The window exploded into a rain of glass.
Lydia hit the floor, dragging Jaden down with her as a stream of laser fire sliced through the command room. Sparks rained down from the ceiling.
"Drones—inside perimeter!" Cassandra shouted, rolling behind a metal console. "They found us faster than I thought!"
Jaden grabbed a rifle from the emergency rack, grimacing as blood dripped from the side of his temple. "How far are they?"
"Close enough to kill us if you don't stop bleeding and start shooting," Cassandra snapped.
He took aim, breathing through the pain. One burst — boom — a drone shattered midair. But two more zipped into position, red sensors glowing through the haze.
Lydia crawled to the far corner, clutching the metal drive Jaden had given her. It pulsed faintly, almost like it was alive.
"Cassandra, why are they after this thing?" she shouted over the chaos.
Cassandra ducked as another drone fired, the blast rocking the room. "Because that drive doesn't just hold financial secrets — it holds names. Every man and woman who helped build the system your billionaire loves so much."
Lydia froze. "You mean Jaden's company?"
Cassandra's voice was low, almost cold. "Not just his company — his family's empire. The whole bloodline is rotten, Lydia. And that drive proves it."
Jaden's eyes darkened. "You're lying."
"I wish I was," Cassandra said, standing from cover and firing a single, clean shot — another drone fell. "But your mother knew it too. That's why she tried to shut it all down before they killed her."
The room fell eerily quiet for a split second. Lydia turned toward Jaden — his face was pale, disbelief mixing with something deeper.
"My mother… she—"
"She found out the corporation was laundering blood money," Cassandra interrupted. "When she tried to expose them, they silenced her. You think it was a car accident? No, Jaden. It was a hit — ordered from inside the board."
Jaden's hands trembled. "That's not possible. My father—"
Cassandra's smirk was bitter. "Your father signed the order."
The silence that followed was deafening — even the whine of the drones seemed to fade.
Lydia's breath hitched. She looked at Jaden — the man who had saved her, protected her, lied to her, and loved her — and saw something break inside him.
Then the walls shook again.
"Movement!" Cassandra yelled. "They're breaching the lower level!"
Jaden snapped out of it, eyes blazing with sudden clarity. "Lydia, get the drive to the east exit. There's a tunnel — leads out to the ridge."
"What about you?"
"I'll cover you."
"No!" she said, grabbing his arm. "You're hurt. You can barely—"
"Go!" he barked, his tone cutting like steel.
Cassandra threw Lydia a tactical flashlight. "He's right. They'll target the signal from the drive — keep it moving or they'll track us all."
Lydia hesitated, then sprinted down the corridor, clutching the small metallic drive against her chest.
Behind her, the outpost erupted into gunfire.
---
Tunnel passage — 12 minutes later.
The corridor was dark, dripping with moisture and echoing with the distant thunder of explosions. Lydia's lungs burned, her heartbeat echoing in her ears.
She reached a fork — left or right. She paused, panting, trying to listen.
Then a voice echoed faintly behind her.
"Lydia…"
She froze. It was Jaden's voice — faint, hoarse, but real.
"Jaden!" she turned, shining her flashlight down the tunnel.
Footsteps echoed closer.
Too heavy. Too calm.
Her chest tightened. That wasn't Jaden.
From the shadows stepped a tall figure — broad-shouldered, dressed in a black tactical vest, eyes hidden behind a visor. He spoke through a distorted voice modulator.
"You shouldn't have run."
Lydia stepped back. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted his head. "I'm the one who keeps the truth buried."
He raised a silenced pistol.
Before he could fire, a gunshot cracked from behind him — Cassandra, appearing out of the darkness like a ghost.
The bullet tore through the man's shoulder, sending him crashing into the tunnel wall.
"Move!" Cassandra shouted, grabbing Lydia's hand. "We don't have time—"
The tunnel shook violently — a shockwave rippling through the ground as the outpost above them exploded.
Lydia fell forward, Cassandra barely catching her before the ceiling began to cave in.
"Go!" Cassandra yelled, pushing her toward the exit. "Run!"
"What about you?"
"Just run, damn it!"
The roof collapsed, sealing the tunnel behind them in a roar of dust and fire.
---
Outside — near the ridge.
Lydia stumbled into the open air, the night cold and silent except for the distant hum of drones.
She looked back — nothing but smoke and rubble where the outpost once stood.
"Cassandra!" she screamed.
No answer.
Her knees hit the ground. She was shaking — exhausted, terrified, clutching the drive so tightly it bit into her palm.
Then — from behind her — came a ragged cough.
She turned sharply.
Jaden was there, half-covered in soot, limping toward her. "You… you didn't think I'd let you finish this without me, did you?"
She let out a shaky laugh, tears blurring her vision as she threw her arms around him. "You idiot— I thought you were—"
He pulled her close, holding her tight. "I'm not that easy to kill."
For a moment, the world went still — just their breathing, the rain, and the faint glow of the burning sky behind them.
But then Lydia looked down — and froze.
Jaden's shirt was soaked with blood.
Not from before — fresh.
He noticed her stare, gave a faint, pained smile. "Looks worse than it is."
She shook her head, voice trembling. "No, no, no—"
He brushed her cheek with his hand. "Don't stop now. You've got to finish what she started."
"Jaden, stop—"
His strength faltered. He fell against her, his breath shallow.
And from the horizon, drone lights reappeared — a fleet, scanning, searching.
Lydia's tears fell hot against his chest. "I'm not leaving you."
He smiled weakly. "Then… run with me.