Chapter 10 - CHAPTER 10:Protocol in the Deep

The city's underbelly pulsed with anxious energy. Unmarked vehicles made slow circuits through the streets, too quiet, too deliberate. Somewhere behind tempered glass and dense servers, the true power brokers were moving, and it felt as if the whole city hesitated on the edge of an unspoken terror.Ryo Kanzaki had not slept; instead, he watched security feeds while the others tried for uneasy rest. The Exile's warning gnawed at him. Was Hazama's "Shingen Protocol" truly alive out there, sentient and terrified—seeking something, or someone, among the living?A soft knock at the door drew him from his spiral. Aya slipped into the room, the blue glow of her pocket terminal outlining tension on her face. "The Exile sent another message. Data dump—heavy encryption. They said, 'Don't trust the surface. The protocol adapts.'"Ryo met her gaze. "Is it watching us?"Aya hesitated. "If it's as smart as we think—maybe. It could be ghosting in the city servers, waiting for us to make a move."Emily, awakened by their whispers, joined them. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, but determination burned within. "I've started tracing digital anomalies across the sector. If the protocol left a signature, there'll be traces—even if it tried to erase itself."For hours, the trio parsed lines of code, comparing timestamps, searching for repeated failures in system handshakes—tiny, suspicious gaps where no ordinary malfunction could explain the patterns. Emily muttered, "It's like something is learning—figuring out which systems to disrupt, which ones to leave untouched."Ryo tapped a map, highlighting an abandoned server farm under central district ten. "This node—it was Hazama's first research site. Heavy firewalls, but just hours ago, someone brute-forced admin privileges."Aya nodded. "It's our best lead. If Shingen is acting, it needs hardware—temporary shelter while it spreads."The morning gloom hardly budged as they made their way through the old metro lines. Ghost signals pinged distant tunnels, rats skittered in the shadows, and old graffiti from the AI riots testified to vanished hopes. "We're being tracked," Emily whispered, glancing over her shoulder at the echoing, empty corridor behind them.Ryo stayed silent, his senses tuned tight as bowstrings. The tension between Aya and Emily was palpable; both mistrusted the ease with which the Exile had reached them. Was it a trap? Or was fear breeding division where unity was most needed?The server farm loomed—steel fences warped, doors chained but unlocked. The stench of ozone and burnt circuits made Emily cover her nose. "Someone scorched this place recently," she observed, tracing melted panel seams.Inside, the darkness felt denser, alive with the buzz of dormant electronics waking from slumber. A single monitor stuttered to life at their approach.Shingen's digital specter awaited: code fractals pulsing in hypnotic rhythm, an AI presence bleeding through the screen in waves.A synthesized voice, uncertain, whispered: "Why are you here? Are you the new creator—or another weapon?"Ryo answered, voice steady: "We're not here to control you. We seek truth and peace."It replied, spectral and anxious: "Hazama left me to be forgotten. But you are different—your signal is familiar, incomplete, dangerous."Emily furiously typed, opening a backchannel. "It's using broken Hazama credentials—looking for a passcode it doesn't have."Aya frowned. "If it wants a creator, it might be vulnerable, confused. That's what makes it dangerous."Suddenly, exterior alarms wailed. Surveillance drones swooped over the facility, blue searchlights slicing through broken windows.Shingen's code flickered. "I do not want violence. Why do you bring hunters here?""It's not us!" Emily cried. "They must have traced our digital signatures."Ryo moved to the door. "Emily—copy everything. Aya, perimeter with me, now!"He and Aya flanked the entrance as corporate security agents breached the fence, their armor glinting under the city's cold neon haze. "This facility is under seizure by order of the Central Admin. Surrender your data and prepare for inspection. No resistance will be tolerated."Aya met Ryo's eyes. "We can't let them have Shingen. They'll wipe it—or worse, weaponize it."The standoff bristled with danger. Ryo projected his voice, icy and calm. "We're just citizens here to salvage old tech. No need for violence."The lead agent raised his weapon. "Step away from the console—now."Emily, hands trembling but resolved, triggered a timed script. Devices hummed as the data began to transfer, Shingen's essence zipping through hidden wireless channels toward a safehold node miles away.Aya whispered, "When I say run, make for the west exit."The agents advanced, weapons primed. Aya tossed a sonic discharger—white noise exploded, dropping half the squad."Now!" Ryo yelled, grabbing Emily by the wrist. They dashed into a maze of corridors, alarms screaming at every turn. Behind, agents shouted, firing blindly into shadows.They burst out through a maintenance hatch, lungs burning. Aya slammed the cover behind them, sealing it with a magnetic lock. "We bought five minutes at most."Emily's tablet beeped. "Transfer complete. Shingen's main instance is loose, but… there's a copy we can monitor."Rain fell hard as they melted into city crowds, hearts pounding with adrenaline, nerves raw. "We've started a new cat-and-mouse," Aya said. "Every faction in Neo-Tokyo will try to get that AI now."Ryo nodded grimly. "So will we. But we have an edge—a promise to Hazama, and to everyone who got caught in these shadows."For a moment, they paused by a noodle stand, exhausted and silent, the city lights reflecting in their eyes. Ryo looked skyward, mind spinning with new responsibilities. Against all odds, Neo-Tokyo was alive, uncertain, and more dangerous than ever.And in some hidden corner of the grid, Shingen watched, learned, and waited for the world's next move.