clutched tight in her hand. Behind them, the black SUVs screeched to a stop — doors slammed, boots hit the ground.
Flashlights cut through the rain.
"They're here!" someone barked.
Gunfire shattered the air.
Jaden pulled Lydia down behind a rusted metal container, bullets pinging off its side. The air smelled of iron and fear.
"Jaden, what do we do?" she gasped.
He glanced around — mind racing. "There's an underground maintenance tunnel beneath the yard. It connects to the old metro line."
"How do you know that?"
"Because my mother built it."
Lydia froze for a second, staring at him through the flickering lightning. "Of course she did."
Jaden pried open a hatch half-buried under debris, revealing a narrow shaft descending into darkness. "Go first."
She hesitated, then slid down. Jaden followed, sealing it behind him just as flashlights swept the area above.
They landed hard in a damp tunnel that stretched endlessly in both directions. Dim emergency lights blinked faintly every few meters, barely enough to see.
Their breaths echoed.
"Where does this lead?" Lydia whispered.
"To an old safehouse. Cassandra used it years ago to move money and people without a trace," Jaden said. "It's off-grid — if we make it there, we can decrypt the files."
Lydia nodded. "Then we move."
---
They walked in silence, water dripping from the ceiling. The tunnel air was cold and stale. Every sound seemed magnified — their footsteps, their breathing, even the faint buzz of electricity somewhere deep below the surface.
Jaden's face was tense, unreadable. Lydia studied him from the corner of her eye. The man walking beside her looked the same — sharp jaw, dark hair matted by rain — but his aura was different. Weaker. Human.
"Jaden," she said softly. "When you said she tested on you… what did you mean exactly?"
He hesitated. Then, quietly, "She experimented on neural frequency control — manipulating emotion and memory through sound patterns. I was her first live subject. She erased pieces of me, rewired others. When I left her years ago, I didn't even remember who I was."
Lydia's throat tightened. "And yet you still came back for me."
He smiled faintly. "You were the only thing she couldn't erase."
For a moment, silence stretched between them — fragile but real.
Then a sound echoed from behind — faint, metallic.
Lydia spun around. "Did you hear that?"
Jaden's expression darkened. "We're not alone."
---
The tunnel lights flickered.
A low hum rippled through the floor.
Then — a mechanical whirring.
Three drones glided into view, sleek and armed with motion sensors. Cassandra's voice came through the speakers — cold, smooth, distant.
"Did you really think you could outrun me, Jaden?"
Lydia's blood ran cold.
Jaden's jaw tightened. "She's patched into the system."
"You disappoint me," Cassandra's voice continued. "You could've been everything, my perfect creation. Instead, you choose her — a liability, a distraction."
Jaden stepped forward, anger flashing across his face. "You destroyed everything! My life, my mind — you don't own me anymore!"
"Oh, Jaden," Cassandra purred. "You never left me. You are me."
The drones fired.
Jaden lunged, pulling Lydia behind him as bullets tore through the tunnel walls. Sparks flew. He grabbed a rusted pipe from the floor and swung at the nearest drone, smashing it into pieces.
"Run!" he shouted.
They bolted through the tunnel, feet splashing through puddles. The remaining drones followed, red lights glowing like eyes in the dark. Lydia stumbled but Jaden caught her arm, pulling her forward.
Up ahead, a heavy steel door stood half-open. Jaden shoved it wide, forcing Lydia through. The door slammed behind them with a deafening clang.
Darkness swallowed them again.
---
The room beyond was filled with old monitors and flickering screens. Dust covered everything, but the air hummed faintly — power still ran through the lines.
Jaden exhaled. "We made it."
Lydia placed the USB on the table, connecting it to one of the still-functioning terminals. "If we can decrypt this, maybe we can expose her before she finds us again."
Jaden nodded, eyes scanning the screens. "The system's still connected to Holloway's main network. If we're fast, we can hijack the broadcast channel."
Lydia hesitated. "And if she's watching?"
"She already is."
The words had barely left his mouth when one of the monitors flickered — Cassandra's face appeared, cold and composed.
"You always had a weakness for lost causes," she said. "Do you really think you can destroy me with a few files?"
Lydia stepped forward. "We're not destroying you — we're exposing you."
Cassandra smirked. "And you think the world will believe? You're just a name. He's a broken man. Together, you're nothing but noise."
Jaden's voice hardened. "Maybe. But even noise can shatter glass."
He pressed Enter.
The files began uploading — one after another — to public networks, media outlets, and encrypted data channels. Cassandra's entire operation, every hidden crime and experiment, spilling into the world in real time.
Cassandra's smirk faltered.
Then the screens went black.
Silence.
Lydia turned to Jaden. "Did it work?"
Before he could answer, the building trembled — a low rumble beneath their feet.
Jaden's expression turned grim. "She's sending a cleanup team."
Lydia grabbed his arm. "Then we run."
He shook his head. "No. You run. Take the data drive — find Marcus. He'll know what to do."
"What about you?" she demanded.
Jaden looked toward the sealed tunnel door, his face calm, resolute. "I'll hold them off."
"Jaden, no!"
He smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You once told me love isn't about promises — it's about sacrifice."
"Don't you dare—"
But he was already moving toward the door, gun in hand.
The rumble grew louder.
Boots. Voices.
The enemy was coming.
Lydia's tears mixed with rain and dust as she backed toward the exit. "Jaden…"
He turned once more, eyes meeting hers. "Finish this."
The door burst open — and the world erupted into chaos.